Night Owl or Early Bird?

[surritter]

When people are given advice about how to pray, I notice that they are often told to set aside some time each day for prayer and reading of the Bible – usually in the early morning. Apparently most people think that the morning is best, before the routine of the day sets in.

I’m the opposite; I do my best thinking and praying late at night! I’ve never been a morning person anyhow. But around 10 or 11 pm or midnight, the kids are long asleep, there’s no neighbors cutting the grass, and I can tell God about my day and do some spiritual reading.

My real question: how come “early birding” is seen as superior, sometimes in a smug way? Why are those of us who sleep in seen as lazy? I put in just as many hours in my daily life! (Couldn’t I say that the early birds are lazy for going to bed at 10 pm?)

 

[Lainey63]

When I was younger I used to pray at night like you. Now that I am older I wake up earlier. When my kids were little I couldn’t get up early enough to pray first. They were always up at the crack of dawn & full of energy.

That doesn’t mean I’m better than you…just older. Staying up to 11:00 is way past my bedtime. When I was a teenager it was a much different story.

 

[jpk1313]

to pray as soon as you wake up is to set the tone of your day. but it really does not matter what time of day or night you pray so long as you pray.

 

[MarieVeronica]

Interesting topic. I have found, that in my own experience… my prayer “schedule” has drifted back and forth. The prayers have remained the same (Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Rosary, various other Chaplets and Scripture reading)… but the time frames have shifted.

I started out with 3 equal “blocks” of prayer, throughout the day. But lately, I have shifted to mostly morning prayer… although, I still do pray before bed as well.

For me, I find that I’m less tired… if I pray in the morning. Like many of us, I have such a hectic, often rigorous schedule. At one point, I was in real danger of eliminating some portion of my prayers… if I saved them for late in the evening. Because I was simply too tired.

I don’t consider morning prayer to be superior to evening or night prayers. That makes no sense, actually. The official prayer of the Church… the Divine Office… is prayed throughout the day and evening. I think we should all find that “time of day” that suits our schedules, and pray! Since God is not limited or hindered by time, the way we are. It makes no difference when we pray. Just pray! That’s what counts!

God bless.

 

[toilmikey]

I think the idea of morning prayer is to set the tone for the day and make sure that the travails of the day don’t overwhelm you and make you set aside your time with God.

 

[acadian]

For most of my life, I’ve been a night owl. Weekends and school holidays - I enjoyed those wee morning hours and dreaded the alarm clock. (Not that I used those quiet, cool nights for prayer, but that’s another story…) Then about 4 years ago during Lent, I realized that with a little bit of effort, I could make it to 6:30 a.m. Mass. I quickly realized the postive difference this made in my day. And just as quickly, I became an Early Bird. Could only have been God’s doing. I still do pray at night. Often I pray “evening prayer” right before I turn off the lights (I figure it’s evening somewhere…) But it is not uncommon for me to close my eyes and drift off in the middle of my prayers at night…

 

[cheeto1]

As soon as I lay down at night, I will fall asleep in about one or two minutes,
regardless of whether I am praying. So I pray in the morning, because I like to be
awake when I pray But I know we are supposed to pray at night too…