Morning and evening prayers

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WMichael

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Hello,
At the moment I don’t really pray that much and when I do Its at night and is only really thoughts.
I feel this way of praying could be improved maybe by reciting a written prayer.
Basically what I’m asking is Whats your best way of praying in the morning and evening?
 
You can start out with 3 Hail Marys in the morning and making a Morning Offering (very important for gaining merit for the good works you do throughout the day), and finish the day with an examination of conscience and another 3 Hail Marys. If you’re not in the habit of praying, it’s best to work up to more prayer. If you don’t, you risk finding it onerous and giving up.

There’s also another good prayer book called “My Prayer Book” by Father Lasance that’s very good for prayer and little spiritual readings. It has some shorter longer Morning and Evening prayers than what you’d find in the Liturgy of the Hours.
 
Luigi_Daniele said:
Liturgy of the Hours: Morning and Evening Prayer 🙂
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Awesome advice, but I’d include the night prayer.

Evening prayer may be a bit tedious since it’s meant to be recited generally at 6 pm or “at the lighting of the lamps”…but definitely the night prayer (last prayer before going to sleep) is short and very edifying.

I used to struggle with this, either not praying at all (being tired or in a rush) or spending a long time through many different prayers (they all seemed so necessary).

Liturgy of the Hours - which is now open to the lay faithful - was the solution.

If in the morning you find yourself in a rush, never omit to consecrate your day to the Lord (my own little prayer sounds something like this: “Dear Lord, thank you for watching over me this night. I offer you all my thoughts, words, and deeds for the day, so that I may both reflect you and see you reflected in everyone I encounter.”).

The night prayer is essential because it is a prayer of thanksgiving and because in the Liturgy of the Hours it includes a section for a daily examination of conscience followed by, for instance, the penitentiary prayer from Mass.
 
Here is how I start my day:

The Morning Offering
Most Holy and Adorable Trinity, one God in three Persons, I firmly believe that You are here present;
I adore You with the most profound humility;
I praise You and give You thanks for the favors You have bestowed on me.
Your Goodness has brought me safely to the beginning of this day.
Behold, O Lord,
I offer You my whole being and in particular
all my thoughts, words and actions,
together with such crosses and contradictions as I may meet with in the course of this day.
Give them, O Lord, Your blessing;
may Your divine Love animate them and
may they tend to the greater honor and glory of Your Sovereign Majesty. Amen.

I especially love the line “may Your divine Love animate them”.

I do not have set prayers for the evening, although I try to pray the Rosary every night.
 
WMichael said:
Hello,
At the moment I don’t really pray that much and when I do Its at night and is only really thoughts.
I feel this way of praying could be improved maybe by reciting a written prayer.
Basically what I’m asking is Whats your best way of praying in the morning and evening?
Click to expand...
Being you’re new to prayer, I would suggest the Rosary, then reading of Scripture, ending with some tome for mental meditation.

The Liturgy of the Hours would be good too, but there is a learning process which right now would probably be more distracting than being conducive toward prayer.

Once you have established a routine which you’re devoted to, then you can begin to learn the Liturgy of the Hours and Lectio Divina or just Quiet Prayer.

Also, to be anxious about whatever method you’re using, just open yourself to the Holy Spirit.

In all, whatever method you use, remember you’re in the presence of God who dwells within.

God Bless
Jim
 
The magazine Give UsThis Day has a shorter morning an evening prayer than the liturgy of the hours that I try to say daily. It’s nice to have the daily mass readings as well. The only problem is I keep forgetting it at church. 😦
 
Yes I have started doing the rosary every night.
But I need to set-up a good proper routine.

I find that in the morning I have to get up pretty quickly and end up forgetting to do a prayer.
 
Like anything that is good for you, you’ll get out of it what you put into it.

Jim
 
Shorter Christian Prayer contains morning, evening, and night prayer and is pretty user friendly for beginners.

Also…if you have an iPod or iPad, I like iBreviary HD.

Advice from my priest…find the time of day that you are best for God and pray then. For you, it may not be morning.
 
I try to say an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be every morning and just before I go to sleep… I also try to do so while doing push ups… that way I get a little bit of exercise in and prayer at the same time.

Some times, the push ups get left out especially if I am really tired.

IF I am feeling the least bit guilty or fearful about anything I might include an act of contrition.

There used to be a time, when I tried to start a rosary in the evening, but I rarely got past the first decade… so to be fair, three short prayers gets easily completed, and I don’t feel neglectful about not completing a full rosary.
 
wcknight said:
There used to be a time, when I tried to start a rosary in the evening, but I rarely got past the first decade… so to be fair, three short prayers gets easily completed, and I don’t feel neglectful about not completing a full rosary.
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My confessor actually recommended prayer the rosary while trying to fall asleep as a sleep aid. Very effective.
 
Yes wcknight I think I might try doing those three prayers in the morning and the evening.
Its a good starting ground for someone like me and I can develop that routine as I get more use to it.
 
I also say the prayer for the green scapular ( “Most immaculate heart of Mary, prayer for us sinners now and at the hour of our death”.)… for the conversion or return of my kids and spouse to the faith…

Totally unexpected this week, my mother in law out of the blue annouced that she would no longer be an atheist and went out and bought herself a cross. If you knew my mother in law, she would be the last person on earth that you would expect to have a change in heart and embrace Christianity.

I had not included her in my prayers, BUT it gives me great hope that God will answer my prayers for the conversion of the folks that I am praying for.
 
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