21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
FROM THE DESK OF FATHER JACOB LIVECCHI YOUR PRIEST IN RESIDENCE AT EPIPHANY OF THE LORD PARISH
Greetings!
As school starts back up and we start falling into the routine of our daily life, we get busy and our schedules get full. I have often found that amidst the rush of school and the beginning daily routine it’s very hard to find time to pray. We want to pray but our minds are rushing off to the twenty pressing issues on our to-do list. Or maybe you have more time now that kids are in school, and you are looking for a way to grow deeper in your prayer life. Either way, I wanted to share a couple of options that you may find helpful. There is list of different options you can try to see what works for you, each of our lives are different so what works for some might not work for you.
One option is to schedule a time to pray. If we want to pray we have to schedule it sometimes, find a time of day for 5-15mins (or more) and put it into your calendar. Set that time aside and use it as your sacred time with Jesus.
When you are busy, one of the best ways to pray is to pray the morning offering. This is a prayer that offers to God your whole day and everything that happens in it. It makes your day one big prayer to God, offering all that happens that day to God. It starts your day off well so that if you don’t have much time later in the day you have at least given the whole day to God.
Morning offering: O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month. Amen.
Another way to pray throughout the day when you are very busy and have almost no time is to pray Prayers of Exclamation. These are small quick little phases we say to just bring God into our day. You can say them on your way to work between classes really whenever. Here are a few: “Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.” OR “O God, have mercy on me, a sinner. OR “Mother of Sorrows, pray for us.” OR “Jesus, my God, I love Thee above all things.” you can even create your own small phrase to say throughout the day.
Another way to pray is make your work, school, or job a prayer. At the beginning of a shift or class, you can say a prayer that for the next 1hr. or 30 min. I will offer my work to God for this intention. We can feel guilty that because we feel like we should be praying, but sometimes its not possible, so we can turn are actions and our work into a prayer.
Sometimes the only free time you have is at the end of your day, So night prayer is what works best for you. The evening is a good time to do a quick examination of the day. A priest taught me that at the end of the day find three things that happened that day that you are thankful to God for. And then find only three times that you might have failed, sinned, or hurt someone and ask for forgiveness. The end with a prayer entrusting the night and then the next day to God. “May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, my guardian angel, and all the Saints, pray for us to our Lord, that we may be preserved this night from sin and all evils. Amen.”
The goal is to try to sanctify the day and bring God into your day whenever you can. Thus if you can say a prayer in the morning (morning offering) or pray during the day (Prayers of Exclamation, or prayers before meals) or at the end of the day (examination of the day or night prayer). I know life is busy and it is hard to find time to pray but remember a small quick prayer is better than no prayer at all.
In Christ,
Fr. Jay