There is a prayer that I have said off and on over the years, but this past month I have “taken it to heart” and have said it with more devotion. It is “St. Faustina’s Prayer to be Merciful”.
This is the abbreviated version on the prayer card that I use:
Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors’ soul…
Help me, O Lord, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors’ needs…
Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor…
Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbor…
Help me, O Lord, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor…
Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor.
May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me.
The full version, taken from St. Faustina’s diary, “Divine Mercy in My Soul,” can be found here: St. Faustina’s Prayer to be Merciful. Otherwise, if you have a copy of her Diary, it’s in paragraph number 163.
I have found it to be a very fruitful prayer, a good way to practice the Works of Mercy in a small way, and at least to open oneself up to the task of doing them. The prayer can even merely be a petition to deal with others in a more Christ-like way.
The line: May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me, has become a short aspiration that I say throughout the day, particularly before having to do something or deal with a person. It’s a good aspiration to quickly say on a job.
"The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts"
and "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics"