■ EpicPew ■ After months of doing the same thing, day in and day out, most of us tend to get a little bored with the routine. This can be especially true when it comes to our prayer life. Being in “summer vacation mode” can make it easier for us to become more negligent when it comes to our prayer life. It’s just so easy to relax our daily prayer routine and say, “Oh, I’ll just do it tomorrow” or “Oh, it won’t hurt if I just don’t it today.” However, if we let this go on for too long, it can become a bad habit to break. It’ll be harder for us to get back into our prayer routine, or even have one in the first place!
So, what can we do to breathe new life into our prayer life? Why not try adding different prayers, ones that were traditionally prayed on specific days of the week, during our vacation time?
Here is a day-by-day list of traditional daily devotions and prayer suggestions you can try while the living is easy.
Sunday: The Resurrection and the Holy Trinity.
Of course, you can always attend Mass. However, if you want to try something new, why not pray the Angel of Peace/Angel at Fatima prayer in honor of the Holy Trinity? Don’t know it? It goes like this:
“My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You! I beg for those who do not believe, nor adore, nor hope, nor love You. Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, I adore You profoundly. I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He is offended. And, through the infinite merits of Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of sinners.”
Monday: The Holy Ghost and the Souls in Purgatory.
Praying the prayer of St. Gertrude for the Souls in Purgatory is a good way to honor this day. You can also try Pope St. Pius X’s Prayer for Union with the Holy Spirit.
“O Holy Spirit of Light and Love, to You I consecrate my heart, mind, and will for time and eternity. May I be ever docile to Your Divine inspirations and to the teachings of the holy Catholic Church whose infallible guide You are. May my heart be ever inflamed with the love of God and love of neighbor. May my will be ever in harmony with Your Divine Will. May my life faithfully imitate the life and virtues of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him, with the Father, and You, Divine Spirit, be honor and glory forever. Amen.”
Tuesday: The Holy Angels and the Holy Face.
You can’t go wrong praying the St. Michael Archangel Prayer or the Chaplet of St. Michael. If you want to try something new, you can also look into the devotion to the Holy Face (St. Therese of Lisieux was a devotee and it was even part of her religious name; “St. Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face.” Try praying the full Litany of the Holy Face.
Wednesday: St. Joseph
On this day you can pray the Litany of St. Joseph, especially if you’ve never done it. It’s beautiful. If you’re anything like me and feel crunched for time on Wednesdays, you can also try St. Andre Bessette’s quick prayer to St. Joseph.
“O Good St. Joseph, grant me what you yourself would ask if you were in my place on earth (insert petition). Good St. Joseph of Mount Royal, be my help, harken to my prayer.”
Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament
If you can find a perpetual adoration chapel or, really, any parish, pull a Venerable Fulton Sheen and do a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Want to step it up a notch? Try attending daily Mass and receiving the Eucharist. Can’t do Mass or a Holy Hour? Try the Litany of the Blessed Sacrament wherever you are.
Friday: Christ’s Passion and His Sacred Heart
You’re so close to the weekend but perhaps you can’t get to confession quite yet because it’s not offered until Saturday at your parish. Don’t sweat it! You can do an act of penance, even if it’s not Lent. Want to do something more? Pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy (and give yourself bonus points if you can do it at 3 p.m.) or the Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.
Saturday: The Blessed Virgin and her Immaculate Heart
You can’t go wrong with giving our Heavenly Mother a call and spending time with her while praying the Rosary. In fact, many saints like St. Pio of Pietrelcina have called it our greatest weapon against evil. Do you already pray the Rosary regularly? Try praying the Angelus at 6 a.m., noon, and/or 6 p.m. or the Litany of Loreto. Trust me, your lives will never be the same.
You can try one of these new practices one day of the week for your entire summer. You can also choose a different devotion to do on a different day of the week, every week for the rest of your break. If one of these sticks, keep it up until you get back into your normal routine and/or incorporate it into your prayer routine. The trick is to not let sloth win. Good luck!