Teach Me, O Lord

Teach me, my Lord, to be kind and gentle in all the events of life;

in disappointments,

in the thoughtlessness of others,

in the insincerity of those I trusted,

in the unfaithfulness of those on whom I relied.

Let me put myself aside,

to think of the happiness of others,

to hide my pains and heartaches,

so that I may be the only one to suffer from them.

Teach me to profit by the suffering that comes across my path.

Let me so use it that it may mellow me,

not harden or embitter me;

that it may make me patient, not irritable;

that it may make me broad in my forgiveness,

not narrow, proud and overbearing.

May no one be less good for having come within my influence.

No one less pure, less true, less kind, less noble for having been

a fellow traveler in our journey toward eternal life.

As I go my rounds from one task to another,

let me say, from time to time, a word of love to You.

May my life be lived in the supernatural,

full of power for good,

and strong in its purpose of sanctity. Amen.

- from Father Hardon's Catholic Prayer Book, by Father John A. Hardon, S.J.