I can never become a saint, I sin too much, and Aren’t
Saints Super-Humans who never sin? Look, I live a normal life, I can’t pray
like the monks, priests, or nuns do, it is simply too hard.
All of the above statements I have uttered to myself and
others in one form or another however, they are ALL false. EVERYONE IS CALLED
TO SAINTHOOD, but you don’t need to be a martyr or Mother Teresa or the Pope to
do it. I am an average teen but I have learned to pray well and so I love to
pray. I have all the distractions and obstacles of a normal college student, so
how is it that I can pray well? The answer is simple practice and practicality;
these are the Hallmarks of a great prayer life.
Practice, Practice, Practice! Every Coach in the world
drills their team to perfection, until they can do their drills without
thinking. Prayer is the same way, if you keep praying and keep practicing you
get to a point where you can slip into prayer whenever you find the time or
need. THIS TAKES A LOT OF TIME AND A LOT OF UNCOMFORTABLE OR ROUGH PRAYER!!!!
If you don’t have trouble telling the Almighty Creator of everything your
trivial troubles, and they do seem trivial compared to God, you most likely are
either crazy or maybe you just don’t truly understand God’s power and glory. So
the goal is to keep at it.
Practicality is also a huge part of praying in the modern
world, I DO NOT have time to go to a cathedral every day and spend 2
hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament surrounded by an array of holy statues,
icons, and frescos. I’d like to note that I would love that opportunity, however,
instead I have a humble “prayer corner” in my room for daily devotions. I pull
out a candle, a statue of St. Michael, an Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help,
and a small bottle of holy water. I put all of this on a little cardboard box,
sit on the floor and spend 5-10 minutes in prayer. A prayer corner can be
really simple, It could be your favorite chair and all you do is put a cross
there when you praying or place a candle there and light it. THE WHERE IS NOT
ALWAYS AS IMPORTANT IN PRAYER AS THE PRAYER ITSELF.
I am going to propose that as your “first step” in praying
like a Saint you find a prayer corner, find a way to make it special for when
you’re praying, and say a rosary. Now, don’t say just any rosary say it for a
deepening of your prayer life and REALLY pay attention to the words and focus
on your prayers. The familiar rhythm of a rosary is perfect for people who have
trouble silencing their inner voice as they pray. Focus on only one thing, the
words your speaking, think and reflect on them as you speak. Try not to let
your mind wander but if you do then just re-focus and continue. Try and say a
whole rosary every day in this fashion. If a whole rosary is too much then just
say a single decade a day and then try and find time at least once a week to
say a whole 5 decades. A rosary can be said almost anywhere in less than 20
minutes, a single decade takes but 5 minutes, I give my Dog and even people I don’t
like more attention than that a day.
for the greater glory of God,
Joseph Child of Mary
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