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John,
Prayers published in books have to be submitted
for approval by the local bishop, so if you want
prayers that have been checked for their doctrinal
soundness, you can get a collection of novenas from
a Catholic book shop. The ecclesiastical approval
notice is usually in the front of the book, along
with the book's copyright notice.
When the Church approves a prayer, that only means
that the prayer does not conflict with the Catholic
Faith. It means that the prayer doesn't contain any
heresy. The approval does not mean that the Church
puts her authority behind the promises of effectiveness
for a prayer.
Such promises are sometimes just legends; sometimes
there's more to them.
With material that people pass around informally,
including on the Internet, the quality varies. Some
people treat prayers like formulas that you could
recite to get something that you want
as if God or a saint had to respond automatically:
it's almost superstitious at times. We have to remember
that praying is always asking.
Sometimes people with non-Catholic philosophies
like Dr. Standley, (who does astrology and reiki
energy healing) present prayers, and there's
no way of knowing where the prayer comes from, or
whether she's presenting it in the way the Church
wants.
Of course, there are fine prayers that have never
been submitted for Church approval, because they're
new and are just personal prayers. Some priests with
web blogs occasionally write prayers. For example,
the Vultus Christi (Face of Christ) blog:
The Vultus Christi (Face of Christ) blog
It has original prayers which are beautiful and
sound.
I happen to know that priest, and he's a devout, orthodox monk.
God bless!
— Richard
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