Good Saint John,
lover of those who suffer
and special Patron of the Sick,
how patiently you bore the sufferings of your own disease!
Teach me to carry with cheerful resignation
the cross that God has given me.
Let me never complain or lose courage.
Help me to understand that suffering
is a very important means of sanctifying my soul,
of atoning for my many sins,
and of reaping a plentiful harvest of merit for Heaven.
I trust in your great love for the sick
and in the power of your intercession to help them.
Help me, good St. John,
and beg the God whose name you bear to touch me
as He touched the sick while on earth,
that through His almighty power
health may return to my body.
And as you derived strength
in your own sufferings from the crucifix,
so may I be able to say what you did to Jesus Crucified:
“Lord, Thy thorns are my roses and Thy sufferings my paradise.”