The How-To Book of Catholic Devotions, Second Edition. Mike Aquilina
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Spirit to form us and mold us into strong, faithful Christians. God will help us to take the thoughts and sentiments of our formal prayers as our very own. Over time, we will experience His love for us as we pray in this manner.
As valuable as formal prayers can be, we must nevertheless reserve a generous part of our prayer time for conversation with God. Christ is present, and you have made an act of the will to be present with Him. He loves you more than anyone in this world loves you. He desires to hear you and speak with you. Our Lord is concerned with every aspect of your life. You can speak to Jesus about any and every element of your life. Tell Him of your needs, fears, frustrations, angers, sorrows, and hopes. Speak words of love, praise, and thanksgiving. You don’t need to speak any special language to Him. He knows you. Just tell Him what’s on your mind, in the words you would use with your best friend.
Consolations and Aridity
Sometimes, we can experience great consolations in prayer. At other times we may feel dry and alone. The secret is to be consistent in prayer. When you don’t know how or what to pray, there are several practical steps you can take. First, tell God of your difficulty and ask for His grace. Second, you can use some spiritual book to help you begin to talk to God. The Holy Scriptures are unsurpassed as tools for prayer. You can begin by asking the Holy Spirit, who inspired the writer, to inspire you, the reader. Read a small passage of Scripture and consider what it says to you personally. Then use it as a place to jump into prayer. Talk directly to God about what that passage is saying to you.
If the passage is extolling God for His greatness, then tell Him how much He means in your own life or how much you would like Him to mean. Ask Him to make you as devoted as the writer you just read. If the passage speaks of our responsibilities as Christians, take the opportunity to review how well you are carrying out your duties. Ask God’s forgiveness where you have failed, and ask His grace so that you may improve. Ask Him to show you specific areas where you might improve.
End your prayer at the time you’ve predetermined. If you had set aside fifteen minutes for prayer, end after fifteen minutes. Finish by thanking God for the opportunity to spend time with Him, tell Him that you love Him, and tell Him that you desire to follow Him faithfully. Always keep in mind that you can say these things even if you don’t particularly feel them at the moment. Of course, feelings of consolation are good and can help us to draw closer to God. Yet faith, not feelings, is the important element. Show the beginnings of faith by speaking as you will when God gives you greater grace, as He surely will. The great philosopher Blaise Pascal advised that we are cured of our lukewarmness by carrying out the actions “that will make you believe quite naturally, and will make you more docile.” It’s good to end your prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
Many people find it helpful to jot down some thought or sentiment from their prayer. Later in the day, you can refer to this note and allow it to encourage you that God is always near and working in and through you.
Faithfulness in Prayer
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta said that God does not require us to be successful but rather faithful. This can apply to prayer. Prayer is an act of love of God, and true love does not depend upon the excitement of our feelings. If we approach prayer primarily as our opportunity to show our love for God, we will be less concerned about how well we feel at a given moment. A parent is pleased with the child’s efforts to communicate, even if the words are unintelligible. In the same way, God is pleased with our efforts and our commitment to pray. Even though we should not focus on what we can get out of prayer, we can take great comfort in the fact that God is faithful in His love for us. As we come to Him in prayer, He will work in our hearts and minds. Often the changes in us are gradual, and we may not be able to immediately perceive them. Yet, when we view our lives over time, we will see the changes that God has effected through faithfulness in prayer.
Say your Prayers
“Mental prayer is nothing but a friendly conversation in which the soul speaks, heart to heart, with the One who we know loves us.”
— St. Teresa of Ávila
“Prayer is not a number of reflections and resolutions; it is personal, intimate, loving contact and [conversation] with a friend who is loved and by whom the soul understands that it itself is loved.”
— Robert Nash, S.J.
“[Prayer] is commonly held to be a conversation. In a conversation there are always an ‘I’ and a ‘thou’ or ‘you.’ In this case the ‘Thou’ is with a capital ‘T.’ If at the first the ‘I’ seems to be the most important element in prayer, prayer teaches that the situation is different. The ‘Thou’ is more important, because our prayer begins with God.”
— Pope St. John Paul II
“Prayer is the soul’s breath: it is important to find moments throughout the day to open your heart to God, even with simple and brief prayers.”
— Pope Francis
Two
Catholic Prayers
1. How to Pray the Sign of the Cross
There are three common ways of making the Sign of the Cross. The most prevalent one in personal devotion is known as the large cross. We begin by touching the forehead with the tip of the right hand. Then we proceed to the middle of the chest and finally to both shoulders, first the left and then the right. While making the Sign of the Cross we say,
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The second form is called the small cross. This is the most ancient form of the gesture. Here the thumb is used to trace a cross on the forehead. Today, this form is used in both Baptism and Confirmation. In Baptism, the minister, parents, and godparents all trace the Sign of the Cross on the child. In Confirmation, the bishop or priest traces the cross with the oil of chrism on the forehead of the recipient.
The third form is used in extending a blessing. In this formula, the priest or minister traces the Sign of the Cross in the air and prays over the person or object that is being blessed.
In current practice in the Western Church, the right hand is slightly cupped as the Sign of the Cross is made — though there are variations. In the fifth century, the Church was plagued by a heresy that claimed Christ had only one nature. Partly in reaction to this heresy, people began to make the large cross by using two fingers. This was a sign of their belief in the two natures of Christ. Sometime later, in the East, people began to use the thumb, index finger, and middle finger, pressed together at the fingertips, to make the hand movement. Those three fingers together symbolized the Trinity and Unity of God, while the two fingers folded against the palm of the hand symbolized the two natures of Jesus Christ, both divine and human. This practice is still prevalent in the Eastern Churches.
“Holy God, Holy Strong One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us.”
— Common Invocation of the Eastern Churches
You may on occasion see someone kiss his or her fingers after completing the Sign of the Cross. This is common in Hispanic cultures. If you look closely, you’ll notice that person is making a second Sign of the Cross by placing the thumb across the index finger. The kiss that ends the gesture is a sign of devotion to the cross.
The cross has been the symbol of Christians from the first centuries. As St. Paul says in his letter to the Galatians: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (6:14, NABRE). Making the Sign of the Cross proclaimed belief in the faith.
In the Book of Revelation, the sacred author states that the