Year of the Priest – A Prayer of Thanksgiving
By Francis of Assisi, with an application to priests
1 All-powerful, most holy,
most high and supreme God,
Holy and just Father,
Lord King of heaven and earth,
we thank You for Yourself.
for through Your holy will
and through Your only Son
with the Holy Spirit
You have created everything spiritual and corporeal
and, after making us in Your own image and likeness,
2 Through our own fault we fell.
3 We thank You
for as through Your own Son You created us,
so through Your holy love
with which You loved us,
You brought about His birth
as true God and true man
by the glorious, ever-virgin, most blessed, holy Mary;
and You willed to redeem us captives
through His cross and blood and death.
4 We thank You
for Your Son Himself will come again
in the glory of His majesty
to send into the eternal fire
the wicked ones
who have not done penance
and have not known You
and to say to all those
who have known You, adored You and served You in penance:
"Come, you blessed of my Father,
receive the kingdom prepared for you
from the beginning of the world."
5 Because all of us, wretches and sinners,
are not worthy to pronounce Your name,
we humbly ask
our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your beloved Son,
in Whom You are well pleased,
together with the Holy Spirit,
the Paraclete,
to give You thanks,
for everything
as it pleases You and Him,
Who always satisfies You in everything,
through Whom You have done so much for us.
Alleluia!
[We also thank You, most holy Father,
for all priests
who believe and teach
what Saint Francis of Assisi
expresses in this prayer,
he who had such great respect for these ordained men.
May they, because of Your grace,
always remain faithful to all the teachings
of holy Mother Church
for the spiritual benefit of Your holy People,
for the sake of Your glory.
Amen. Alleluia.]
Francis of Assisi, RegNB 23, 1-5; addition by Francis de Ruijte, 2004 January 24.