The resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the culmination of God’s promise to us. It is a time of celebration, but also a time of remarkable power. Once and for all, we are assured that light overcomes darkness, and Jesus is with us always. Take a moment to save this page of Lenten prayers to refer back to throughout Lent.

Lent prepares us for this victorious moment.

Just as Jesus withdrew to the Judean wilderness for 40 days and nights of prayer and fasting (read about it in Matthew 4:1-11), we are called to follow His example during the 40 days of Lent so that we, too, have the power to overcome the darkness in our lives.

It is in this spirit that we’ve gathered these prayers and reflections. For God called us to pray without ceasing (Thessalonians 5:17). We hope that these Lenten prayers inspire you, strengthen you, and move you closer to God on your Lenten journey this year.

Ash Wednesday

“Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, help us to grow in faith and love over these next forty days, and may we be brought even closer to you in our lives. Lord, you are our God and we are your people, may we never veer from the perfect path which you have set before us. Be our rock and our strength Lord Jesus. Amen.”

(Source: Catholic Daily Reading Reflections)

Day 2

Lord,  
Let everything I do this day and in this season of Lent
come from you, be inspired by you.

I long to be closer to you.
Help me to remember that nothing is important in my life
unless it glorifies you in some way.

It's so easy to get caught up in the day to day of my life and keep saying,
"Tomorrow, I will spend more time in prayer,"
but now my longing meets your love and I want to do it now.
Help me to rely on you for help.

The prayer asks you that I reach perfection.
Please, Lord, remind me that "perfection"
isn't the crazy, "successful" way I try to live my life,
but a perfection of my most authentic, real self.
My "perfection" might be holding my many flaws in my open hands,
asking you to help me accept them.

Heal me, Lord, and help me to find you in the darkness of my life.
Let me reach out in this darkness and feel your hand and love there to guide me.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 3

Creator of my Life,
renew me: bring me to new life in you.
Touch me and make me feel whole again.
Help me to see your love
in the passion, death and resurrection of your son.
Help me to observe Lent
in a way that allows me to celebrate that love.
Prepare me for these weeks of Lent
as I feel both deep sorrow for my sins
and your undying love for me.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 4

Loving God,
Sometimes my heart
turns in every direction
except towards you.
Please help me
to turn my heart toward you,
to gaze upon you in trust
and to seek your kingdom with all of my heart.
Soften my hardened heart
so that I might love others
as a way to glorify and worship you.
Grant me this
with the ever-present guidance of your spirit.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 5

Loving creator,
I am not asking to overcome my weakness,
but to use it in some way to glorify you.

Let me be aware of
the many ways you reach out to help me today
and let me stand in awe of the power
that you use in such loving ways.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 6

O Lord, who hast mercy upon all,
take away from me my sins,
and mercifully kindle in me
the fire of thy Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone,
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore Thee,
a heart to delight in Thee,
to follow and enjoy Thee, for Christ's sake, Amen
St. Ambrose of Milan (AD 339-397

(Source: Church Year)

Day 7

We pray for the more than 220 million people wandering the face of our earth searching for safety, stability, work and basic human needs. We pray in sorrow for the hostility they often endure and for the exploitation and violence that crushes their souls. We pray that their search for welcome and peace be fulfilled with compassion of the nations and the support of all believers in God. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, Amen.

(Source: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)

Day 8

God of Love,
through this Lenten journey,
purify my desires to serve you.
Free me from any temptations to judge others,
to place myself above others.
Please let me surrender even my impatience
with others,
that with your love and your grace,
I might be less and less absorbed with myself,
and more and more full of the desire
to follow you, in laying down my life
according to your example.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 9

Loving God,
I hear your invitation, "Come back to me"
and I am filled with such a longing to return to you.
Show me the way to return.
Lead me this day in good works I do in your name
and send your Spirit to guide me and strengthen my faith.
I ask only to feel your love in my life today.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 10

Loving God, Caring parent,
I am a child who so often turns my back
on your love.
Please accept my small acts of sorrow today
and help to release me from the self-absorption
that closes my heart to you.
As I journey through Lent,
let me remember the feast you have prepared for me
in the resurrection
and let me be filled with thanks to you.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 11

God of infinite love,
you shower me with limitless gifts in my life.
In my every thought and action today
guide me to the bright and loving light of your kingdom.
Help me to be aware of
the many ways you allow me
to share in your life so intimately today.
Thank you for the gifts you have placed in my life.
Let me be grateful every moment of this day.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 12

O God, who delight in innocence and restore it, direct the hearts of your servants to yourself, that, caught up in the fire of your Spirit, we may be found steadfast in faith and effective in works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 13

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, we thank you for all that you bless us with in this life. We praise you for all that we are and for all that we have; may we always be good stewards of the many blessings that you give to us. Lord you are the way, the truth and the life; may we always stay on the path that you have laid before us. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Source: Catholic Daily Reading Reflections)

Day 14

Listen to him… It is wonderful to acknowledge that we need God’s help in listening and hearing. It is so powerful to ask for the “gift of integrity” – to express our desire for wholeness. And, we humbly ask for light in the midst of whatever might “shadow our vision.” This is the God who allows Jesus to be transfigured before his disciples, to prepare them for what they were about to face. This is our God, who can give each of us the change of heart we ask for.

(Source: Catholic Philly)

Day 15

We pray for the tens of millions in our own nation lacking basic health care insurance. We pray for those who receive inadequate treatment for their illnesses and injuries or have suffered financially from their health condition. We pray for all Catholic health care professionals who realize their career is a vocation flowing from their faith. May the conscience of all health care professionals and all faith based health care institutions be protected from participating in any medical procedure that violates the sacredness of human life. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, Amen.

(Source: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)

Day 16

Loving God,
I hear your invitation, "Come back to me"
and I am filled with such a longing to return to you.
Show me the way to return.
Lead me this day in good works I do in your name
and send your Spirit to guide me and strengthen my faith.
I ask only to feel your love in my life today.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 17

"O Divine Truth, You give so much strength to the soul which clothes itself with You, that it never falters under the weight of adversity beneath the burden of troubles and temptations, but in every struggle it gains a great victory. I am wretched because I have not followed You, O Eternal Truth; hence I am so weak that in every least tribulation I fall.”

-- St Catherine of Siena

(Source: Global Catholic Television Network)

Day 18

God of Mercy and Understanding,
I know that with help
I can open my heart more fully
to the mysteries of the suffering and death
of your son.
Help me to be humble in this journey
and remember that any mercy and compassion I feel
is a gift from you.
I await the joy of Easter with new longing and patience.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 19

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that, schooled through Lenten observance and nourished by your word, through holy restraint we may be devoted to you with all our heart and be ever united in prayer. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

(Source: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)

Day 20

May our love grow each day.

We are at the half-way point in our Lenten journey today.
There is so much yet to learn, to examine, to heal, to renew.
We have a sense of the patterns we are naming and a sense of the graces we are asking for,
as well as the ways God is working in us.

We want to be ready and our Lord wants us to be confident.
So we keep asking and we keep giving thanks, throughout our day.

I am the Savior of all people, says the Lord.
Whatever their troubles,
I will answer their cry,
and I will always be their Lord.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 21

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that, schooled through Lenten observance and nourished by your word, through holy restraint we may be devoted to you with all our heart and be ever united in prayer. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

(Source: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)

Day  22

"I am with you always, to the close of the age.” These words of Jesus assure us that in proclaiming and living the Gospel of charity we are not alone. Once again, during this Lent he invites us to return to the Father, who is waiting for us with open arms to transform us into living and effective signs of his merciful love.”
-- Pope John Paul II

(Source: Global Catholic Television Network)

Day 23

God has revealed himself in Christ. Let us praise his goodness, and ask him from our hearts:
Remember us, Lord, for we are your children.

Teach us to enter more deeply into the mystery of the Church,
- that it may be more effective for ourselves and for the world as the sacrament of salvation.
Lover of mankind, inspire us to work for human progress,
- seeking to spread your kingdom in all we do.
May our hearts thirst for Christ,
- the fountain of living water.
Forgive us our sins,
- and direct our steps into the ways of justice and sincerity

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 24

May we reach out with joy to grasp your hand.
We keep acknowledging that God is the source of our life.
We realize that we have been seeking other sources of life.
We recognize our weakness and turn to God for help.
Though our hearts are being opened up to their depths,
though we cry out to God for help, we are not discouraged.

The Lord is near to broken hearts.

When the just cry out, the Lord hears them, 
and from all their distress he rescues them. 
The Lord is close to the broken hearted; 
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 25

Apart from you we can do nothing.
The conflict around Jesus grows.
And all the while, we are turning to God for mercy.
What Jesus went through is for me,
that I might have mercy and the gift of everlasting life.

We call upon the Lord for help, for strength, for trust.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 26

May the working of your mercy, O Lord, we pray, direct our hearts aright, for without your grace we cannot find favor in your sight. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

(Source: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)

Day 27

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardships as the pathway to peace, taking, as He, did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it. Trusting that He will make all things right. If I surrender to His Will, that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with him forever in the next. Amen.

(Source: Global Catholic Television Network)

Day 28

Loving God,
You have heard my complaints, my impatience.
Sometimes I become frightened when I move away from you.
Guide my heart back to you.
Help me to think beyond my own wants
and to desire only to do you will.

Thank you for the many blessings in my life
and for the ways I feel your presence.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 29

Loving Creator,
I know in your great love for me,
you see the deep sorrow in my heart.
Hear my prayers which are offered with such trust in you.

Be with me in both mind and heart
as I renew my life in your spirit.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 30

We fly to your protection, most holy Mother of God; please listen to our petitions and needs, and deliver us from all dangers.

(Source: Global Catholic Television Network)

Day 31

“There is a general rule concerning all special graces granted to any human being. Whenever the divine favor chooses someone to receive a special grace, or to accept a lofty vocation, God adorns the person chosen with all the gifts of the Spirit needed to fulfill the task at hand.

“This general rule is especially verified in the case of Saint Joseph, the foster-father of our Lord, and the husband of the Queen of our world, enthroned above the angels. He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, namely, his divine Son and Mary, Joseph's wife. He carried out this vocation with complete fidelity until at last God called him, saying ‘Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.’

“Remember us, Saint Joseph, and plead for us to your foster child. Ask your most holy bride, the Virgin Mary, to look kindly upon us, since she is the mother of Him who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns eternally.”
-- Saint Bernardine of Siena

(Source: Global Catholic Television Network)

Day 32

Loving God,
Your eternal watchfulness keeps me safe from harm.
I am filled with a great happiness
when I feel your endless love for me.
Thank you for your care for me, one of your children.
I ask you to protect from harm
those who will soon be your children,
joined in the joy of your church.
Please continue to pour out your blessings
on all of us who have been given
the lifegiving waters of baptism.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 33

Be near, O Lord, to those who plead before you, and look kindly on those who place their hope in your mercy, that, cleansed from the stain of their sins, they may persevere in holy living and be made full heirs of your promise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

(Source: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)

Day 34

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace; Where there is hatred, let me sow charity; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is error, the truth; Where there is doubt, the faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; and Where there is sadness, joy. O, Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; To be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; And it is in dying to ourselves that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

(Source: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)

Day 35

Almighty ever-living God,
grant us so to celebrate
the mysteries of the Lord’s Passion
that we may merit to receive your pardon.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

(Source: Creighton University Online Ministries)

Day 36

We pray for the growing numbers of American families now living in poverty and choosing between housing and meals; heating or eating; medicine or nutrition. We pray for all efforts to secure stable sources of food for all families and households. We pray for all farmers, and farm workers. May they receive just recompense for their labors and harvests. For all operating soup kitchens and food pantries. We pray for millions of third world families despairing of the next meal and watching their loved ones die of starvation. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, Amen.

(Source: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)

Day 37

O Lord Jesus, in order that the merits of your sacrifice
on the Cross might be applied to every soul of all time,
you willed that it should be renewed upon the altar.

At the Last Supper, you said:
"Do this in remembrance of me."

By these words you gave your apostles and their successors the power to consecrate and to the command to do what you yourself did.

I believe that the Mass is both a sacrifice and a memorial- reenacting your passion, death and resurrection.

Help me to realize that the Mass is the greatest gift of God to us and our greatest gift to God.

(Source: Catholic News Agency)

Day 38

O Jesus, it is not the heavenly reward you have promised which impels me to love you; neither is it the threat of hell that keeps me from offending you.

It is you O Lord, it is the sight of you affixed to the Cross and suffering insults; it is the sight of your broken body,
as well as your pains and your death.

There is nothing you can give me to make me love you.

For even if there were no heaven and no hell I would still love you as I do!

(Source: Catholic News Agency)

Saturday, Day 39

O God, Creator of heaven and earth:

Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

(Source: Catholic News Agency)

Sunday, Day 40

It is only right, with all the powers of our heart and mind, to praise You Father and Your Only-Begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear Father, by Your wondrous condescension of Loving-Kindness toward us, Your servants, You gave up Your Son.

Dear Jesus You paid the debt of Adam for us to the Eternal Father by Your Blood poured forth in Loving-Kindness.

You cleared away the darkness of sin by Your magnificent and radiant Resurrection.

You broke the bonds of death and rose from the grave as a Conqueror.

You reconciled Heaven and earth. Our life had no hope of Eternal Happiness before You redeemed us.

Your Resurrection has washed away our sins, restored our innocence and brought us joy.

How inestimable is the tenderness of Your Love!

We pray You, Lord, to preserve Your servants in the peaceful enjoyment of this Easter happiness.

We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with God The Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.

Amen.

(Source: Catholic News Agency)

We pray that you have a blessed Lenten season. Be sure to bookmark this page so you can easily refer to it each day.  If you are seeking more Lenten inspiration, we welcome you to browse our wide selection of inspirational books.