A Litany for Parents

From measuring my worth by my family’s joys or struggles,
Free me, Jesus.

From the fear that I am failing as a spouse or parent,
Free me, Jesus.

From the lie that taking care of myself or my marriage is selfish,
Free me, Jesus.

From the temptation to seek the world’s standards over Yours,
Free me, Jesus.

From comparing our family to others,
Free me, Jesus.

From the desire to have a perfect family,
Free me, Jesus.

From resisting Your healing or forgiveness,
Free me, Jesus.

From any resentment or suspicion of Your will,
Free me, Jesus.

From trying to fix everything and everyone,
Free me, Jesus.

From the fear that trusting You will leave us boring, lacking, or irrelevant,
Free me, Jesus.

That I don’t have to earn Your love or my family’s love,
Jesus, I trust in You.

That You are King of our home,
Jesus, I trust in You.

That You give me all that I need in Your sacraments and Word,
Jesus, I trust in You.

That You are never outdone in generosity,
Jesus, I trust in You.

That You are with me in every suffering, meltdown, and argument,
Jesus, I trust in You.

That You teach me to parent as You,
Jesus, I trust in You.

That You give me all the strength I need for what love demands,
Jesus, I trust in You.

That Your plan for my family is better than my own,
Jesus, I trust in You.

That You have all the answers and are the Answer Itself,
Jesus, I trust in You.

That You can make me and my family Saints,
Jesus, I trust in You.