There is an incredibly powerful prayer practice in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola called the Prayer of Examen. While the Ignatian examen has been interpreted and applied in various ways, I have found that looking closely at the origin of the practice and developing my own variation of the examen has had a tremendous effect…
daily prayer
From Goal-Setting to Habit-Setting
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about goal-setting lately. I want to make sure my goals for 2012 are as motivating as possible. It is just that time of year. People are reassessing last year’s goals and setting new ones. They are making new year’s resolutions to make changes in their lives. Almost a…
Shorten Your Prayers
One obstacle I have found to focusing during prayer has been an attempt to race through prayers. If I’m praying the entire Liturgy of the Hours or praying with the daily readings, I usually get the feeling that I need to say and read quickly so that I can finish quickly. I get easily distracted…
How to Add Daily Morning Prayer to Your Routine
One of the most popular times for personal prayer is first thing in the morning. However, adding daily morning prayer to your routine when you haven’t developed the habit yet can be a challenge. Here is how I did it: My Morning Routine (without Prayer) Before adding prayer to my morning routine, this is what…
Using Prayer Books in Your Daily Prayer Life
I love using prayer books as a guide for daily prayer and reflection. Prayer books can help keep you accountable to your prayer goals and commitments even when you don’t want to pray. They can offer an added inspiration that you never would have uncovered on your own and they can be a nice supplement…
