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iamcatholic100
Guest
What are the best ways for a college student to balance daily prayer, reading the bible, studying and doing his or her homework?
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yukonbrad
Guest
I had the privilage to attend a Catholic college so daily mass was a regular matter to fit in with my courses. Remember you are in college to study and that has to be first and formost. Save prayer and reading before bed and of course don’t miss Sunday mass. If you are not at a Catholic college does the school you attend have a Neumann Center? Good to check it out and get involved with your faith.
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Lancer
Guest
Morning Offering prayer and Evening prayer with simple examen/examination of conscience and contrition…are critical. Your prayer life should have both a private and a communal (communion) aspect…Mass and Holy Communion are source and summit of our Faith for…Communion with the Body of Christ…but you can pray any type devotional prayers with others…Rosary, The Angelus, etc.
Private prayer and communion prayer are very important…we are made for communion with God (private) and communion with our neighbor (communal)…both together will hold you in good stead.
Time to allow…be realistic…but not lazy…sacrifice something to make it happen…but not a burden…in allotting time for these two aspects. Most important be consistent…faithful in what you setup…let the Holy Spirit lead you…you will hear Him if you give yourself a little quiet time AM/PM…your question is ample evidence that the Holy Spirit is talking to you…and you are listening. Keep it up, and grace and blessings to you in all that you do.
Lastly…below is a real pearl for further guidance.
Pax Christi
Catholic Spiritual Direction is a great site…Tags lower right side website can help you find a great answer from some great spiritual directors…Father Bartnuek and Dan Burke…and host of very, very good writers/bloggers.
rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/
Private prayer and communion prayer are very important…we are made for communion with God (private) and communion with our neighbor (communal)…both together will hold you in good stead.
Time to allow…be realistic…but not lazy…sacrifice something to make it happen…but not a burden…in allotting time for these two aspects. Most important be consistent…faithful in what you setup…let the Holy Spirit lead you…you will hear Him if you give yourself a little quiet time AM/PM…your question is ample evidence that the Holy Spirit is talking to you…and you are listening. Keep it up, and grace and blessings to you in all that you do.
Lastly…below is a real pearl for further guidance.
Pax Christi
Catholic Spiritual Direction is a great site…Tags lower right side website can help you find a great answer from some great spiritual directors…Father Bartnuek and Dan Burke…and host of very, very good writers/bloggers.
rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/
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Joe_5859
Guest
Use a planner.
In all seriousness, though, budgeting your time is key. In college, there are many opportunities for our time to get sucked away doing pretty much nothing. Make a schedule and stick with it. Schedule everything (30 minutes here to study this subject, 1 hour here to spend in the chapel praying and reading Scripture, etc.)
Usually, it’s the people who have more to do that end up getting it all done whereas the people with little to do end up wasting all their time and trying to cram everything in at the last minute. Or maybe that was just me.
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Deo_Gratias42
Guest
No, it’s me too. All I have to do today is go to Mass this morning (done) examine my conscience for confession, and go to Confession. I like to allot myself ample time for my examination to allow for meditating on various things to help my confession be as good as it can be. Unfortunately, I put off doing my examination, and will only have 3 hours to do it. I know it sounds like a lot of time, but I’m very meticulous. Not scrupulous, but meticulous. It’s not good enough that I got into an argument, but I need to know why and what was the root sin/vice.Usually, it’s the people who have more to do that end up getting it all done whereas the people with little to do end up wasting all their time and trying to cram everything in at the last minute. Or maybe that was just me.
As another student, I will be scheduling my day out. You just have to pick times around your class schedule. Have 30 minutes between classes? Why not find a quiet spot and do a daily meditation or Rosary (If you’re anything like me and tend to have your meditations go off into some other form of mental prayer, you might want to set a timer so you don’t forget to go to class… Have a longer break? Work on school work or go to the gym. Maybe take a short break from school work when it feel like your head will explode and do a little spiritual reading. Just stay off of CAF and Facebook, etc. They will eat up time like nothing. You could even treat it as a little rule of life like monasteries. Somehow they manage to fit everything in and still find 8 hours of sleep at night.
Oh, and one final thing that’s pretty important:
Don’t Procrastinate
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coachdennis
Guest
As a college professor I can tell you from many years of seeing students succeed and not succeed that the most crucial skill is time management. I tell my students (I work primarily with first and second year students) that whether you are a college student, a homeless person on the street, or the Pope you get 168 hours per week. How you use that will be your choice???Use a planner.
In all seriousness, though, budgeting your time is key. In college, there are many opportunities for our time to get sucked away doing pretty much nothing. Make a schedule and stick with it. Schedule everything (30 minutes here to study this subject, 1 hour here to spend in the chapel praying and reading Scripture, etc.)
Usually, it’s the people who have more to do that end up getting it all done whereas the people with little to do end up wasting all their time and trying to cram everything in at the last minute. Or maybe that was just me.
There will be times during a semester where it will feel like crunch time, such midterms and finals. Remember that the ability to meet multiple deadlines will make up valuable as an employee upon graduation.
When it comes to your prayer life, Mass will be crucial. Catholic colleges often have Masses at times that cater to a typical student’s non-traditional life. Even if you are at a public college, there may be campus ministry center or a nearby parish. Spending time in prayer at the beginning and end of each day – even for a few minutes will help center your life.
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Edward_H
Guest
Turn your study into prayer…say a short aspiration before you begin your study. Work in fixed periods. Offer each period for a specific intention…your family, friends, faithful departed, the Pope, your professors, the unborn, your priest, the diocese’s seminarians, unwed mothers, the sick…whoops that’s a full prayer life. Make the offerings to God, present in your study. Study with God.
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JaredR
Guest
I agree, time management is the key. You can also take brief pauses in your study to offer it to God. You can sanctify your study by doing it for Him. 
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nfreak141
Guest
The best balance of prayer is turning your studies INTO a prayer.
Back in the day, study was the highest form of praise students could give God.
Back in the day, study was the highest form of praise students could give God.
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Edward_H
Guest
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Joe_5859
Guest
Which is not, of course, to say that we shouldn’t also have time set aside to only pray.
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nfreak141
Guest
Of course you should set some time aside to pray, just as you should spend time aside to rest after studying for several hours.Which is not, of course, to say that we shouldn’t also have time set aside to only pray.
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iamcatholic100
Guest
Thank you all for responding! I’ll put some of your suggestions, such as making a planar and so forth, into practice. Though I would also like add that TV and the internet in general can burn alot of minutes and hours, and you will never get em’ back! Prayer is important too, because you always gotta leave room for God in your day; it really makes a difference.
Anyway, thanks again for your replies and suggestions, and I’m sorry that I responded to you almost 3 weeks later.
Anyway, thanks again for your replies and suggestions, and I’m sorry that I responded to you almost 3 weeks later.
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Deo_Gratias42
Guest
Just because a school is Catholic doesn’t mean you’re going to get to practice being a Catholic. I go to a catholic university, and we’re not even allowed to refer to God as a he. We must use gender neutral language when referring to God.
That being said, my university is close to my parish, and I arranged my class schedule so I could still attend daily Mass 7 days/week.
Since the brain can’t maintain anything one thing without a break for a significant amount of time, you must take breaks. Such breaks are a great time to say a few prayers or ejaculations, or a short moment for mental prayer to offer God some sweet affections and bask in His sheer awesomeness and love (if you’re like me and 5 minutes turns into an hour without noticing, I recommend setting a timer). My confessor also recommended that I offer up all the unpleasant suffering I have related to schoolwork as a penance. My Latin teacher also referred to the assignments he gives us as penance.
You can also say the Angelus at 6:00, 12:00 and 18:00, as well wake up earlier and do some spiritual reading and a morning meditation while your brain is still fresh and not filled with school. I also go to a perpetual adoration chapel in the middle of the night a couple times a week just for some quiet alone time to converse with Jesus.
It’s all about time management.
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