Call to Prayer

"Moral principles do not depend on a majority vote. Wrong is wrong, even if everybody is wrong. Right is right, even if nobody is right." Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

In six video sessions, Lectio: Prayer: Finding Intimacy with God captures the secret to opening our hearts and minds to Scripture as the means to hear from God and then respond in conversation, basking in his presence and resolving to live in and through his love.

"Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you. For every one that asketh, receiveth: and he that seeketh, findeth: and to him that knocket, it shall be opened. Or what man is there among you, of whom if his son shall ask bread, will he reach him a stone? Or if he shall ask him a fish, will he reach him a serpent? If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: how much more will your Father who is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him?" Matthew 7:7-11)

The bishops have urged an intensification of penance and prayer for religious freedom in our country.

"Everything really does flow from prayer; greater peace, greater clarity, greater knowledge, greater love, greater joy." Bishop Joseph E. Strickland

Where does prayer come from? Whether prayer is expressed in words or gestures, it is the whole person who prays. But in naming the source of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most often of the heart (more than a thousand times). According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain.

The heart is the dwelling-place where I am, where I live, according to the Semitic or Biblical expression, the heart is the place "to which I withdraw." The heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation: it is the place of covenant. CCC 2562- 2563

Prayer is how you begin a conversation with God. We live in a world of distractions, from noise,
from the many stresses involved in everyday life. Listening to God requires a deliberate choice to
set aside time each day to spend in prayer, to shut out all the noise, the chaos, around you and
focus solely on your conversation with God.

These prayers have nurtured the faithful for generations, yet they still speak to us.  Some of these prayers you may wish to learn "by heart" so that they become part of your daily living.  Other prayers may be less familiar.  These open for new generations the treasures of the Church's rich tradition of prayer.

Essential Prayers

• Sign of the Cross
• Our Father
• Glory Be/Doxology
• Hail Mary
• Angel of God/Prayer to One's Guardian Angel
• Nicene Creed
• Apostles' Creed

Other Prayers

• Act of Contrition
• Angelus
• Anima Christi
• Divine Praises
• Hail, Holy Queen (The Salve Regina)
• Memorare
• Magnificat
• Morning Offering
• Psalm 23
• The Jesus Prayer
• Prayer at Night
• Prayer for Protection of Religious Liberty
• Prayer for the Resurgence of Christianity in the United States
• The Rosary
• The Chaplet of Devine Mercy

Novenas: A novena is made up of nine days of prayer and meditation usually to ask God for special prayer requests or petitions. Novenas are an ancient tradition that goes back to the days of the Apostles. Various apps for novenas are available for cell phones, for example, go to the “Google Play Store” and type in the word “Novenas”, several options for apps will be listed - a popular one is the “Pray Catholic Novena Prayers” app. Download the selected app to your phone and enjoy access to numerous novenas throughout the year.