Traditional Prayers
Praying with traditional prayers unites us with the larger community. They can be comforting. When words fail us, and we just can’t think of what to say, traditional prayer helps. What are traditional prayers?
The Lord’s Prayer,
Hail Mary,
Magnificat,
Rosary,
Sign of the Cross. These prayers can offer a way into meditation.
Welcome to Your Prayer Corner. To assist you in your prayer life we offer some suggestions and resources for you below. Visit us often for new resources.
Methods of Prayer
Suggestions How to Begin in Prayer
Choose a time and comfortable place free from distractions where it is quiet. Perhaps a candle or crucifix, a holy card, or Icon of Jesus or Mary or other object, or music will help you to prayerfully center.
Become quiet and center yourself. Let your breathing draw you into your center.
Be aware of being in God’s presence who is within and around you,
Ask God for the grace you seek, e.g., gratitude, guidance in a decision to make or handling a problem, greater awareness of Jesus, or sorrow for sin.
Review at the End of Prayer Awareness
What passage did I choose?
What grace did I ask for?
What was my mood, change in mood?
Where did I dwell?
What was enjoyable?
Objectionable?
What was I feeling?
What did God teach me?
Was I faithful to the time of prayer?
Informal Prayer (saying what we mean)
Slow down
Touch into what is happening interiorly — your feelings, thoughts, and concerns.
Let them surface.
Use your own words to tell God your feelings (prayer) — love, joy, sadness, anger, gratitude, praise, anxiety, or passion. Talk about what you are feeling with God and allow God to respond. It is like carrying on a conversation with your friend.
Give thanks to God for this time.
Scripture (often called lectio divina)
It’s not just about reading or study. It’s listening to Scripture with your whole being— eyes, ears, imagination, mind, and especially your heart.
Pick a passage from the Gospels, psalms, epistles, or other books of the Bible.
Find a quiet place where you’re alone.
Find the most relaxed and peaceful posture.
Place yourself in God’s presence— be aware of God in and around you.
Read the passage slowly; listen to the words— two or three times.
Pray the passage in one of these ways:
1. Let words or phrases catch your attention, speak to your heart. Listen. Then respond to God speaking to you through the Scripture. OR
2. Close your eyes and use your imagination. Put yourself in the story. Be there. See, smell, feel, taste, listen; notice people, sounds, colors. Are you one of the characters or an observer? Talk with Jesus or the others in the scene or with God about what is happening in the scene. Respond …Then be still. OR
3. Read the text and let it bring to you silence, lift your heart to God. Just be there. Read it slowly again. Let it speak to you, reflect on it. Talk to Jesus or God about it. Read it a third time: what is it saying to you; what is God trying to say to you— ask God. How does this touch my life? Close by thanking God for this time and maybe saying the Our Father.
Journaling
Journaling allows us to carry on a conversation between God and our selves and to reflect on our experiences and learn from them. It’s a sharing of the heart.
Write your thoughts, feelings, reactions; what inspires you; what insights you have; what moves you as you pray and after you pray?
Dialogue with Jesus. Write what you say and also Jesus’ response.
Write a letter to God. How does God respond to you?
Prayer of Quiet
We open our heart and mind to God without words, thoughts and emotions and open ourselves to God’s presence. Take 20 minutes for this. You:
Choose a sacred word to symbolize your intent to consent to God’s presence and action within you, e.g. God, Jesus, love…
Find the most relaxed and peaceful posture.
Close your eyes.
Introduce the sacred word to consent to God’s presence and action.
When you become aware of thoughts, emotions, imagination, return to your sacred word very gently.
At the end of 20 minutes, remain in silence with eyes closed. You may want to end with the Our Father.
To learn more about this method of prayer see Thomas Keating or Basil Pennington.
Examination of Consciousness
A method to reflect on your life and day in a prayerful context.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you reflect on your day.
Recall your day; what do you thank God for today? Give God thanks.
Recalling the day: What did you see; hear with your ears and your heart in people and in your experiences today?
Ask: What’s God got to do with it? How was God there with me?
What was positive, negative, routine, or ambiguous?
How is God calling you to respond or grow?
Ask God to help you respond.
Disposing yourself for the day
At the beginning of your day, dispose your heart for the day.
Ask yourself: What do I want to hear myself say, listen to, and see others do?
Believe that God is going to be there in your day. Be curious to know how.
Mantras
This method uses a phrase or word that is repeated with each breath or at various times throughout your day. Examples: Jesus, or love, or peace, or “Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner.” Other examples: “My Lord and my God. Create a new heart in me. Jesus, I love you.”
The following books may prove useful to you in your journey with God:
BOOKS ON PRAYER
Becoming an Everyday Mystic James Wanski; Abbey Press
Beginning to Pray Anthony Bloom; Paulist Press
Daily We Touch Him Practical Religious Experiences OCSO; Image Books
God and You William Barry; Paulist Press
Learning the Language of Prayer Joyce Huggett; Crossroad Publishing
Moving in the Spirit: Becoming a Contemplative in Action Richard Houser, SJ; Paulist Press
Praying Our Experiences Joseph Schmidt; St. Mary’s Press Winona
The Life of Prayer and the Way to God Mary Clare Vincent, OSB; Living Flame Press
With Open Hand Henri J. Nouwen; Ave Maria Press
BOOKS ON RELIGIOUS LIFE
Finding the Treasure Sandra Schneiders; Paulist Press
Selling All Sandra Schneiders; Paulist Press
Religious Life in America – A New Day Dawning Sean Sammons, FMS; St. Paulus Inspiration
The Prophet Kahlil Gibran; New York: Alfred A. Knopf
Markings Dag Hammarskjold; New York: Ballantine Books
Hind’s Feet on High Places Hannah Hurnard; San Francisco: Harper & Row
The Chronicles of Narnia C.S. Lewis; New York: Macmillan Press
The Seven Story Mountain Thomas Merton; New York: Harcourt, Brace, & Co.
May I Have This Dance? Joyce Rupp; Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press
Prayer Links
www.prayingeachday.org/prayersites.html
www.vatican.va
http://www.oncecatholic.org/who.html
www.sacredspace.ie
www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html
Our Father
(The Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Hail Mary
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Magnificat
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy be his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise He made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever. (Luke 1:46-55)
The Rosary
1. The Sign of the Cross
2. The Apostles’ Creed
3. Three Hail Mary’s
4. Our Father
5. Begin the five decades:
Pray 10 Hail Mary’s followed by Glory Be and Our Father
6. The Prayer of Praise
After all five decades have been said,
the rosary closes with another ancient prayer to Mary:
Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,
our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To you do we cry,
poor banished children of Eve.
To you do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy toward us,
and after this exile
show to us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary.
7. The rosary also can be prayed by remembering the following key moments (mysteries) in the life of Jesus and Mary
The Joyful Mysteries
1. Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38)
2. Visitation (Luke 1:39-56)
3. Nativity of Jesus (Luke 2:1-7)
4. Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:22-32)
5. Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52)
The Sorrowful Mysteries
1. Agony in the Garden (Mark 14:32-36)
2. Scourging of Jesus (John 18:28-38; 19:1)
3. Crowning with Thorns (John 19:2-6)
4. Carrying of the Cross (John 19:12-16)
5. Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (Luke 23:33-34,39-46)
The Glorious Mysteries
1. Resurrection of Jesus (Luke 24:1-6)
2. Ascension of Jesus (Luke 24:50-53)
3. Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
(Acts of the Apostles 2:1-4)
4. Assumption of Mary (Song of Songs 2:8-14)
5. Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven (Revelation 12:1-6)
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Amen.
