Prayer is one of the primary aspects that hold a marriage and family together. Many traditions surround Catholic prayer. Asking for God’s blessing is just one of the ways you can celebrate your relationship. Here is a look at some of the best Catholic prayers for married couples.
Table of contents
Prayers #1
O Jesus, lover of the young, the dearest Friend I have, in all confidence I open my heart to You to beg Your light and assistance in the important task of planning my future. Give me the light of Your grace, that I may decide wisely concerning the person who is to be my partner through life. Dearest Jesus, send me such a one whom in Your divine wisdom You judge best suited to be united with me in marriage. May her/his character reflect some of the traits of Your own Sacred Heart. May s/he be upright, loyal, pure, sincere and noble, so that with united efforts and with pure and unselfish love we both may strive to perfect ourselves in soul and body, as well as the children it may please You to entrust to our care. Bless our friendship before marriage, that sin may have no part in it. May our mutual love bind us so closely, that our future home may ever be most like Your own at Nazareth.
O Mary Immaculate, sweet Mother of the young, to your special care I entrust the decision I am to make as to my future wife/husband. You are my guiding Star! Direct me to the person with whom I can best cooperate in doing God’s Holy Will, with whom I can live in peace, love and harmony in this life, and attain to eternal joys in the next.
Amen.
Prayers #2
Lord Jesus,
(on this happy day)
we thank you for the joy of N. and N.
Through all the years of their life
you have watched over them
to bring them together in holy Christian marriage.
Now Lord, bless them,
for they are united in love of you and of each other.
Redeemed by your Precious Blood
and strengthened by your grace,
may they live in kindness and fidelity,
in unfailing trust and love
so that their whole life may be pleasing to you.
Mary, who with Joseph
made a happy home at Nazareth for Jesus,
take these dear friends into your motherly care.
You who showed concern for a newly married couple at Cana,
help and guide N. and N.
May their union on earth lead to that eternal union
in which all the blessed will be joined together,
praising the Redeeming Blood of Jesus, the Lord.
Amen.
Prayers #3
Dear Lord,
I offer you this prayer, to help me with my current relationship situation. Please take away all the pain and hurt in my heart. Fill it with love, joy, patience, and understanding. Bless me and my partner, so that we may never surrender to whatever challenges that come our way. Fill our hearts with love for each other, and may you make each one of us realize each other’s worth. Please touch the heart of my partner,fill it with much love for me. Make our complicated relationship become uncomplicated. I seek for your mercy and blessing that you may allow us to spend the rest of our lives with each other. Please make this feeling mutual for both of us. Lead us not into temptations. Guide us wherever we go. Always put us in each other’s heart and mind. Thank you Lord for hearing my prayer. I love you. Amen.
Prayers #4
We know that all of us need God’s blessing at all times; but at the time of their engagement to be married, Christians are in particular need of grace as they prepare themselves to form a new family.
Let us pray, then, for God’s blessing to come upon this couple: that as they await the day of their wedding, they will grow in mutual respect and in their love for one another; that through their companionship and prayer together they will prepare themselves rightly and chastely for marriage.
Prayers #5
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; I say to the Lord, “My God are you. Apart from you I have no good.” I bless the Lord who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me. I set the Lord ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body abides in confidence.
You, O Lord, will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever.
Prayers #6
We have gathered here to celebrate the love of N. and N. God has brought them together, and we pray that God will hold them in his love always. As the food we share will strengthen our bodies, may our time together strengthen the love that binds us.
Let us pray. Lord God, you sustain all creatures and never cease to give your children the food they need. We bless you for bringing us together in the love that unites us around this table where the food we take strengthens our bodies. We pray that, nourished by your Word, we may grow ever stronger in faith as we strive for the coming of your Kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
Prayers #7
We have come together to celebrate the anniversary of the marriage of our brother and sister. As we join them in their joy, we join them also in their gratitude. God has set them among us as a sign of his love and through the years they have remained faithful (and have fulfilled their responsibilities as parents). Let us give thanks for all the favors N. and N. have received during their married life. May God keep them in their love for each other, so that they may be more and more of one mind and one heart.
Prayers #8
I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayers #9
Almighty and eternal God, you have so exalted the unbreakable bond of marriage that it has become the sacramental sign of your Son’s union with the Church as his spouse. Look with favor on N. and N., whom you have united in marriage, as they ask for your help and the protection of the Virgin Mary. They pray that in good times and in bad they will grow in love for each other; that they will resolve to be of one heart in the bond of peace.
Lord, in their struggles let them rejoice that you are near to help them; in their needs let them know that you are there to rescue them; in their joys let them see that you are the source and completion of every happiness. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
Prayers #10
O God, we want to live our life together with you and always to continue it with you. Help us never to hurt and never to grieve each other. Help us to share all our works, all our hopes, all our dreams, all our successes, all our failures, all our joys and all our sorrows. Help us to have no secrets from each other so that we may be truly one. Keep us always true to each other, and grant that all the years ahead may draw us ever closer to each other. Grant that nothing may ever come between us and nothing may ever make us ever drift apart. And as we live with each other, help us to live with you, so that our love may grow perfect in your love, for you are the God whose name is love. This we ask for your love’s sake. Amen
Amen
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Prayer is one of the primary aspects that hold a marriage and family together. Many traditions surround Catholic prayer. Asking for God’s blessing is just one of the ways you can celebrate your relationship. Here is a look at some of the best Catholic prayers for married couples.
Prayers #1
O Jesus, lover of the young, the dearest Friend I have, in all confidence I open my heart to You to beg Your light and assistance in the important task of planning my future. Give me the light of Your grace, that I may decide wisely concerning the person who is to be my partner through life. Dearest Jesus, send me such a one whom in Your divine wisdom You judge best suited to be united with me in marriage. May her/his character reflect some of the traits of Your own Sacred Heart. May s/he be upright, loyal, pure, sincere and noble, so that with united efforts and with pure and unselfish love we both may strive to perfect ourselves in soul and body, as well as the children it may please You to entrust to our care. Bless our friendship before marriage, that sin may have no part in it. May our mutual love bind us so closely, that our future home may ever be most like Your own at Nazareth.
O Mary Immaculate, sweet Mother of the young, to your special care I entrust the decision I am to make as to my future wife/husband. You are my guiding Star! Direct me to the person with whom I can best cooperate in doing God’s Holy Will, with whom I can live in peace, love and harmony in this life, and attain to eternal joys in the next.
Amen.
Prayers #2
Lord Jesus,
(on this happy day)
we thank you for the joy of N. and N.
Through all the years of their life
you have watched over them
to bring them together in holy Christian marriage.
Now Lord, bless them,
for they are united in love of you and of each other.
Redeemed by your Precious Blood
and strengthened by your grace,
may they live in kindness and fidelity,
in unfailing trust and love
so that their whole life may be pleasing to you.
Mary, who with Joseph
made a happy home at Nazareth for Jesus,
take these dear friends into your motherly care.
You who showed concern for a newly married couple at Cana,
help and guide N. and N.
May their union on earth lead to that eternal union
in which all the blessed will be joined together,
praising the Redeeming Blood of Jesus, the Lord.
Amen.
Prayers #3
Dear Lord,
I offer you this prayer, to help me with my current relationship situation. Please take away all the pain and hurt in my heart. Fill it with love, joy, patience, and understanding. Bless me and my partner, so that we may never surrender to whatever challenges that come our way. Fill our hearts with love for each other, and may you make each one of us realize each other’s worth. Please touch the heart of my partner,fill it with much love for me. Make our complicated relationship become uncomplicated. I seek for your mercy and blessing that you may allow us to spend the rest of our lives with each other. Please make this feeling mutual for both of us. Lead us not into temptations. Guide us wherever we go. Always put us in each other’s heart and mind. Thank you Lord for hearing my prayer. I love you. Amen.
Prayers #4
We know that all of us need God’s blessing at all times; but at the time of their engagement to be married, Christians are in particular need of grace as they prepare themselves to form a new family.
Let us pray, then, for God’s blessing to come upon this couple: that as they await the day of their wedding, they will grow in mutual respect and in their love for one another; that through their companionship and prayer together they will prepare themselves rightly and chastely for marriage.
Prayers #5
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; I say to the Lord, “My God are you. Apart from you I have no good.” I bless the Lord who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me. I set the Lord ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body abides in confidence.
You, O Lord, will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever.
Prayers #6
We have gathered here to celebrate the love of N. and N. God has brought them together, and we pray that God will hold them in his love always. As the food we share will strengthen our bodies, may our time together strengthen the love that binds us.
Let us pray. Lord God, you sustain all creatures and never cease to give your children the food they need. We bless you for bringing us together in the love that unites us around this table where the food we take strengthens our bodies. We pray that, nourished by your Word, we may grow ever stronger in faith as we strive for the coming of your Kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
Prayers #7
We have come together to celebrate the anniversary of the marriage of our brother and sister. As we join them in their joy, we join them also in their gratitude. God has set them among us as a sign of his love and through the years they have remained faithful (and have fulfilled their responsibilities as parents). Let us give thanks for all the favors N. and N. have received during their married life. May God keep them in their love for each other, so that they may be more and more of one mind and one heart.
Prayers #8
I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayers #9
Almighty and eternal God, you have so exalted the unbreakable bond of marriage that it has become the sacramental sign of your Son’s union with the Church as his spouse. Look with favor on N. and N., whom you have united in marriage, as they ask for your help and the protection of the Virgin Mary. They pray that in good times and in bad they will grow in love for each other; that they will resolve to be of one heart in the bond of peace.
Lord, in their struggles let them rejoice that you are near to help them; in their needs let them know that you are there to rescue them; in their joys let them see that you are the source and completion of every happiness. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
Prayers #10
O God, we want to live our life together with you and always to continue it with you. Help us never to hurt and never to grieve each other. Help us to share all our works, all our hopes, all our dreams, all our successes, all our failures, all our joys and all our sorrows. Help us to have no secrets from each other so that we may be truly one. Keep us always true to each other, and grant that all the years ahead may draw us ever closer to each other. Grant that nothing may ever come between us and nothing may ever make us ever drift apart. And as we live with each other, help us to live with you, so that our love may grow perfect in your love, for you are the God whose name is love. This we ask for your love’s sake. Amen
Here is an excerpt from a Catholic Marriage prep class. Presented by Marriage Ministries, this segment covers the topic of couple prayer.
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On April 8, 2016, Pope Francis released his long-awaited apostolic exhortation on the family, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love). Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, welcomed the exhortation as a “love letter to families . . . inviting all of us . . . to never stop growing in love.”
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Amoris Laetitia is an exhortation in the purest sense; Pope Francis passionately urges families to renew their zeal and devotion to building marriages that both experience and reflect the love of Christ, which brings joy to families and joy to the Church.
As my husband and I read this letter, we immediately sensed the Holy Father’s compassion toward all families. Pope Francis writes from his heart and seems to base his comments on real conversations with real married couples, perhaps at the dinner table or in the confessional. These are not pious platitudes. On the contrary, his pastoral concern for married couples is palpable. In this beautiful letter, the Holy Father provides practical wisdom and encourages couples to recognize the beauty of married life and God’s comforting presence in their own imperfect families. . . .
All married couples experience stress at times. Although we know that we ought to seek God’s help especially during those times, many couples find it difficult to pray together. It can feel awkward to know where to begin or what to say. Experiment with how to pray together. You don’t necessarily have to pray the entire reflection together. For example, you might want to use each reflection in this book first in your personal prayer time, journaling answers to the questions provided, and then come together later in the day to talk about your insights and pray the prayer together. Or you can come together after your personal reflection, join hands, and just pray spontaneously about your hopes and dreams for your marriage and family.
I hope that by using Prayers for Catholic Couples, married couples can begin or deepen their experience of family prayer. By spending even ten minutes with your spouse to seek God’s blessing for your family, lives can change, love can grow, and relationships can be transformed by God’s grace. I pray that you and your spouse will be encouraged and full of hope that God is present and working in your family, even in the midst of the very real stresses of family life. —Susan Heuver, editor
Look to the Holy Family
Every family should look to the icon of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Its daily life had its share of burdens and even nightmares, as when they met with Herod’s implacable violence. This last was an experience that, sad to say, continues to afflict the many refugee families who in our day feel rejected and helpless. Like the Magi, our families are invited to contemplate the Child and his Mother, to bow down and worship him (cf. Mt 2:11). Like Mary, they are asked to face their family’s challenges with courage and serenity, in good times and bad, and to keep in their heart the great things which God has done (cf. Lk 2:19, 51). The treasury of Mary’s heart also contains the experiences of every family, which she cherishes. For this reason, she can help us understand the meaning of these experiences and to hear the message God wishes to communicate through the life of our families. —Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia, 30
Reflect:
What challenge in your family life are you facing right now in which you need more courage and serenity? How can the Holy Family’s example help you?
Pray:
Father, be with our family as we navigate our challenges. Teach us to trust in your plans and remember your faithfulness. We put our sufferings and fears, our hopes and dreams, into your hands. Be with everyone who suffers, especially those who are alone. Make our family, like the Holy Family, a place of prayer and love—and a refuge for others who suffer. Mary, help us to ponder, as you did, the meaning of our experiences, especially when we don’t fully understand the circumstances in our lives.
God Dwells in Families
The Lord’s presence dwells in real and concrete families, with all their daily troubles and struggles, joys and hopes. Living in a family makes it hard for us to feign or lie; we cannot hide behind a mask. If that authenticity is inspired by love, then the Lord reigns there, with his joy and his peace. The spirituality of family love is made up of thousands of small but real gestures. In that variety of gifts and encounters which deepen communion, God has his dwelling place. —Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia, 315
Reflect:
What “gestures”—perhaps a kind look, thoughtful word, or a kiss or hug—deepen communion in your family? What other small actions (perhaps praying the Rosary, grace at meals) could help your family experience more of God’s presence in your home?
Pray:
Lord, thank you for dwelling in our very own family, with all its daily troubles and joys. Thank you that we can come to you transparently, with our messiness, without hiding behind a mask of false perfection. Please guide us as we seek to make our home your dwelling place. Inspire us with signs of thoughtfulness and kindness so that our family continues to grow in our love for you and one another.
These selections are from Prayers for Catholic Couples (The Word Among Us Press, 2017). Available at wau.org/books
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