Lent has begun! I think we are all ready for Lent this year, each in our own way. Lent is a time for us to increase in prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. During the forty day period of Lent, we detach from the world and focus on getting closer to God in our lives.
I just read a great spiritual book provided by my parish that emphasizes the importance of prayer. The goal of the book, I Heard God Laugh, by Matthew Kelly, is to get us to take time out and pray to God from the heart for ten minutes a day.
If we take time to pray to God from the heart each day, it should forever change the course of our lives. God has a way of helping us with that.
Call to me, and I will answer you; I will tell you great things beyond the reach of your knowledge. Jeremiah 33:3
Lenten Prayer Challenge
St. Paul the Apostle says we should pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17). With that in mind, I would like to ask you to please consider taking this Lenten Prayer Challenge as a way of helping to strengthen our spirit and give glory to God throughout the day.
Here is how the Lenten Prayer Challenge works:
- Pick three (3) Catholic prayers.
- Memorize the prayers by Good Friday.
- Pray the prayers every day.
I would like to please share with you three prayers I memorized that have simply become part of my life. These saints are my spiritual allies in Christ, and their prayer devotions are my armor in what has often been rigorous spiritual warfare.
Prayer #1: A prayer to be healed and protected in Christ.
…Many people followed Him, and He healed them all. Matthew 12:15
Type: a spiritual warfare prayer for healing and protection.
The Anima Christi by St. Ignatius of Loyola
“Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O Good Jesus, hear me.
Within thy wounds hide me.
Permit me not to be separated from thee.
From the wicked foe, defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me
and bid me come to thee
That with all thy saints I may praise thee
For ever and ever.
Amen.
Prayer #2: A prayer to be formed in Christ.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me… Matthew 11:29
Type: a devotional prayer to God the Father for His gifts of grace to be poured down on us from heaven, and for the Holy Spirit to be working in us.
A Prayer for Seekers of Faith by St. Benedict
“Gracious and Holy Father,
give us the wisdom to discover You,
the intelligence to understand You,
the diligence to seek after You,
the patience to wait for You,
eyes to behold You,
a heart to meditate upon You,
and a life to proclaim You,
through the power of the Spirit of Jesus, our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer #3: A prayer for the peace of Christ to be with us.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you… John 14:27
Type: a traditional Catholic prayer for peace.
Peace Prayer of St. Francis
“Lord Jesus, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, forgiveness;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in forgiving that we are forgiven,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
RECAP
We’ve been healed in Christ with the help of St. Ignatius and his mystical prayer.
We’ve been formed in Christ under the Rule of St. Benedict and his humble heart.
We’ve been called by Christ to go out and be instruments of peace glorifying the Lord by our lives with the courage and compassion of St. Francis.
Above all, we now have three beloved Catholic saints praying for us before the Father in heaven for the rest of our lives. May God’s grace, peace, and love be with us this Lent, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary intercede for us from heaven.
