Stewardship of Time: Prayer
Making Time for Prayer
Our lives as Christian disciples must be firmly rooted in Christ Jesus, for He is the vine, and we are the branches. We must wisely use the time He has blessed us with – spending time in prayer on a daily basis, reading the Scriptures, celebrating the sacraments and so on.
Then, armed with a strong prayer life and an intimate personal relationship with the Lord, we can go out into the world and proclaim the Gospel by loving one another “in deed and truth”
As Christians, each of us is encouraged to make time for prayer every day. It is through prayer that we receive the peace that can only be found in doing God’s will. There are many ways to practice prayer, and each one connects us to God in a unique way.
Action Steps to Improve Your Prayer Life
- Pope Francis’ encouragement is to start spending 15 minutes every morning in quiet prayer by reading and reflecting on Sacred Scripture. A helpful place to start is the readings for each day, found at usccb.org/bible/readings or on Catholic phone and tablet apps, such as iBreviary, Magnificat, Divine Office or Hallow.
- Thank God for the good things He has given you that you might take for granted throughout the day.
- Examine your conscience before going to sleep and say an act of contrition like we do at Mass.
- Pray with your children each night before bed, giving each family member an opportunity to pray for something and concluding with an Our Father, Hail Mary and the Glory Be.
“Stewardship of time… should include setting aside periods for family prayer, for the reading of Scripture, for visits to the Blessed Sacrament, and for attendance at Mass during the week whenever this is possible.” — U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response