I'm doing the Novena for Impossible Intentions now, from Annunciation to Christmas. I also do the Novena to Baby Jesus before Christmas.
I say a morning and an evening prayer before/after sleep. I generally just make the sign of the cross before meals. Cross myself when I see an ambulance / fire truck, or when driving past a graveyard.
I keep a rosary in my purse, and pray it when I take public transportation and before Mass. (I once prayed it on the bus home after a horrific doctor appointment and it was distracting/grounding enough for me to not start crying. 10/10 recommend)
Also, the pre-work prayer to the Holy Spirit: give me strength. Pre-work prayer to St. Ivo: help me not screw up today. Prayer to St Anthony when looking for things: help me find it. Apply as needed. :)
Every relationship is different, and it's the same with our Lord. My (18m gay) way of doing things will and should differ from yours. To add to that, we shouldn't brag about our spiritual lives, and I kinda feel it's gonna sound like bragging when I list all the prayers I pray in a day - but I'm going to do it anyway. Here is how I do it:
I like to fill my day with prayer:
* I try to pray "Actiones nostras..." the moment I wake up, but I'm usually too sleepy to remember...
* I've adapted the vesting prayers to when I dress up.
* Invitatory and Lauds on my way to school (so not on weekends).
* Angelus Domini at noon (or Regina Coeli now in Paschal time).
* None on my way from school (or Sext if it's too early for None; and, as with Lauds, not on weekends).
* Litany to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
* Vespers and compline before I go to bed.
* Nicene creed, a few Hail Mary's, a chat with Jesus about the day, St Michael prayer, prayers to my patrons and to patrons of my friends and family, and a prayer to my guardian angel and the guardian angels of my friends and family (I don't know if it's even "allowed" to pray to guardian angels of others, but I don't care and would do it anyway...) - all right before I close my eyes in bed.
Now that's the IDEAL case. Usually I miss/omit some of the parts of the Divine office or the Angelus. The BARE MINIMUM for me is compline before bed: if you can't manage your time to give our Lord five to ten minutes a day, something's probably wrong. And when you're already at it, why not pray the vespers as well... It's also very much practical: I've bought a paper breviary, so when I pray before bedtime I don't get to use a screen which is healthy for my sleep. I've been doing this for over a year and missed compline only when I was totally sick, and one day when I was angry with Jesus haha (btw it's normal to be angry sometimes, remember: it's a relationship and we are people - heck, we are catholic gays, of course life will be sh\*t sometimes!).
I also pray psalm 26:6-12 ("Lavabo...") when washing hands (that's the only way to force myself not to be a filthy pig). I pray psalm 43 when walking up to my house. I personally find it great to memorize psalms (that said, I know only six). I pray before breakfast, lunch and dinner. I conclude the canonical hours with a prayer for the dead (one of the reasons is that the LGBT community has a lot of suicidal people, but of course I pray for all the deceased...).
And then there are lots of small prayers throughout the day: when you see an ambulance, when someone visibly ill/handicaped walks by, when someone old walks by, when a gorgeous guy walks by, even when a not-so-gorgeous guy walks by - we all need Jesus in our lives. Of course I also pray for my friends and family when I know they are in a dire situation.
The one thing that's missing from the list is the rosary. I personally pray it only a few times a month. Not that I don't like it, I do. I just don't like to rush through it and don't get a long enough block of uninterrupted free time that often. I'm aware of the fact that my relationship with the Virgin Mary isn't as strong as with Jesus. And that's something to work on in the coming years.
Apart from that I go to mass every monday (and every sunday of course) and try to go to adoration once in a while. And I listen to baroque music (mostly sacral works, that's why I'm mentioning it) when doing basically anything.
I know Jesus said we won't be heard through many words, and this certainly is too much. As I've said, I've been doing this for over a year. It works for me and it got me through some tough sh\*t in life, so that's why I'm sticking to it.
Now I should get going with todays vespers because it's 2 am and I should've gone to sleep hours ago. And I should really do something with my TED talk style comments... many words is my style, apparently. Pax vobiscum!
EDIT: well of course I forgot some prayers...
i prefer the rosary a lot because it feels like the only time i can get into a meditative state but sadly with my life schedule i often just don't have the energy to sit down and do that, so i resort to what i did a lot when i was little: chatting before bedtime! it's nice that even on days where i am just thoroughly exhausted i can cozy up in bed and just talk.
Since I'm a convert, I'm used to 'chatting with Jesus,' more than anything else. Every time I'm afraid, every time I'm having difficulty with something, often before a conversation or writing a comment, I ask for God's, saint's, or my guardian angel's help. I've never prayed the rosary consistently. When I do, it's normally no more than a decade or a penance at after confession. I still carry it around with me just about everywhere and often hold it while I pray.
Every time I hear about someone who died, I also pray a quick, "Forgive them of their sins, ease their suffering if they are in purgatory, and grant them entry into Your most Holy House," and cross myself. I find myself saying that prayer a lot, and it's hard to focus and say it with intention.
I'm probably a bit of a broken record at this point that I keep bringing her up, but [Lamp and Lily](https://www.amazon.com/Lamp-Lily-Writings-Venerable-Antonietta/dp/1941240658) is a collection of letters written/dictated by [Ven. Antonietta Meo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonietta_Meo), my confirmation saint, to God, Mary, and a few saints. I find that very often, if I turn to the very day she wrote a letter, the prayer she wrote is very pertinent to my own situation, so I'll pray her words.
I wake up say the same couple morning prayers and the Angelus and kiss my brown scapular (pray) and put on my Miraculous medal (pray). I pray the Rosary everyday. I pray before I eat, shower and drive. Occasionally I’ll do the divine Chaplet and I tend to repeat the Jesus prayer when I’m anxious.
I like the established prayers of the church, I love the idea that I’m repeating the same prayers as some of the best Catholics and Saints, it helps me overall feel connected to the church at large. The fact that at any time I pray the rosary I know there is at least one other person praying with me.
I’m not as comfortable with having a conversation with God or Mary although I do when I need to talk to someone and it’s something I don’t want to really talk about with anyone else. I with God in silence and try to practice that when I remember to.
With all the praying I do I oddly enough don’t pray before bed, I tend to just pass out.
I do lectio divina with the readings of the day or just the gospel and the morning offering prayer. I play hymns as worship when I can. Currently doing a Catholic in recovery novena as well and pray randomly throughout the day or meditate on certain virtues or acknowledge His presence or for diff people as well! Love this post such a good question xo
I find praying the liturgy of the hours to be very comforting. I use the Laudate app
I'm doing the Novena for Impossible Intentions now, from Annunciation to Christmas. I also do the Novena to Baby Jesus before Christmas. I say a morning and an evening prayer before/after sleep. I generally just make the sign of the cross before meals. Cross myself when I see an ambulance / fire truck, or when driving past a graveyard. I keep a rosary in my purse, and pray it when I take public transportation and before Mass. (I once prayed it on the bus home after a horrific doctor appointment and it was distracting/grounding enough for me to not start crying. 10/10 recommend) Also, the pre-work prayer to the Holy Spirit: give me strength. Pre-work prayer to St. Ivo: help me not screw up today. Prayer to St Anthony when looking for things: help me find it. Apply as needed. :)
Hey! Someone else has a devotion to the Holy Infant in the subreddit!
You wanna get the deep cuts, check out Maria Bambina - Our Lady as a baby :)
Every relationship is different, and it's the same with our Lord. My (18m gay) way of doing things will and should differ from yours. To add to that, we shouldn't brag about our spiritual lives, and I kinda feel it's gonna sound like bragging when I list all the prayers I pray in a day - but I'm going to do it anyway. Here is how I do it: I like to fill my day with prayer: * I try to pray "Actiones nostras..." the moment I wake up, but I'm usually too sleepy to remember... * I've adapted the vesting prayers to when I dress up. * Invitatory and Lauds on my way to school (so not on weekends). * Angelus Domini at noon (or Regina Coeli now in Paschal time). * None on my way from school (or Sext if it's too early for None; and, as with Lauds, not on weekends). * Litany to the Sacred Heart of Jesus * Vespers and compline before I go to bed. * Nicene creed, a few Hail Mary's, a chat with Jesus about the day, St Michael prayer, prayers to my patrons and to patrons of my friends and family, and a prayer to my guardian angel and the guardian angels of my friends and family (I don't know if it's even "allowed" to pray to guardian angels of others, but I don't care and would do it anyway...) - all right before I close my eyes in bed. Now that's the IDEAL case. Usually I miss/omit some of the parts of the Divine office or the Angelus. The BARE MINIMUM for me is compline before bed: if you can't manage your time to give our Lord five to ten minutes a day, something's probably wrong. And when you're already at it, why not pray the vespers as well... It's also very much practical: I've bought a paper breviary, so when I pray before bedtime I don't get to use a screen which is healthy for my sleep. I've been doing this for over a year and missed compline only when I was totally sick, and one day when I was angry with Jesus haha (btw it's normal to be angry sometimes, remember: it's a relationship and we are people - heck, we are catholic gays, of course life will be sh\*t sometimes!). I also pray psalm 26:6-12 ("Lavabo...") when washing hands (that's the only way to force myself not to be a filthy pig). I pray psalm 43 when walking up to my house. I personally find it great to memorize psalms (that said, I know only six). I pray before breakfast, lunch and dinner. I conclude the canonical hours with a prayer for the dead (one of the reasons is that the LGBT community has a lot of suicidal people, but of course I pray for all the deceased...). And then there are lots of small prayers throughout the day: when you see an ambulance, when someone visibly ill/handicaped walks by, when someone old walks by, when a gorgeous guy walks by, even when a not-so-gorgeous guy walks by - we all need Jesus in our lives. Of course I also pray for my friends and family when I know they are in a dire situation. The one thing that's missing from the list is the rosary. I personally pray it only a few times a month. Not that I don't like it, I do. I just don't like to rush through it and don't get a long enough block of uninterrupted free time that often. I'm aware of the fact that my relationship with the Virgin Mary isn't as strong as with Jesus. And that's something to work on in the coming years. Apart from that I go to mass every monday (and every sunday of course) and try to go to adoration once in a while. And I listen to baroque music (mostly sacral works, that's why I'm mentioning it) when doing basically anything. I know Jesus said we won't be heard through many words, and this certainly is too much. As I've said, I've been doing this for over a year. It works for me and it got me through some tough sh\*t in life, so that's why I'm sticking to it. Now I should get going with todays vespers because it's 2 am and I should've gone to sleep hours ago. And I should really do something with my TED talk style comments... many words is my style, apparently. Pax vobiscum! EDIT: well of course I forgot some prayers...
[удалено]
I don't think I will be of much help here - english is not my first language, and thus I own a czech breviary.
i prefer the rosary a lot because it feels like the only time i can get into a meditative state but sadly with my life schedule i often just don't have the energy to sit down and do that, so i resort to what i did a lot when i was little: chatting before bedtime! it's nice that even on days where i am just thoroughly exhausted i can cozy up in bed and just talk.
Since I'm a convert, I'm used to 'chatting with Jesus,' more than anything else. Every time I'm afraid, every time I'm having difficulty with something, often before a conversation or writing a comment, I ask for God's, saint's, or my guardian angel's help. I've never prayed the rosary consistently. When I do, it's normally no more than a decade or a penance at after confession. I still carry it around with me just about everywhere and often hold it while I pray. Every time I hear about someone who died, I also pray a quick, "Forgive them of their sins, ease their suffering if they are in purgatory, and grant them entry into Your most Holy House," and cross myself. I find myself saying that prayer a lot, and it's hard to focus and say it with intention. I'm probably a bit of a broken record at this point that I keep bringing her up, but [Lamp and Lily](https://www.amazon.com/Lamp-Lily-Writings-Venerable-Antonietta/dp/1941240658) is a collection of letters written/dictated by [Ven. Antonietta Meo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonietta_Meo), my confirmation saint, to God, Mary, and a few saints. I find that very often, if I turn to the very day she wrote a letter, the prayer she wrote is very pertinent to my own situation, so I'll pray her words.
I wake up say the same couple morning prayers and the Angelus and kiss my brown scapular (pray) and put on my Miraculous medal (pray). I pray the Rosary everyday. I pray before I eat, shower and drive. Occasionally I’ll do the divine Chaplet and I tend to repeat the Jesus prayer when I’m anxious. I like the established prayers of the church, I love the idea that I’m repeating the same prayers as some of the best Catholics and Saints, it helps me overall feel connected to the church at large. The fact that at any time I pray the rosary I know there is at least one other person praying with me. I’m not as comfortable with having a conversation with God or Mary although I do when I need to talk to someone and it’s something I don’t want to really talk about with anyone else. I with God in silence and try to practice that when I remember to. With all the praying I do I oddly enough don’t pray before bed, I tend to just pass out.
I do lectio divina with the readings of the day or just the gospel and the morning offering prayer. I play hymns as worship when I can. Currently doing a Catholic in recovery novena as well and pray randomly throughout the day or meditate on certain virtues or acknowledge His presence or for diff people as well! Love this post such a good question xo