Difficult finding time to pray

[pprimeau1976]

I was wondering if anyone out there has experienced problems similar to what I am describing. I am finding it really difficult to find time to dedicate to prayer in the midst of the craziness of work and family life.

Basicly, I leave for work at 7:15, have a 45 minute commute, and come home at 5:45. After dinner, my wife and I like spending quality time with our two year old. After he goes to bed, at around 8:30, we normally do our chores. The only time I do have to focus on prayer or reading is before I go to bed (normally when i am in bed), but by the time that comes, I am usually bushed and don’t give it my full attention.

My wife and I pledged that we would say the rosary together this week, but so far, we have had obstacles every night. Anyone have any ideas?

-PTP

P.S. During my commute, I can at least listen to Catholic Radio

 

[Cephas]

I know exactly how u feel brother…

except my wife and I dont have a 2 yr old. No! We have a 5yr old a 4 yr old a 3 yrs old and the 2 yr old (and expecting #5). LOL.

Uhm, 2 suggestions (but there are more I’m sure)

1- pray with the 2 yrs old during ur quality time.

2- each one of u take time, during the quality time with u child, to go to another place and be alone with the Lord.

lets say quality time if from about 6:30 till 7:30.

6:30 - 7 u go away to pray and 7- 7:30 ur wife.

This doesnt have to be EVERY day but occasionally.

God Bless

Cephas

 

[mommi2four]

i know the feeling. I find praying the rosary with kids help. it could be chaotic because of the precious little one. but i is a good way to introduce him to the rosary.

anyhow, sometimes i’m beat too, because of my four little one and that’s ok. I’d pray anyway, tired and all. I put my whole heart in to it. personally speaking

A priest once told me taking care of my children was a form of prayer in itself. Because you are doing God’s work.

well i hope that helps.

 

[felra]

pprimeau1976:

I was wondering if anyone out there has experienced problems similar to what I am describing. I am finding it really difficult to find time to dedicate to prayer in the midst of the craziness of work and family life.

Basicly, I leave for work at 7:15, have a 45 minute commute, and come home at 5:45. After dinner, my wife and I like spending quality time with our two year old. After he goes to bed, at around 8:30, we normally do our chores. The only time I do have to focus on prayer or reading is before I go to bed (normally when i am in bed), but by the time that comes, I am usually bushed and don’t give it my full attention.

My wife and I pledged that we would say the rosary together this week, but so far, we have had obstacles every night. Anyone have any ideas?

-PTP

P.S. During my commute, I can at least listen to Catholic Radio

I indeed have similiar struggles as a maried man with three younger childrenand primary breadwinner. I have had to learn to be flexible and broaden my definition/concept of praying.

My acquired/adaptive types of prayer include: brief moments of recollection during the day (close eyes at my desk, say a quick intercession, Hail Mary, Our father, or just be mindful for a minute of God’s ever present reality); daily personal prayer and daily couple prayer as an essential for me; over recent months I have been rising predawn, prechildren & wife awakening and grabbing a cup of strong coffe, begin by reading a spiritul book (to awaken the brain matter), then proceeding to personal prayer with praise, psalms, examination of conscience, reading God’s word, meditation, sometimes I just sit there without words in God’s presence, sometimes more emotional, other times more thoughtful/reflecticve; my wife & I use God’s Word Among Us daily reading devotional (see ); brief stops in a chapel that has perpetual adoration; parking my car and reading some scripture/praying during my lunch hour; praying the rosary while driving or jogging; mental prayer when I am having a difficulty of coming up short in my coworker/work relationships/encounters; listening to Christian music, Catholic radio–basically trying to saturate myself in Christ.

It makes a major difference if I try to live the whole of my day in a prayerful pointing/directing my thoughts toward God, when I enter into my personal prayer–like I never hung up the phone to God, but only laid it down for intermittent periods. This is all by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and it is habit forming over the years.

A suggested and easy to read book for the busy/full lifestyle is “Practicing the Presence of God” by Brother Lawrence. It is improtant to start somewhere and not give up/persist, and things have a way of arrranging to accommodate a prayerful style of living. God Bless.

 

[The_Barrister]

**“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (Thes.5:16-18)… “always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father”(Eph.5:20). **

St. Paul exhorts us to pray constantly. Although certain types of prayer require full concentration (contemplative, meditative), most prayer does not. If we believe that prayer is valid only when our full attention can be devoted to it, we would never get anything done!

So pray throughout the course of the day, in your car, in the shower, and in your bed. Pray for more time to pray! Praise Jesus!

 

[felra]

**“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (Thes.5:16-18)… “always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father”(Eph.5:20). **

St. Paul exhorts us to pray constantly. Although certain types of prayer require full concentration (contemplative, meditative), most prayer does not. If we believe that prayer is valid only when our full attention can be devoted to it, we would never get anything done!

So pray throughout the course of the day, in your car, in the shower, and in your bed. Pray for more time to pray! Praise Jesus!

Exactly!..well stated. :yup:

 

[RosaLydia]

I highly recommend the Healing Rosary of Our Mother of Perpetual Help CDs (I got mine at EWTN). I really enjoy praying it while I drive.

The CDs include the Luminous mysteries and at the end of each rosary there is a song that helps me to concentrate on my own prayer. It also has the Memorare in a song and it is so wonderful!

I also subscribe to daily reflections email at at http://gnm.org/DailyReflections to reflect on the daily Mass readings. I receive it at work and read it during my breaks.

Finally, I just started doing the 30 day devotions for the Holy Souls by Susan Tassone. I do this before going to bed. There are short meditations and is a really good book.

Hope this helps!

 

[RosaLydia]

One more thing…

We have this little altar set up in our living room (little it is… is only 1 Our Lady of Guadalupe candle and another one of the Sacred Heart) and we have some sea shells around the candles and in each shell we write the name of a person we want to pray for.

Sometime we light our candles and say a rosary in front on our little altar, but most of the time we just put the shell of a particular person in front of the candles so everytime I walk by I remember to say a quick mental prayer for that person.

 

[The_Barrister]

RosaLydia:

One more thing…

We have this little altar set up in our living room (little it is… is only 1 Our Lady of Guadalupe candle and another one of the Sacred Heart) and we have some sea shells around the candles and in each shell we write the name of a person we want to pray for.

Sometime we light our candles and say a rosary in front on our little altar, but most of the time we just put the shell of a particular person in front of the candles so everytime I walk by I remember to say a quick mental prayer for that person.

All excellent ideas! I just subscribed to the Daily Reflections, as well.

If everyone here at CF posted like this (including me) we’d all be growing closer to God instead of hurling barbs at each other. Thanks for these posts!

 

[watertower]

I highly recommend the Healing Rosary of Our Mother of Perpetual Help CDs (I got mine at EWTN). I really enjoy praying it while I drive.

The CDs include the Luminous mysteries and at the end of each rosary there is a song that helps me to concentrate on my own prayer. It also has the Memorare in a song and it is so wonderful!

I too use Rosary tapes while I commute. 45 minutes is great prayer time. Traffic bothers me a whole lot less too .

 

[Carolyn]

I pray as I am parking my car and walking into work. It’s short and informal kind of a “God help me make the most off this day in my work, in my actions and in my words.” I ask God to protect my fiance on his commute, I thank him for this day, I may bring up something that’s troubling me and I can usually fit in an Our Father and Hail Mary by the time I reach the door.
It’s very informal but it’s my private time with Him.
I try to fit in more formal prayer time, but usually it’s simple words said in my head.

I pray whenever I see or hear an ambulance or pass a funeral procession or sometimes when I pass a cemetery.

 

[RosaLydia]

Carolyn,

We do that too! We make the sign of the cross when we hear an ambulance or see a funeral procession. Yesterday we made the sign of the cross when we saw an “Amber alert” flashing. It is a physical sign of a mental prayer.

The book I am reading has this prayer that can be said when passing a cemetery:

Eternal Rest Grant Unto Them O Lord, and Let Perpetual Light Shine Upon Them. May They Rest In Peace. Amen.

Also, our RCIA class last night was “Nourished by Prayer”. The teacher said that she has “prayer rocks” to play with her small grandson. She puts them on the floor and he picks up a rock and says the name of someone he loves. She said the boy also includes the cat and the dog in his prayers. (I do hope the rocks are big enough to prevent choking!) She also said that everything in your life can be turned into a prayer. Even changing a diaper. I have a 4 month old and I did not know prayers could be that stinky!