{"id":3753,"date":"2020-03-14T23:44:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-14T23:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=3753"},"modified":"2021-01-07T18:31:42","modified_gmt":"2021-01-07T18:31:42","slug":"changing-my-daily-prayers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/changing-my-daily-prayers\/","title":{"rendered":"Changing My Daily Prayers"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

I read David Torkington’s “The Resolution to end all Resolutions<\/a>” and started a new prayer routine three years ago.<\/p>\n

My starting point was Lauds and Vespers from Liturgy of the hours. Don’t be too impressed. Lauds was recognizable after my adaptation. But I reduce Vespers to something I could reliably remember, late in the day.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Morning and Evening, Memorizing and Me<\/h4>\n

<\/a>When I started, my morning and evening routines totaled 520 words, including the Lord’s Prayer in both.<\/p>\n

I made a printed copy of both sets, and still use the ‘morning’ copy. The ‘evening’ copy, not so much.<\/p>\n

Like I said, I reduced that set to something I could reliably remember. Which isn’t much, late in the day, when I’m well past peak mental performance.<\/p>\n

I’ve idly speculated that there may be blooper tape analogs in the heavenly realms, recording my prayerful efforts on the borderlands of sleep. And that’s another topic.<\/p>\n

Ideally, maybe, I’d have had morning and<\/strong> evening prayers memorized before I began. And recited all 520 words flawlessly each and every day for the last three years.<\/p>\n

That didn’t happen.<\/p>\n

Bitterly berating myself for memorizing what I can and reading the rest is an option. But not, I think, a reasonable one. I might as well wail and gnash my teeth because I haven’t memorized Sacred Scripture. All 73 books.1<\/a><\/sup> And that’s yet another topic. Topics.<\/p>\n

<\/a>What Prayer Should Be<\/h4>\n

<\/a>Backing up a bit, should I be praying at all?<\/p>\n

Briefly, yes. Emphatically, yes. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2566<\/a>–2567<\/a>)<\/p>\n

And what is<\/strong> prayer, for that matter?<\/p>\n

Prayer is \u2014 should be \u2014 “a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God.” (Catechism, 2258<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Speaking of which, I’ve heard and read that each of us should have a “personal” relationship with God.<\/p>\n

I think I know what folks who say and write that mean. But the exhortation makes little sense to me, until I remember what’s meant.<\/p>\n

The way I see it, I’m a person. God is three persons. A “personal” relationship strikes me as the only sort we could have. Getting back to prayer \u2014<\/p>\n

<\/a>More About Prayer<\/h4>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Prayer is a gift from God, a covenant and communion. (Catechism, 2559<\/a>–2565<\/a>)<\/p>\n

We’ve got five sorts of prayer: blessing and adoration, petition, intercession, thanksgiving and praise. (Catechism, 2623<\/a>–2643<\/a>)<\/p>\n

I’ve felt, and feel, a bit awkward “blessing” God. Remembering that I’m reflecting blessings that come from the Almighty helps. (Catechism, 2626<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Should prayers be spontaneous or routine?<\/p>\n

Yes.<\/p>\n

Routine, scheduled prayer is a good idea. Spontaneous prayer is a good idea. Praying only<\/strong> when I feel like it, not so much. (Catechism, 2629<\/a>, 2650<\/a>, 2698<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Prayers aren’t just reciting phrases and performing predetermined gestures. Believing that prayer works if I go through the motions, doing a strictly external performance, would be dropping into superstition. And a bad idea. (Catechism, 2111<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Thinking about what a prayer’s words mean<\/strong> is important. (Catechism, 2688<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Prayer is a gift of grace. It’s something I can’t do unless I decide it’s worth the effort. (Catechism, 2725<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Prayer is a battle against attitudes I’ve learned from “this present world,” pitfalls dug when time did not yet exist; and against my own shortcomings. (Catechism, 391<\/a>–395<\/a>, 2725<\/a>–2728<\/a>)<\/p>\n

That sounds, and is, very far from easy.<\/p>\n

Happily, there\u2019s help available: drawing from two millennia of Christian experience, built on a much deeper foundation. (Catechism, 2685<\/a>–2690<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Prayer is always possible. Even when it’s not easy. That’s a good thing, since trying to be a Christian without prayer won’t work. Prayer makes sharing the love Jesus has for each of us \u2014 all of us, everyone \u2014 possible. (Catechism, 2742<\/a>–2745<\/a>)<\/p>\n

<\/a>Spending Time<\/h4>\n

<\/a>I checked off ‘fifteen minutes of daily prayer’ on a ‘what I’ll do this year’ form distributed at a Mass before Lent.<\/p>\n

I thought I was already doing that. My morning prayers, plus a varying set of intentions, felt like at least fifteen minutes.<\/p>\n

I was wrong.<\/p>\n

Checking the clock before and after told me that I was putting in five minutes. If that.<\/p>\n

My short-term solution was to add a Divine Mercy Chaplet to my evening prayers.<\/p>\n

That was an interesting experience. And, if my ‘blooper tape’ speculation reflects reality, added a reel or two to the collection.<\/p>\n

When Lent started, I started my usual Lenten Chaplet and moved the Divine Mercy Chaplet to morning prayers.<\/p>\n

My morning prayers now take nearly 20 minutes. Not that protracted prayer is better than momentary meditation or concise contemplation.<\/p>\n

But I figure that spending time praying, focusing on God, is a good idea. And that it can’t hurt to take maybe 20 minutes each day doing so.<\/p>\n

The Lenten Chaplet will be over when Lent is. That will leave me a few minutes shy of my target again. My plan is replacing it with the Rosary.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Mostly Links<\/h4>\n

<\/a>I’d talk about prayer and COVID-19, but Deacon Scott Dodge did that yesterday:<\/p>\n