Lent is almost here, and if you’re like many Catholics, you want to enter into this sacred season by spending more time in prayer. Since the Church calendar doesn’t determine your schedule; you don’t get extra time in your day just because it’s Lent. And some days, it’s all you can do to make any time to pray, let alone pray more.
As many saints have told us, prayer is hard work! But while the work of prayer is hard, there are easy ways to pray more during Lent (and throughout the year). Here are some ideas to get you started.
Easy ways to make more time to pray
If you’re looking for creative ways to make more time to pray between your daily tasks and obligations, try one (or more) of these tips.
- Set your alarm 5 minutes earlier and spend that time in prayer.
- Pray a Morning Offering (it takes less than a minute!).
- Take 5 minutes of your lunch break to pray—consider praying the Angelus.
- Pray before meals (if you’re not doing that already!).
- Make prayer part of your bedtime routine—even something as brief as the Anima Christi or the Guardian Angel prayer.
- Say a quick prayer for others as you encounter them throughout your day: your spouse and children (or grandchildren), a coworker, a cashier, a homeless person, a nurse, etc.
- Are you a busy mom? Pray with your children! Choose a short prayer, such as a Hail Mary or an Our Father, that you can teach them to pray with you.
- You can also briefly pray for anyone that comes to your mind during the day—and especially for those who may be causing you stress or frustration!
- Play prayerful programming in the background so you can pray along as you do housework or take care of your children.
- Say a quick prayer when you’re sitting at a red light (with eyes open, of course!), standing in line, or sitting in a waiting room or carpool line.
- Try saying the “Jesus prayer” or another short prayer whenever you have a moment—especially when you’re worried or stressed—such as “Jesus, I trust in You” or “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
- If you come across a church with an adoration chapel while commuting or running errands, stop in for 5 minutes to be with Jesus in the Eucharist.
Easy ways to pray traditional prayers
If you haven’t already incorporated some of the Church’s beautiful prayers and devotions into your prayer practice and are wondering how to get started, these tips are for you.
- Start by praying a single decade of the Rosary. [link to Rosary blog post]
- When you have time for a whole Rosary, pray along with CatholicTV.
- Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
- If you don’t have time for a whole Chaplet [link to Chaplet blog post], take a moment to pray, “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”
- Pray one of the Stations of the Cross per day.
- Or, pray all the Stations of the Cross with CatholicTV.
- Pray the daily Mass on CatholicTV when you’re not able to attend your local parish in person.
- Choose a short prayer to pray every day, such as the Memorare or the St. Michael Prayer.
- Pick a saint that you want to learn more about and adopt a prayer written by that saint, such as St. Patrick’s Breastplate, the Prayer of St. Bonaventure, or the Saint Thérèse Rose Prayer.
Building a prayer habit is a process that requires patience and perseverance. Don’t get discouraged if you forget or miss a day, and don’t give up! God understands our struggles and is always ready to help us when we ask. As you grow in prayer, you’ll find that this sets a strong foundation that nurtures your relationship with God and encourages you to pray even more.
Do you know others who struggle to pray or want to pray more this Lent? Please share this article with them!
