Revisiting a regular prayer schedule

Now that Advent is almost here, I would like to revisit a blog of some weeks ago.  If you decided to use any or all of my suggestions, perhaps a few questions could help you evaluate how your prayer schedule is going for you.

Has your prayer time helped you deal with daily/difficult situations? Has your service to others made your prayer time easier or harder: if so, in what way? Real prayer, whether it is in the form of official prayers such as the Our Father or spontaneous informal prayers, pushes a person outward.  How has your prayer time impacted your service to others? Has your prayer time helped to improve or continue your self-care? Finally, and most importantly, has your relationship with God changed, and if so, how?

Advent is the Church’s invitation to watch and wait for Jesus’s coming into our lives.  So if you have not taken that step into spending some quality time with him, why not begin at the beginning of this new liturgical year? Know Jesus is waiting for you to RSVP the invitation.

Let us revisit my earlier suggestions.

First, let me offer a few words about beginners in prayer. One of my favorite insights from a master in the spiritual life comes from St. Teresa of Avila. She notes early on in her book The Interior Castle, “Finally, they enter the first, lower rooms…they have done quite a bit just by having entered.” In other words, if you are a beginner, take heart.  If you have been praying for a while, be encouraged.
Here are some suggestions. If you already pray on a regular basis, these suggestions might help you fine-tune your prayer time. First, decide how often you want to pray. Next, find a quiet place or set up a quiet, sacred space, i.e. a small table, Bible, prayer book, rosary. Decide how much time—15, 20 minutes—you want to spend with your prayer of choice, be it the rosary, meditation, something as simple as slowly reading the Gospel for daily Mass, lectio divina, a method of reading and praying the Scriptures that dates back to at least the twelfth century. If you would like to know more about this method, you can find various websites that deal with it.  I would suggest “Do the Lectio 3-Step: An Easy Illustrated Guide to Praying Lectio Divina.” If you are a beginner, start with 5-10 minutes.  Later you can increase the time when you hunger for more.  You might find it helpful to use some type of timer with you when you do pray.

Next, decide what time of day is best suited for your time of prayer: early morning, evening, etc. Begin and end each prayer session on time by asking for the grace of commitment for that prayer time. This is important, as you may be tempted to quit praying altogether. Asking for the grace to be open to the Holy Spirit and for the grace to pray well—whatever that means. God will give you in prayer what you truly need: be it his felt presence or distractions. Ask for God’s protection during your prayer time as well as after. The evil one will work hard to undermine your commitment to prayer. After several prayer sessions, if you notice a pattern of falling asleep during your prayer, consider changing your prayer time. If this continues after making a change or several changes, consider seeking the help of a spiritual director.