February 28, 2025
My dear Kirkland Catholics,
Lent is almost here, and as I mentioned in my homily at Saint John Vianney February 15/16; if designated prayer time is not part of your daily routine, my challenge is to make this your Lenten resolution one way or another. I said in that homily that one can be a disciple and have a poor daily prayer life as long as one gets to Mass each Sunday, but our discipleship cannot be fruitful for other people if we do not have a disciplined daily prayer life. That is because evangelization is about sharing a relationship (with God) and not simply sharing ideas – the vibrant relationship with Jesus nourished in that daily prayer can be shared and thus be fruitful for others.
It takes about 40 days to establish a new habit, thus Lenten resolutions make a lot of good sense. Regarding prayer, for the vast majority of us prayer doesn’t happen consistently until we find a consistent time to pray. For most people, that means getting up earlier than we might prefer and beginning prayer as soon as we are caffeinated and before heading to work or out for your first daily responsibilities. If you have a very regular schedule where you always leave work at the same time, it is possible to stop at adoration always on the way home; but if you do not have a very regular work schedule this probably won’t work. If you remain very alert at the end of the day, it might be possible to pray before bed, but most people are too tired for this be effective.
A simple book you might try is “Prayer Everywhere: The Spiritual Life Made Simple” by Fr. Gary Caster. There are dozens of great books on Catholic prayer. I recommend praying the daily readings, or one chapter of the Gospels and one psalm per day. Work in part of the rosary, and contemplation each day. If you are currently praying only a minute or two a day in prayer on average, aim for 10 minutes this Lent. Finally, ask the Lord to give you the desire to spend more alone time with Him. May we all grow in deeper relationship with the Lord this Lent!
With love in Christ,
Fr. Brad