Prayer Routines

[Amppax]

This is the plan that I try to follow: http://www.catholicity.com/mccloskey/sevenhabits.html. It is the one proposed by St. Josemaria Escriva for lay people. Just to be clear, I'm doing a pretty poor job currently of living it, however, I'm trying to add bits of it back in over time. 

I find the most important (for me) are the morning offering and examination of conscience, then Mass and mental prayer. As those four go, so goes my prayer life. 

Edited September 8, 2016 by Amppax

[AveMariaPurissima]

My prayer routine definitely needs improvement.  (but whose doesn't?) Currently I pray the morning offering (actually two different ones) first thing when I wake up.  Later when I'm getting dressed I pray the Angelic Warfare Confraternity prayers, and then read the Mass readings for the day.  Sometimes I have another devotional going as well, such as the daily meditation from one of Fr. Michael Gaitley's books. or a topical Bible reading plan. I try to pray the Rosary, or at least a decade.  Depending on the day's schedule, my parents and I say the Rosary together in the evening.  Before I go to bed, I pray the Act of Contrition, the St. Michael prayer, and another night prayer I learned a long time ago that I believe (?) was written by St. Alphonsus Ligouri.  

I was talking to a close friend today though, and she encouraged me to make more of a commitment to prayer.  She suggested that I pray at least one hour from LotH, and spend 15 minutes or more in meditation.  I'm going to put serious effort into trying to do this.

[Guest]

The translation I use for the Hours is "Daily Prayer from The Divine Office" and is a one book volume, complete with Psalter and Commons, special feasts - and of course the Memorials and Optional Memorials (feast days) during the year.  No way could I afford the four full volumes of the LOTH. Each of the hours I pray i.e. Morning (Matins), None (afternoon), Evening (Vespers) and Night Prayer (Compline) each take 10-15mins with None and Compline or Night Prayer around 8 mins. 

There is always very willing help available on Phatmass I am sure if one does not understand how to follow each of the Hours.  It is not all that difficult and once one has the hang of it - it is as easy as and not difficult at all.  I can't speak for the four volume LOTH.

 

Must mention too Universalis http://www.universalis.com/ which is a free online text of The Divine Office.  I personally find it the easiest of the online DO texts to set up and follow.

Edited September 9, 2016 by BarbaraTherese

[Quasar]

Daily rosary on the train. I have a book of Marian prayers and a book of devotions to the sacred heart, and some prayer card to various saints.  Before bed, sometimes I'll whip one out.  But, I don't have a consistent routine for prayer before bed or morning prayer.  

I actually love having a regular afternoon prayer schedule.  There you are in the middle of your busy day, squished between other humans, and suddenly you're with God.

Edited September 9, 2016 by Quasar

[Peace]

I think I just ran out of props. Thanks for all of the helpful responses!

[<3 PopeFrancis]

Daily Mass followed by an hour of selected prayers including the Rosary Divine Mercy, different prayers  and of course Holy Hour as often as possible.

[Guest]

As I see things: Prayer I think is something unique and personal.  There is a quote from Dom John Chapman OSB "Pray as you can not as you can't" and something to follow providing one seriously desires to pray and has a an ongoing prayer relationship with God.  Hence there are probably going to be as many different routines as there are people serious about their spiritual life and relationship with God.  I don't think one routine is any better than another.  Nor is it about time spent, but the loving heart I bring to prayer when I pray and however I might be praying.

Nor do I think that prayer is always stopping and spending time in prayer - while this for sure is necessary in a day for those serious about prayer.  I can also pray as I go about my day sometimes in short aspirations either known aspirations, or a simple word or two of love to The Lord now and then.  St Therese said “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”   ........and that can be a prayer for me or anyone too.

There might be times when I am happily cruising along with an established stop and pray type of routine - and then for some reason or other I need to vary it, change it.

The big help to my mind is ongoing spiritual direction.........this will ensure that I am not varying or changing due to laziness or due to some other spiritual problem, or something else entirely that I need to address.  Spiritual direction can also help discern the way I really can pray as I can rather than the head up against ye olde brick wall when I try to pray as I can't.

____________________

Of course, those in Third Orders etc. might by virtue of their rule of life have fixed daily prayers of a formal type nature.  I have a rule of life approved by my SD and there is a daily formal routine of prayer - however, the rule embraces that this can be varied if necessary.  St Albert in his ancient rule for Carmel wrote as the concluding paragraph of his rule:

Quote

"[24] Here then are a few points I have written down to provide you with a standard of conduct to live up to; but our Lord, at his second coming, will reward anyone who does more than he is obliged to do. See that the bounds of common sense are not exceeded, however, for common sense is the guide of the virtues."

 

[StMichael]

For the last 6 months, I have been doing a constant rotation of novena's.