Prayer journal question

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okay so at my last confession my confessor/spiritual director suggested that i start a prayer journal for the times i can’t see him i’m just wondering how to do one? any suggestion would be appreciated thanks
 
Hi Melinda,

Starting a prayer journal is really a matter of personal preference.
I can only give some ideas.

I think your priest would mean you to give thought to your life, how you live it each day, how you seek God in your daily life, how you seek to love others in your daily life. What you write can be addressed to God, in fact I almost always direct my thoughts to Him when I write. I didn’t intend to write much. It just happened that I’d get insights in all sorts of situations, till I ended up with a journal that has chapters with various basic subjects. “Love God above all” 2, “Love others as yourself” and so on, each chapter with appropriate scripture quotes.

First of all I had a small notebook that I kept in my purse. Later I had a thick notebook or journal, and eventually I put all gradually into a computer journal. That works best for me.

Your journal can really be anything you wish it to be, your own words to God, and/or other prayers that someone wrote that speak for you.
Or you can write your relfections or prayer responses to reading a few verses of the gospels every day.

Your relationship with God is a very personal thing, so your prayer journal can take whatever form helps you…so really no one else can definitively tell you how to do it.

All the best, and may God inspire and lead you as He wishes.

Warm regards, Trishie
 
Like Trishie said, prayer journal is very personal between you and God and it can take any form of your preference.

Mine is my conversation with God, pouring my heart to Him on paper. You do with whatever format you prefer.

Sometimes I read back my old writings, I can see the path I have walked through, and give praise to God for His awesome grace in my life.

God bless!
 
melinda_s said:
okay so at my last confession my confessor/spiritual director suggested that i start a prayer journal for the times i can’t see him i’m just wondering how to do one? any suggestion would be appreciated thanks
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You just write down prayers God inspires you to pray. Many times we can learn much in prayer, but not even know it. If you need an example of a prayer journal, you check mine: blogsofasoul.blogspot.com
 
i don’t write prayers specificaly but if I am struggling with something I write it out. My director, when i seem to be having great difficulty with something always asks, “are you journaling about this/” and 9 times out of 10 I am not. I sort of write freely. Sometimes I write what is going on in my life, sometimes I write what I think God is trying to tell me. Sometimes I actually write out conversations between me and God. Once is awhile I will write out a prayer. My journals are filled with pain and sorrow, joy and happiness. I like to write in a pretty journal and use a nice pen. It just seems to make it kind of sacred. There are lots of nice journals out there now. Target has a great collection of them as does Barnes and Noble but they tend to be expensive. I keep all my journals on my desk tied toghter with a bow. Again it makes them sacred to me. They are filled with my life. No one in my family dare read them, I think they might be afraid to. When I die they probably will and whatever comes of it,well that is up to God. Perhaps reading my journey of faith through rough times and good times will be an inspiration to them. If they think they are going to find something like in “the Bridges of Madison County” they will be greatly dissapointed, but I think my journals will surprise them.
 
  1. I recommend the Companions for the Journey series from Saint Mary’s Press. It includes saints like Teresa of Avila, Catharine of Siena, Clare of Assisi, Dominic, Dorothy Day, Elizabeth Seton, Francis of Assisi, Hildegard von Bingen, Ignatius of Loyola, Jean Baptiste de La Salle, John of the Cross, Julian of Norwich, Therese of Lisieux, Thomas Merton, and Vincent de Paul. There are questions at the end of each chapter. You may do one or two a day in your journal, followed by a prayer on that topic.
Or, there are retreat series books from St. Anthony Messenger Press (like this one on St. Teresa of Avila – scroll down for more saints), with each chapter containing a section called, “For Reflection.”

Each day you take a chapter, or part of a chapter. Write out your extemporaneous thoughts on it. Take a few moments after that to write a prayer to God on the theme for the day – or week.
  1. Or, you could pick a “Virtue of the Day (or Week)” That will be the day you write a prayer to help you build up a virtue. You could use Therese’s Sacrefice beads to count your progress.
  2. My last suggestion is to go along with “Praying Lent 2009.” Go through the exercise and write out your reaction followed by a short prayer.
Hope this helps!
 
Journalling is (or can be) a written form of examen prayer: looking at the events of your life and the movements of your heart with the eyes of faith, asking “where was God in all this?” and “how did I respond to God’s invitation to love, repent, grow, etc.” A great book on examen prayer is Timothy Gallagher, OMV, “Examen Prayer: Ignatian Wisdom for Our Lives Today.”
 
melinda_s said:
okay so at my last confession my confessor/spiritual director suggested that i start a prayer journal for the times i can’t see him i’m just wondering how to do one? any suggestion would be appreciated thanks
Click to expand...
Write in it daily what you did, and how you got closer to Jesus. If you struggled with something, write it down and ask God to help guide you.
 
thanks everyone for all your help i think i’ve got it figured out now
 
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