Scriptural devotions

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losh14

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My question is for all of you who practice daily prayer that does not venerate Mary or the other saints - what type of daily devotional prayer do you practice?

My motivation for asking is that I am more centered in my day if I spend time in prayer in the mornings but I usually don’t have time or energy for the free-form prayer that I offer at night. The Rosary seems to be very popular among Catholics here, but I don’t feel drawn to Marian devotions. I worked on a personal version of the Hours for myself, and its just something I can’t keep up with.

Anyway, my prayer life is in something of a doldrums and I’m looking for some ideas and advice. Thanks kindly and in advance.
 
losh14 said:
My. I worked on a personal version of the Hours for myself, and its just something I can’t keep up with.

Anyway, my prayer life is in something of a doldrums and I’m looking for some ideas and advice. Thanks kindly and in advance.
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you will find it much easier to keep up with LOTH and make it a habit if you pray with the Church, an duse one of the guides approved by the Church, the easiest to learn with being Shorter Christian Prayer. trying to DIY is hard to do properly when we are still learning to pray and still trying for form the habit of dedicated prayer time. Best to start out with what is tried and true, LOTH, the rosary which is an extended meditation on the gospel, lectio divina with the daily scripture readings, with the help of a daily devotional like Word Among Us or Magnificat if you are just getting started. For the price, the all-in-one like Magnificat is a great resource to start with, as it has the daily readings, a short devotional from fathers or Church teachings, morning and evening and night prayer, a saint bio for each day, and a theme topic of the month to aide in prayer.
 
There is no one correct way to pray, and most people try various prayer forms before finding one that works for them.

You mentioned vocal prayer and devotions to Mary and the saints, including the rosary. Another post mentioned the Liturgy of the Hours, which was a great suggestion.

Another basic prayer form is meditating on the scriptures, also called spiritual reading (Latin: lectio divina). Basically, this involves slowly reading a text from scripture (or another spiritual writing), considering each word or phrase, particularly those that attract your attention, thinking about what they mean, and applying them to your life. You might respond to what you are reading and considering by silent listening, by talking to God about what you are reading and thinking (also called colloquy), by giving praise and thanks, by expressing sorrow, etc. There are some good guides to meditating on the scriptures (lectio divina) online and many good books on the subject.
 
I second the suggestion to try using the Magnificat publication.

There’s even an online version and one for your iPhone. You can request a sample copy at their website.

Betsy
 
Alan55 said:
There is no one correct way to pray, and most people try various prayer forms before finding one that works for them.

You mentioned vocal prayer and devotions to Mary and the saints, including the rosary. Another post mentioned the Liturgy of the Hours, which was a great suggestion.

Another basic prayer form is meditating on the scriptures, also called spiritual reading (Latin: lectio divina). Basically, this involves slowly reading a text from scripture (or another spiritual writing), considering each word or phrase, particularly those that attract your attention, thinking about what they mean, and applying them to your life. You might respond to what you are reading and considering by silent listening, by talking to God about what you are reading and thinking (also called colloquy), by giving praise and thanks, by expressing sorrow, etc. There are some good guides to meditating on the scriptures (lectio divina) online and many good books on the subject.
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I like what you say here. My pattern of prayer is very similar to what you describe. I read various books of scripture, often based on some reference to a verse in another writing. I meditate and pray on what I read. I also use other writings to direct my thoughts and prayers, and especially like “The Imitation of Christ”, “Cloud of Unknowing”, writings of St. John of the Cross and the early books of Thomas Merton. Even the reading of secular literature can trigger a prayerful thought or connect me to a particular scripture passage that in turn is a jumping off point for prayer.

Another trigger of prayer is just to think about people and events in your life, that bring about prayers of thanks and of hope, prayers for peace, for healing, for reconciliation, for acceptance and understanding. Prayer from the heart.

Although I do use “formula” prayers, the great majority of the time my prayers are more “free form”, based on the above.

Sometimes prayer can be just “listening” for the answer to an earlier prayer, spoken or unspoken. One’s greatest insights and revelations can come when it is quiet and your mind is blank, and you let God in.
 
I also recommend the Shorter Christian Prayer. It is very scripturally based and it’s economical in time for morning and evening prayers.

When I do the daily rosary I meditate on appropriate quote from the Gospel for each Ave Maria according to the Mystery to be meditated on (in case you ever decide the Rosary might be for you in the future).
 
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