Dear Friends,
Last week, I mentioned New Year’s resolutions involving prayer. I simply want to provide brief and simple ways to incorporate prayer throughout the day, everyday. At the start of the day, upon waking up, you can simply pray these words from the Psalms, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!” Along with this, you can pray the Morning Offering as a way of offering everything one does that day for the glory of God. Here is the version of the Morning Offering I pray: O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sins, the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of all bishops, all apostles of prayer, all who have entrusted their prayers to me, and the intentions of the Holy Father this month. Amen.
Traditionally, church bells ring at 6am, Noon, and 6pm for a specific reason (anymore, church bells no longer ring at 6am—I’m sure the neighbors don’t like it): to call people to pray the Angelus. This is a prayer calling to mind that the Son of God took on human flesh and nature—the incredible marriage of divinity and humanity—and that this was made known to us by the Archangel St. Gabriel. Perhaps you can’t pray the Angelus at these specific hours, but you could resolve to pray it in the morning, at midday, and in the evening.
Here is the Angelus (V & R refer to verse and response; when praying with others, a leader begins with the verse, and everyone else responds with the response):
- The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
- And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace…
- Behold, the handmaid of the Lord
- Be it done to me according to thy word.
Hail Mary, full of grace…
- The Word was made flesh
- And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary, full of grace…
- Pray for us, O holy Mother of God
- That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Finishing the day, it is good to take a few minutes for an Ignatian examen or an examination of conscience, along with praying the words from Jesus on the Cross: “Into Your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.” Another thing to consider: there is a tradition of praying the Te Deum on the last day of the year and the Veni Creator Spiritus on the first day of the year. The Te Deum is a prayer of praise and thanks to almighty God, and the Veni Creator Spiritus is a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to descend upon us. Considering those are prayers for endings and beginnings, maybe this is something to incorporate everyday.
One last item: in speaking of prayer, these are recommendations, invitations, and proposals. Find out what works best for you. When seeking to transform your life, consistency is important, not a fickle intensity.
We are saints under construction, praying without ceasing throughout the day. Have a great week!
In Christ,
Fr. Matt