Prayer Requests Section

Apostolic Prayer Requests 

"I urge you, (brothers,) by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in the struggle by your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the disobedient in Judea, and that my ministry for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the holy ones, so that I may come to you with joy by the will of God and be refreshed together with you." (St. Paul, Rom. 15:30-32)

"Brothers, pray for us (too)." (St. Paul, 1 Thes. 5:25)

"Finally, brothers, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may speed forward and be glorified, as it did among you, and that we may be delivered from perverse and wicked people, for not all have faith." (St. Paul, 2 Thes. 3:1-2)

"Pray for us, for we are confident that we have a clear conscience, wishing to act rightly in every respect. I especially ask for your prayers that I may be restored to you very soon." (St. Paul, Heb. 13:18-19)

"Persevere in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving; at the same time, pray for us, too, that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak of the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, that I may make it clear, as I must speak." (St. Paul, Col. 4:2-4)

Also See: Prayers (Topical Scripture) | The Apostles

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Intercessory Prayer for the Apostles

"Peter thus was being kept in prison, but prayer by the church was fervently being made to God on his behalf. On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter, secured by double chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison. Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying, 'Get up quickly.' The chains fell from his wrists." (Acts 12:5-7)

"Indeed, we had accepted within ourselves the sentence of death, that we might trust not in ourselves but in God who raises the dead. He rescued us from such great danger of death, and he will continue to rescue us; in him we have put our hope (that) he will also rescue us again, as you help us with prayer, so that thanks may be given by many on our behalf for the gift granted us through the prayers of many." (St. Paul, 2 Cor. 1:9-11)

"I want you to know, brothers, that my situation has turned out rather to advance the gospel, so that my imprisonment has become well known in Christ throughout the whole praetorium and to all the rest, and so that the majority of the brothers, having taken encouragement in the Lord from my imprisonment, dare more than ever to proclaim the word fearlessly. Of course, some preach Christ from envy and rivalry, others from good will. The latter act out of love, aware that I am here for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not from pure motives, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment. What difference does it make, as long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed? And in that I rejoice. Indeed I shall continue to rejoice, for I know that this will result in deliverance for me through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ." (St. Paul, Phil. 1:12-19)

"At the same time prepare a guest room for me, for I hope to be granted to you through your prayers." (St. Paul, Phlm. 1:22)

Also See: Apostolic Prayer Requests ) | The Apostles

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Praying for Others

Also See: Catholic Prayers (Topic Page)

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mt. 5:43-48)

"But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." (Our Lord Jesus Christ, Lk. 6:27-28)

"[P]ray one for another, that you may be saved" (St. James, Jms. 5:16)

"If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray." (St. John, 1 Jn. 5:16)

"First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth." (St. Paul, 1 Tm. 2:1-4)

"Souls that really love God will never neglect to pray for poor sinners." (St. Alphonsus, Doctor of the Church)

"Holy Church does not teach us to pray for ourselves in particular, but always for ourselves and for our Christian brethren." (St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church)

"To pray for another is an act of charity" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"He causes his prayers to be of more avail to himself, who offers them also for others." (Pope St. Gregory the Great, Doctor of the Church)

"[H]e who prays for others will experience that his prayers for himself will be heard much sooner." (Muller)

"Indeed, prayer is the first and greatest work of charity that we must do for our brothers and sisters." (Pope John Paul II)

"A person who does nothing more than lovingly pray to God for his brethren participates in the great work of saving souls." (Ven. Anne Catherine Emmerich)

"Necessity binds us to pray for ourselves, fraternal charity urges us to pray for others: and the prayer that fraternal charity proffers is sweeter to God than that which is the outcome of necessity." (Psuedo-Chrys, as quoted by St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church)

"We say 'Our Father' and not 'My Father', 'Give us' and not 'Give me', because the Master of unity did not wish us to pray privately, that is for ourselves alone, for He wished each one to pray for all, even as He Himself bore all in one." (St. Cyprian)

"[W]e are bound to pray for our enemies in the same manner as we are bound to love them." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"[W]hen we pray we ought to ask for what we ought to desire. Now we ought to desire good things not only for ourselves, but also for others: for this is essential to the love which we owe to our neighbor... Therefore charity requires us to pray for others." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"The conversion of sinners is, undoubtedly, one of the most praiseworthy objects for which we can pray. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us in the 'Our Father' to pray not only for ourselves but also for all our fellow men. By his example he taught us also to pray for others. Indeed, we may say that his whole life was a continual prayer, for the just as well as for sinners." (Muller)

"We ought also to pray for the just for three reasons: First, because the prayers of a multitude are more easily heard, wherefore a gloss on Romans 15:30, 'Help me in your prayers,' says: 'The Apostle rightly tells the lesser brethren to pray for him, for many lesser ones, if they be united together in one mind, become great, and it is impossible for the prayers of a multitude not to obtain' that which is possible to be obtained by prayer. Secondly, that many may thank God for the graces conferred on the just, which graces conduce to the profit of many, according to the Apostle (2 Corinthians 1:11). Thirdly, that the more perfect may not wax proud, seeing that they find that they need the prayers of the less perfect." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"For it sometimes happens that we pray for another with piety and perseverance, and ask for things relating to his salvation, and yet it is not granted on account of some obstacle on the part of the person we are praying for, according to Jeremiah 15:1, 'If Moses and Samuel shall stand before Me, My soul is not towards this people.' And yet the prayer will be meritorious for the person who prays thus out of charity, according to Psalm 35:13, 'My prayer shall be turned into my bosom, i.e. though it profit them not, I am not deprived of my reward,' as the gloss expounds it." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"We ought to pray even for sinners, that they may be converted, and for the just that they may persevere and advance in holiness. Yet those who pray are heard not for all sinners but for some: since they are heard for the predestined, but not for those who are foreknown to death; even as the correction whereby we correct the brethren, has an effect in the predestined but not in the reprobate, according to Ecclesiastes 7:13, 'No man can correct whom God hath despised.' Hence it is written (1 John 5:16): 'He that knoweth his brother to sin a sin which is not to death, let him ask, and life shall be given to him, who sinneth not to death.' Now just as the benefit of correction must not be refused to any man so long as he lives here below, because we cannot distinguish the predestined from the reprobate, as [St.] Augustine says (De Correptione et Gratia xv), so too no man should be denied the help of prayer." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

Also See: Efficacy of Prayers of the Just | Exhortations to Prayer | Praying for One's Enemies

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Sharing Other's Joys & Sorrows 

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." (St. Paul, Rom. 12:15)

"[T]hose who are in pain are consoled when their friends sympathize with them...When one is in pain, it is natural that the sympathy of a friend should afford consolation: whereof the Philosopher indicates a twofold reason (Ethica Nicomachea ix,11). The first is because, since sorrow has a depressing effect, it is like a weight whereof we strive to unburden ourselves: so that when a man sees others saddened by his own sorrow, it seems as though others were bearing the burden with him, striving, as it were, to lessen its weight; wherefore the load of sorrow becomes lighter for him: something like what occurs in the carrying of bodily burdens. The second and better reason is because when a man's friends condole with him, he sees that he is loved by them, and this affords him pleasure... Consequently, since every pleasure assuages sorrow..., it follows that sorrow is mitigated by a sympathizing friend." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"Moreover, when in the mystical body of Christ, which is the Church, all the members are united and flourish, it results, according to St. Paul, that the joy or pain of one member is shared by all the rest, so that if one of the brethren in Christ is suffering in mind or body the others come to his help and succor him as far as in them lies. The members are solicitous in regard of each other, and if one member suffer all the members suffer in sympathy, and if one member rejoice all the others rejoice also." (Pope Leo XIII, "Octobri Mense", 1891)

Also See: Sharing Others' Joy [AP] | Sharing Others' Joys / Sorrows [Pers. Insp.] | Praying for Others

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Misc.

"We can never have too much hope in God. He gives in the measure we ask." (St. Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church) 

"Men by petitioning may merit to receive what almighty God arranged before the ages to give them." (Pope St. Gregory the Great, Doctor of the Church, 6th century A.D.)

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More Prayer- Related Reflections

Click here for 'Reflections' related to this topic [Prayers & Devotions Section]

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