How do you pray at night?

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LoverofChrist

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I am curious to know how others pray at night. I crawl in my bed and wrap my covers around me imagining that God is wrapping His arms around me. I pray my route prayers, I then thank God for my blessings for the day and then I pray my intercessory prayers. I usually fall asleep toward the end. I know others feel it is very important to kneel. I probably should but I find my prayers comforting doing it the way I do. How about the rest of you? How do you do it?

God’s blessings on all of you!
 
I say prayers at night in bed like you do - don’t like to make a big production of kneeling. Might also weird out DH :).
Now I finish the Rosary I started during the day. I then make an Act of Contrition (usually), and just talk to God for a while. Then I pray for a) priests I know, seminarians I know, our administrator, and the pope; I thank God for my guardian angel and the angels of all these people above; I ask for a bishop; b) I pray for the conversion of people I know; c) I say explicit prayers for two people in purgatory; d) I offer the St. Gertrude prayer for all souls in purgatory, and offer everything that day for the Holy Souls; e) I pray to my guardian angel; f) I say the St. Michael prayer.
This is all contingent on not falling asleep, which I have been doing lately.
 
I’m still trying to get into an “organized” sense of prayer…

Normally, I say my three Hail Mary, Our Father, and Glory Be for the intentions of the Holy Father and devotion to the Blessed Mother.

Then afterwards, I normally just pray whatever is on my heart…
 
LoverofChrist said:
I am curious to know how others pray at night. I crawl in my bed and wrap my covers around me imagining that God is wrapping His arms around me. I pray my route prayers, I then thank God for my blessings for the day and then I pray my intercessory prayers. I usually fall asleep toward the end. I know others feel it is very important to kneel. I probably should but I find my prayers comforting doing it the way I do. How about the rest of you? How do you do it?

God’s blessings on all of you!
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Kneeling during prayer is a sign of submission to God’s Will rather to what we ourselves will.
 
Sometimes I kneel, other times I pray in bed. I might pray the Liturgy of the Hours or other prayers like ones to the Sacred Heart or the Virgin Mary or the angels. A favorite prayer at night is this psalm sometimes used at Night Prayer (Compline) in the Liturgy of the Hours:

Psalm 133 (134)
Evening prayer in the Temple

Antiphon: Bless the Lord through the night.

Come, bless the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord
who stand through the night in the house of the Lord!
Lift up your arms to the sanctuary
and bless the Lord!

May the Lord bless you from Sion –
the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Antiphon: Bless the Lord through the night.

You can take a look at Night Prayer here: Night Prayer
 
Night time, I pray Evening Prayer at the beginning of my evening which is a time of quiet relaxation (most often reading or watching TV) after the duties of the day and then Night Prayer before going to bed. I find often at night when all is dark and quiet and I am still in bed I am able to confront and accept myself as I am…it is at times a time of ‘nakedness’ for me when my personal ‘demons’ rear up before me and my ego seems to be sleeping and not in defense of itself. A time of honestly facing and accepting myself prayerfully. At other times it can be a time when I feel without self observation very close to The Lord.
Last night and when I came to myself I was quite startled, I had spent the time watching a really good movie but my mind was totally somewhere else though I have no idea where and I was surprised when the movie had ended. Later in bed, all my past sins and all the people I have hurt seemed to loom before me in my mind and I experienced great sorrow and great regret…it threatened to overwhelm with grief and regret until I remembered that The Lord had not only forgiven but He had forgotten and would care for those that I had hurt and sinned against…I then went very peacefully off to sleep.
 
LoverofChrist said:
I am curious to know how others pray at night. I crawl in my bed and wrap my covers around me imagining that God is wrapping His arms around me. I pray my route prayers, I then thank God for my blessings for the day and then I pray my intercessory prayers. I usually fall asleep toward the end. I know others feel it is very important to kneel. I probably should but I find my prayers comforting doing it the way I do. How about the rest of you? How do you do it?

God’s blessings on all of you!
Click to expand...
Shortly after getting home from work, at Midnight, I use the kneeler in my bedroom for the 1221 prayers, which includes Psalm 51. After a light supper, I go to my computer and recite Evening Prayer, Office of Readings, and Night Prayer from the Divine Office. With the three cats “helping out”, of course. Then R&R. About 2 AM I go to bed, snuggle in under my blankets, and do some more simple night prayers. I fall asleep whilst contemplating this icon:

puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/andre/silence.html
 

  1. *]Five decades of the Rosary
    *]Examination of Conscience
    *]Act of Contrition
    *]Personal prayer of thanksgiving for the day
    *]Prayer to my Guardian Angel
    *]Prayer to St. Michael
    *]Conversation with God (informal prayer)
    *]Finally, the Apostles Creed before I sleep

    This is how I pray during the evening. I don’t do all this at once, but this is done over a few hours. I also try to read a small portion of the Bible.
 
My day ends with 30 mins of prayer, it varies, sometimes a rosary, chaplet of divine mercy, a litany, examination of conscience, bringing to God all of my personal worries/fears/people who are dear to me and also the prayer intentions on this board, or meditation or something. Different each evening.

Then I try to read a psalm or scripture passage to keep in my heart as I fall asleep, or I read in bed (currently re-reading St. Faustina’s diary). In those last few moments before sleep comes I put myself in very close proximity to Christ.

and if I hear a weird thump in the night I ask Jesus, Mary, my guardian angel and St. Michael to protect me and keep away any mischievous spirits…just in case.😉
 
LoverofChrist said:
I am curious to know how others pray at night. I crawl in my bed and wrap my covers around me imagining that God is wrapping His arms around me. I pray my route prayers, I then thank God for my blessings for the day and then I pray my intercessory prayers. I usually fall asleep toward the end. I know others feel it is very important to kneel. I probably should but I find my prayers comforting doing it the way I do. How about the rest of you? How do you do it?

God’s blessings on all of you!
Click to expand...
35min (3-5 mysteries) of the Rosary on my iPod (see signature). I try for 5 mysteries but sometimes can only make 3 or 4 if I am nodding off to sleep.
 
I think this thread illustrates just how important prayer is in the life of a Catholic. In fact, Christian life is a life of prayer. Although prayer is sometimes a struggle for me, I always feel peace and tranquility afterwards. Also, I have experienced how powerfully effective prayer can be.

If you are reading this and you don’t pray, I encourage you to do so! You aren’t just talking to yourself, someone really listens!
 
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