For debt, hardship and worry about money

For the bills you cannot pay this month.

Money worry keeps people awake more reliably than almost anything else, and it carries a shame that stops them asking for help. This prayer is for the middle of it.

The Prayer

Lord, I do not have enough,
and I am ashamed to say so.

You know exactly what is owed and what is coming in.
You lived in a household that counted coins.

Provide what we need. Not what I would like — what we need.
Show me the practical step I have been avoiding,
and give me the humility to ask for help from someone who can give it.

Keep me from panic, from bad decisions made in fear,
and from taking it out on the people I love.

And when this passes, as I pray it will,
make me generous to the next person in it. Amen.

St. Joseph and St. Cajetan

St. Joseph, worker and provider,
you supported the Holy Family by your hands.
Pray for all who cannot make ends meet.

St. Cajetan, patron of the unemployed and of daily bread,
pray for us. Amen.

Practical Help

Prayer and practical help belong together. Parishes and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul offer confidential assistance in most countries — food, utility bills, rent arrears — with no lecture attached. Free debt advice services exist almost everywhere. Asking is not a failure of trust in God; it is often how the prayer gets answered.