Jesus, You suffered & died for us.
You understand suffering.
Teach me to understand my suffering as You do; to bear it in union with You; to offer it with You to atone for my sins & to bring your grace to souls in need.
Calm my fears; increase my trust.
May I gladly accept your holy will
& become more like You in trial.
If it be your will, restore me to health so that I may work
for your honor & glory
& the salvation of all. Amen

While Christ’s Passion brought us our redemption, our Lord desires nonetheless that each of us unite our sickness & troubles with His for the salvation of souls. This can transform our pain into atonement for sin.
St. Augustine once wrote “God could in no way permit the kind of evil out of which He could not being good.” Christ’s Passion, death & Resurrection gives us the ultimate powerful example of this. Who would have thought that our Lord’s humiliation on the Cross would precede His triumph over sin & death for us all? He desires to bring as much good out of our misfortunes as we let Him. 
This might become easier to manage if we put as much love as possible into offering up our sickness for ourselves & others. Our illnesses, like all our trials and tribulations, can indeed help us & achieve salvation. 
It also helps a great deal to keep our “eyes on the prize”: the bliss of Eternal Life in Heaven! St. Paul wrote that this magnificence may indeed be ours “if we suffer with Him [Christ], that we may also be glorified with Him” (Rom 8:17). In the same vein, St. John Vianney, the famous Patron Saint of Parish Priests once referred to our crosses as “the ladder to heaven.” 
If we can trust in God to see us through no matter what, we can glorify Him & contribute to our salvation (& that of others as well) in sickness & in health!

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!  
We have tried so many times &
over so many years to resolve
our conflicts by our own powers &  
by the force of our arms. 

How many moments of hostility
& darkness have we experienced?
How much blood has been shed?
How many lives have been shattered? How many hopes have been buried? 
But our efforts have been in vain. Now, Lord, come to our aid!  Grant us peace,
teach us peace;  guide our steps in the way of peace. 
Open our eyes and our hearts, & give us the courage to say: "Never again war!"; 
"With war everything is lost". 

Instill in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. 
Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us
& you call us to live as brothers and sisters. 

Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; 
enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. 
Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, 
& our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, 
so that with patience & perseverance we may opt for dialogue & reconciliation. 
In this way may peace triumph at last, & may the words
"division," "hatred," & "war" be banished from the heart of every man & woman. 

Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues & our hands. Renew our hearts & minds, 
so that the word which always brings us together will be "brother," 
& our way of life will always be that of Shalom, Peace, Amen.

AN ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, & I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there & unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

St. Thomas Aquinas defined Spiritual Communion as "an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Holy Sacrament and a loving embrace as though we had already received Him." ... Precisely for this reason it is good to cultivate in our hearts a constant desire for the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

https://youtu.be/oZvKJl1kK8g?t=6
I keep fighting voices in my mind
that say I'm not enough
Every single lie that tells me
I will never measure up
Am I more than just the sum
of every high and every low
Remind me once again just
who I am because I need to know
Ooh-oh
You say I am loved
when I can't feel a thing
You say I am strong
when I think I am weak
And you say I am held
when I am falling short
And when I don't belong,
oh You say I am Yours
And I believe (I)
Oh, I believe (I)
What You say of me (I)
I believe
The only thing that matters now
is everything You think of me
In You I find my worth,
in You I find my identity
Ooh-oh
You say I am loved
when I can't feel a thing
You say I am strong
when I think I am weak
And you say I am held
when I am falling short
When I don't belong,
oh You say I am Yours
And I believe (I)
Oh, I believe (I)
What You say of me (I)
Oh, I believe
Taking all I have,
and now I'm laying it at Your feet
You have every failure,
God, You have every victory
Ooh-oh
You say I am loved
when I can't feel a thing
You say I am strong
when I think I am weak
You say I am held
when I am falling short
When I don't belong,
oh You say I am Yours
And I believe (I)
Oh, I believe (I)
What You say of me (I)
I believe
Oh, I believe (I)
Yes, I believe (I)
What You say of me (I)
I believe
Source: Musixmatch Songwriters: Jason Ingram / Lauren Daigle / Paul Brendon Mabury
You Say lyrics © Centricsongs, See You At The Pub

It is important to note that Catholic meditation is Christ-centered, not self-centered. There’s no naval gazing going on here! You have to empty yourself of all egotistical thoughts, at least for this quiet time with God, and let Him be front and center of everything in your life. In practicing mental prayer, you can take anywhere from 15 minutes to half an hour (more or less, with 15 minutes being a good starting point). The more that you can do this, the better! Persevere!

If one session seems too dry or pointless (or even several sessions) don’t assume this will always be. Giving up because of dryness or distractions (which all the saints experienced at one time or another) you might miss out on opportunities to experience God's love and wisdom in ways you never imagined! St. Teresa of Calcutta once said, in essence, “God does not require that we be successful, only that we be faithful.” 

In mental prayer, we exercise our memory, our understanding, and our will, which have been called the “three powers of the soul”.

THREE PARTS OF MENTAL PRAYER -Speaking of threes, there are three easy-to-remember parts of mental prayer: the preparation, the meditation itself, and the conclusion.

THE PREPARATION -For the preparation you can start by focusing on placing yourself in God’s presence to put you in a good frame of mind to receive His thoughts and promptings. You may start with some short vocal prayers. The acts of faith hope, or the Suscipe
Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess, Thou hast given me: I surrender it all to Thee to be disposed of according to Thy will. Give me only Thy love and Thy grace; with these I will be rich enough and will desire nothing more. Amen.. The act of contrition can help you approach Jesus with true humility and sorrow for your sins, an essential part of mental prayer.
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against You Whom I should love above all things, I firmly intend, with Your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.

THE MEDITATION -Then, for the meditation itself, reflect on a scripture passage, some good spiritual reading, or some concept such as our Lord’s Passion. (That’s where memory and understanding come into play). Don’t feel these have to be complicated, or lengthy! (Indeed St. Teresa of Avila once spent an hour in meditation just on the words “Our Father”, not the prayer itself, contemplating the various ways in which God is a Father to us!) Then, with Our Lord’s help (with the Holy Spirit), you can gain insights to  become a better and advance in Sanctity. (Resolving to make His will yours as well constitutes the “will” part of your meditation.) 

THE CONCLUSION -This leads to some constructive resolution to do better on your part, even if it’s only for that day. This be as simple as deciding not to snap at a co-worker or your spouse in a difficult situation; or foregoing some bad habit to increase in virtue. 

FR. JON BARTUNEK'S "FOUR C's" in his guide to meditation on the Gospels The Better Part, defines 4 important things we need to do in meditation: 
Concentrate (Focus on being in God’s presence.)
Consider (Think about what the scripture text or subject matter is saying to you.)
Converse (Engage in your own spontaneous “dialogue” with God about what you’ve learned.); 
Commit (Think about whatever resolutions you might wish to apply from your meditation to help your spiritual growth.)

1) In placing yourself in God’s presence, find some place quiet where you won’t be distracted. You can be kneeling or just sitting down. The important thing is to be respectful in your posture. 
2) In choosing Scriptural reading for your focal point, choose any passage. Meditating on the Gospel passages, such as our Lord’s Passion, are especially good choices! For Spiritual Reading it’s best to look for those books that have an imprimatur from the Church in that there is nothing in them that contradicts our faith and morals. Books by and on the saints are highly recommended. You may use a crucifix as a focal point to reflect on Christ’s Passion and its significance for you. Or staues or pictures of our Blessed Mother. The possibilities are endless! 
3) Reflect on the reading or subject at whatever pace works for you. What does this material mean? How can I relate to it? How can it help me fight against a particular sin? (Examples...Is your sin too much pride? Ponder Jesus’ preference of the repentant Publican over the proud Pharisee (Luke 8:9-14).---Lack of trust in God? Take comfort in His calming the waves and let Him calm your own stormy sea (Mark 4:35-41). ---Always comparing yourself to others? Consider the rebuke Christ had for His disciples when they were arguing over who was the greatest (Mark 9:33-37).---Feeling lukewarm or lacking in faith? Ask God to work with you to make your soul more like the rich soil so that His seeds of grace may not be devoured by birds; withered as they bounce off hard rock; or choked by thorns in His well known parable of the sower (Matt 13:1-23).---Looking for inspiration as to how to be a better Catholic? Consider Jesus' famous teaching on salt and light from the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:13-16).) In all cases, share your thoughts with God as they come up. Ask Him again for His insights as to how to grow closer to Him in holiness. 
4) “Sum up” Resolution of how to follow Him more closely. The idea is to “give God permission” (in St. Teresa of Calcutta’s words) to work within you so that you can share His love and goodness with others. Remember to follow your resolution as best you can. Empty promises won’t make you more Christ-like or help you advance in holiness. Take it slowly. Say “Today, I will do (or not do) such and such, or for the next few days, etc.” Keep it challenging, trying to give up some sinful habit or inclination, but keep it doable as well. 
5) Thank God in your own words or with some short prayers, or just the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be to strengthen your will to carry out your resolution. 
Take your time in all this and be patient. Keep a “spiritual diary” don’t worry if you don’t come up with any special thoughts. Let go and let God. 
Meditation can help you get control of your sinful inclinations as you draw closer to God rather that having them control you! You might well still be tempted to engage in bad habits (gluttony, lust, jealousy, drinking, gambling, hatreds, etc), but the frequency and intensity of such temptations will diminish over time. And the more you engage in meditation the more naturally God’s insights will flow. 
Feelings can change. Our love of Christ shouldn’t, in good times or bad. (After all, His love for us doesn’t change!) If you do experience some warm, fuzzy emotions from mental prayer, so much the better. Just don’t expect them, that’s the point! 
In the end one hopes to be like the disciples on the road to Emmaus who said after they had the ultimate Catechism class from Our Lord, “were our hearts not burning when he opened up the scriptures?" (Luke 24:32).