Lenten Prayers from CRS

As I fall to my knees, in prayer, in fasting
In sacrifice and penitence
Somehow, you have it in yourself to reach out and gently lift me
To renew me
To claim me as nothing of this world can claim me.

We have three callings for Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The flagship program for Catholic Relief Services, CRS Rice Bowl, supports all of these, but it all begins with prayer. We enter our own personal deserts, confront what we must, and through God's grace, seek to come out the other side in the fullness of reconciliation. How could we even begin such an undertaking without prayer?

We invite you and your faith communities to use these prayers and prayer resources as we undergo our Lenten journeys. Bookmark this page and return for these prayers and prayer resources as needed, throughout this holy time.

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If I Must Refrain

As we abstain during Lent, we search for meaning in our sacrifices, seeking a path back to God, a reconciliation with our sister and brothers and with our father in Heaven.

And so we pray ... .

Meet Me in the Desert

In the desert of Lenten journeys, we enter the challenge of our penance, and the hope of renewal.  It is there we seek the gentle touch of our Lord, who alone can lead us home.

And so we pray ...

Prayer of the Wilderness

We enter into our Lenten sacrifice, hoping to move past the allures of our earthly sensations, to re-discover the true desire of our senses, the true desire of our hearts.

And so we pray ... .

Our True Homeland Is Heaven

As we search for reconciliation with our maker, and the comforts of our Father's home, we come to realize that we are all refugees.  And in our journeys and our searching, we find solidarity with refugees everywhere.

And so we pray ... .

Stay Here and Keep Watch with Me

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ made one more request of his friends, a cry of solidarity. Millenia later, we still seek the strength—during Lent in particular—to stay close to the Body of Christ revealed in the suffering of God's people.

And so we pray ... .

Lenten Prayer Cards

These printable prayer cards that can be used as a reflection at home or in a classroom, allowing us to visit in prayer the nations we are holding up this year as part of CRS Rice Bowl, and to grow in solidarity with our brothers and sisters overseas.Download resource.

Stations of the Cross: Digital Retreat

Well-known Catholic leaders such as Bishop Robert Barron (Los Angeles), Kerry Weber of America magazine, and CatholicMom.com's own Lisa Hendey accompany us through the sacred prayer journey that is Stations of the Cross.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHq8MSuq2Jc&list=PLt5PsPjJAk-10r2q1vtDy0olRRPgJAbn7

We pray your Lent may fruitful, that the seeds planted by your prayer, fasting, and almsgiving may blossom into the sweetest of fruits as we await our Lord's resurrection, seeking to find in it the blessing of our own.

Copyright 2017 Ed Hoyt for Catholic Relief Services