Marked by the Cross

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Most high and loving God, you led St. Francis to follow your Son with an undivided heart. Through his intercession, loosen my grip on whatever keeps me from the Gospel. Make me simple, joyful, and ready to serve the poor, to seek peace, and to praise you with all creation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us pause in silence, and bring to mind the intention you are praying for.

In the app, your own saved intention rests here during the silence. The narration stays the same for everyone.

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Near the end of his life, Francis bore the wounds of Christ in a mysterious conformity to the One he loved. The stigmata did not make suffering an end in itself; they revealed how completely his life had been shaped by crucified love. We ask not for extraordinary signs but for hearts willing to love at a cost.

Crucified Lord, let me boast in nothing but your saving love. Unite my wounds and sacrifices to your Cross, and keep suffering from making me bitter. Through St. Francis's intercession, shape me into a patient, self-giving disciple, ready to bear another's burden with love each day. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

St. Francis, brother to the poor and joyful follower of the crucified Christ, carry my intention before the Lord. Teach me to hold created things with gratitude rather than possession, to meet wounded people with tenderness, and to become an instrument of Christ's peace wherever I am sent each day. Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.