This week’s prayer for my son

Now that I am a father I thought I might give you updates on my prayer life with my son. So far it’s been awesome. He wakes me up early and we go pray while him Mom is asleep. I have something called a moby wrap which I wrap him up in and he curls up comfortably while I pray. He likes the Treasury of Daily Prayer, and the Liturgy of the Hours a lot since I chant and sing a good deal of my prayers in those books.

For those of you who have kids I would love recommendations on how you kept God at the center of your family life over the long haul.

I ran into this prayer today by Johann Starck. I hope you like it I thought it was pretty great (I should mention I edited it a bit to fit my Son rather then the original text which was “my children” since I only have one child so far).

Bless my son. Attend him in his going out and his coming in. Keep him in Your holy fear, that he may never burden his consciences with sins or offend You, or worst of all, fall from Your grace. Give him a believing, humble, obedient, and godly heart, that, like the child Jesus, he may increase in stature, wisdom and favor with God and men. Imprint on his hearts the image of Jesus in order that he may always keep, until his blessed end, a gracious God and an unstained conscience.

Let my son be devout in his prayers, well-grounded in his Christian faith, steadfast and zealous in worship, chaste in his living, godly in his conversation, so that by his words and actions he may give offense to no one and thus bring upon himself a fearful judgment. Preserve him from temptations and evil company. By Your Holy Spirit keep him constantly in mind of Your holy presence, that he remember that You are with him at home and away, in his room, by day and by night, in the company of others and when he is alone. Let Your holy angels be with him when he go out and when he come in. Let Your angels guard him when he travel. Give him Your holy angels as his companions. By his aid rescue him from dangers, as You did with Lot. Let him, like Jacob, live under the angels’ watchful care. –pp. 170, 171