Catholic Prayer for a Miracle and for Impossible Cases

“With men this is impossible: but with God all things are possible.” When we face a situation only God can change, an illness, a broken relationship, a desperate need, Jesus invites us to ask with faith. Catholics bring such needs to God directly and through the prayers of Mary and the saints, especially those known for “impossible” cases. Below are traditional and new prayers for a miracle, the Scripture promises behind them, and what the Church teaches about miracles and unanswered prayer.

A prayer for a miracle

Written for this page:

Heavenly Father, nothing is impossible for you.
You know the need that weighs on my heart: (name your intention).
I have done what I can; now I place it in your hands.
Lord Jesus, you healed the sick, raised the dead and calmed the storm.
If it is your will, grant me this miracle.
And whatever you decide, give me the grace to trust you,
to accept your will and to know that you love me. Amen.

The Memorare

The prayer Mother Teresa called her “flying novena,” prayed with confidence in Mary’s intercession:

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help, and sought thy intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother.
To thee I come; before thee I stand sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions,
but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

Prayers to the saints of impossible cases

St. Jude, the apostle, is the patron of desperate cases:

St. Jude, apostle of Jesus and helper in hopeless cases,
pray for me in my great need: (name your intention).
Obtain for me the help of God and the strength to persevere. Amen.

This prayer was written for this page. See the St. Jude novena.

St. Rita of Cascia, the “saint of the impossible,” in an indulgenced prayer from Blessed Be God (1925):

O glorious St. Rita! Thou who didst so wonderfully participate in the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, obtain for me the grace to suffer with patience the pains of this life, and protect me in all my needs. Amen.

See the St. Rita prayer page and the patron saints of lost causes.

A prayer for a healing miracle

Lord Jesus, Divine Physician, the sick came to you and you healed them all.
Look with mercy on (name).
If it is your will, heal him (her) completely.
Give the doctors wisdom, give the family strength,
and let your power and love be seen in this suffering. Amen.

This prayer was written for this page. Many also turn to St. Peregrine for cancer, St. Charbel, and Our Lady of Lourdes.

A prayer for a financial miracle

Lord, you feed the birds of the air and clothe the lilies of the field.
You see our need and our worry about money.
Provide what we need for today, open the right doors,
and keep us honest and generous even in our poverty.
St. Joseph, provider of the Holy Family, pray for us. Amen.

This prayer was written for this page.

What Jesus promised

And Jesus beholding, said to them: With men this is impossible: but with God all things are possible.

And Jesus answering, saith to them: Have the faith of God.
Amen I say to you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed and be cast into the sea, and shall not stagger in his heart, but believe, that whatsoever he saith shall be done; it shall be done unto him.
Therefore I say unto you, all things, whatsoever you ask when ye pray, believe that you shall receive; and they shall come unto you.

Jesus said to them: Because of your unbelief. For, amen I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Remove from hence hither, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you.

Because no word shall be impossible with God.

What the Church teaches about miracles

Jesus’ miracles were signs that the Kingdom of God had come: “To those who turn to him in faith, he grants what they ask. So miracles strengthen faith in the One who does his Father’s works” (CCC 548). God still works miracles today; the Church carefully investigates healings attributed to the saints before beatifications and canonizations, and at Lourdes.

But a miracle is a free gift, not something prayer can force. Sometimes God answers in a different way than we ask, or later than we hoped. Jesus himself prayed in Gethsemane, “not my will, but thine be done.” Praying for a miracle is an act of faith; accepting God’s answer, whatever it is, is an act of even greater faith.

How to pray for a miracle

Pray a novena: nine days of prayer to the Sacred Heart, to Mary or to a saint. Many people pray the Memorare nine times in a row.
Go to Mass and confession. The Eucharist is the greatest prayer we can offer.
Ask others to pray with you: your parish, a prayer group, a religious community.
Do your part: see the doctor, seek help, take the next step. God usually works through human means.
Keep praying. Jesus told the parable of the persistent widow “that we ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1).

Frequently asked questions

Who is the patron saint of miracles?

St. Jude and St. Rita are invoked for impossible cases; St. Anthony is called the “wonder-worker”; St. Charbel and St. Philomena are known for many attributed miracles.

Is it wrong to ask God for a miracle?

No. Jesus invites us to ask. What matters is asking with faith and humility, and trusting God’s answer.

What if my miracle doesn’t come?

God has not stopped loving you. Keep praying, ask for the grace to accept his will, and let others support you. Many saints went through long darkness before they saw God’s plan.

More prayers

Texts and sources

The Memorare: The Little Book of the Most Holy Child Jesus (1876), public domain (Wikisource).
Prayer to St. Rita: Charles J. Callan and John A. McHugh, Blessed Be God (1925), Devotions in Honor of the Saints, public domain (Wikisource).
Scripture: Matthew 19:26; Mark 11:22–24; Matthew 17:19 (17:20 in modern Bibles); Luke 1:37; Luke 18:1; Luke 22:42, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 548.
The other prayers were written for this page.