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Practical Habits for a Life of Prayer Set sacred appointments: The prophet Daniel, even when prayer carried a sentence of death, knelt before the Lord three times daily (6:10). We, who live in the shadow of the cross and glory of the Resurrection, can do no less. Morning consecration, midday silence, and evening examination can structure the soul the same way monks structured their lives with bells in a monastery. Drink from the wells of Sacred Tradition: The Church has given us an amazing tre …

God loves you as you are, but too much to leave you that way. Divine love does not leave the sinner undisturbed; it compels him to die, to rise, and to walk in “newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). And true healing, the kind of healing that lasts and sanctifies, must be deeply doctrinal, sacramental, and moral. In other words, it must convert the intellect; it must flow from the life of the Church; and it must change the very rhythm and cadence of how we live and love. Anything less is spir …

St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) devised a way of examining our soul that moved away from looking only at the sinful thoughts, words, and deeds of our day. Ignatius’s introspection begins not with sins but with gratitude and the cataloging of daily blessings.This manner of praying later came to be called an Examination of Consciousness, to distinguish it from what was done before the sacrament of reconciliation. A different contour arises in our souls when we look primarily at the …

Lectio Divina Lectio (Latin for “reading”) is an ancient way of letting God’s words speak to you as personally and as uniquely as possible. Normally, this practice takes a scene from the scriptures and allows them to serve as an opportunity to see our own life’s journey as an extension of God’s activity in history. Try it in these steps:  Select a brief passage that draws you; perhaps this could be the Gospel reading for the Mass that day.  Con …

Faith, in the Christian tradition, is a theological virtue that comes from God as a gift. So any baptized person has received this gift of faith. The gift of faith is a habit that is still present in us even when we are not using it. If I have the habit of playing the piano, I remain a piano player even when sleeping or swimming. So the gift of Christian faith remains in a person whether or not a person is at the moment using this gift or even sensing this gift.  Indeed, Christian faith is …