Summary
In this talk Katie shares her personal prayer resources that help her get through when she gets stuck in a “prayer rut”. She emphasizes how important keeping our prayer life constant and intact as it is the one true thing that will keep us closer to heaven and the Lord.
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Printable Study Guide PDF
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Reflective Study Guide Questions
“For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.”
Teresa of Ávila
- Prayer gives birth to healing and transformation. Is there something within you that you wish would change? Have you talked to God about it? And do you bring it to prayer continually, trusting in God’s plan?
Prayer Resources
- Liturgy of the Hours
- Laudate App
- Thirsting for Prayer by Father Jacques Philippe
- What Every Couple Should Know About Marriage and Prayer by Ven. Archbishop Fulson Sheen
- Pray More Novenas
- Scripture: Psalms, Gospels, Paul’s Letters
- EWTN App
- Head and Heart: Becoming Spiritual Leaders For Your Family by Katie Warner
Text: Amp Up Your Prayer Life With These Resources
One of my favorite writers on the spiritual life, Fr. Jacques Philippe, wrote, “What the world most needs today is prayer. It is prayer that will give birth to all the renewals, healings, deep and fruitful transformations we all want for society today. This world of ours is very sick and only contact with Heaven will be able to cure it”.
Isn’t that so true? Look at our culture today and how desperately we need to pour love and truth into our hurting world. We simply can’t do that without prayer. Also, any great transformation that we wish to see in ourselves thrives on the commitment and strength of our prayers.
Sometimes, though, our prayer lives just need a kickstart or a boost to keep moving forward: what to pray, how to pray, when to pray, being faithful to prayer when distractions and busy schedules get in the way, persevering in prayer when your spiritual life seems dry. All of these obstacles to prayer can sometimes leave me in a bit of a prayer “rut”.
That’s when I turn to some outside help to give my prayer life the energy it needs to keep going. Of course, the best outside help is God Himself who longs to draw closer to us and deepen His relationship with us through prayer. Asking God to give you the grace to move forward in your prayer life is a prayer that He, no doubt, loves to hear and answer. So, first do that. Pray that you might become a better “pray-er”.
The Liturgy of the Hours
Now, here are a few other resources that I use to motivate me in prayer: First, the Liturgy of the Hours. I feel like the Liturgy of the Hours is one of the most underutilized prayer gems by lay people in the Church today. The “Laudate” app is usually my preferred tool of choice for praying the Liturgy of the Hours in spare moments that I can grab throughout the day. And it is such a helpful guide to calm me and connect me to God, the source of all peace and transformation, through beautiful prayers that countless others throughout the world are praying that day too.
Thirsting for Prayer
Second, “Thirsting for Prayer” by Fr. Jacques Philippe. I just came upon this glorious little book not too long ago, and have started reading it more thoroughly, but I have loved so much of Fr. Philippe’s other writings on the spiritual life too! My favorite is “Searching for and Maintaining Peace”. And what he has written so far in this treatise on prayer is absolutely, no doubt, going to make it one of my favorite resources on prayer.
What Every Couple Should Know About Marriage and Prayer
Third, “What Every Couple Should Know About Marriage and Prayer” by Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen. This great CD and mp3 download continuously reminds me of the treasure that prayer is to my marriage. It’s also by one of my favorite saints and I pretty much hang on every word he says.
Pray More Novenas
Fourth, Pray More Novenas. Chances are you already know about this great ministry that delivers novena prayers straight to your email inbox. It’s easy, it’s free and most importantly, novenas are such a fantastic practice in enhancing your prayer life by capitalizing on the beautiful devotions and saintly intercessors that can help us grow in our spiritual lives. Keep praying more novenas!
Scripture
Fifth, scripture. The psalms, the gospels, Paul’s letters, you name it! It’s hard to get past a few verses when reading the Bible without finding something so rich to stop and meditate on. Yet, we often completely forget to make the bible a part of our regular prayer routine. I like to have the EWTN app on my phone to use the Bible feature when I’m on the go or not near my printed Bible.
Head and Heart
Finally, chapter 4 in my book “Head and Heart” on prioritizing prayer. The couples I interviewed whose stories, tips and brutal honesty about their prayer lives made it into chapter 4 of this book (including John-Paul and Annie from PrayMoreNovenas.com) continue to inspire me when I need it most and I often refer to the other reflections and resources in that chapter to get me back on track when I start to lose focus in prayer. You can find a link to my book on my website catholickatie.com where I also have a free Catholic resource guide available with tons of additional other prayer resources and other Catholic resources as well.
St. Teresa of Avila said, “How often I failed in my duty to God because I was not leaning on the strong pillar of prayer”. If you are looking for some solid resources to learn more about prayer, the importance of prayer or some tools to help you pray more easily throughout the day, hopefully this list will help you learn more fully or lean more fully on that strong pillar of prayer.
About Katie (Peterson) Warner
Katie (Peterson) Warner of CatholicKatie.com is a wife, stay-at-home mom, author and speaker who helps family men and women learn the practical strategies and resources they need to take small steps toward becoming leaders at living more spiritual and meaningful lives, together with their families. Katie is the author of Head & Heart: Becoming Spiritual Leaders for Your Family (Emmaus Road Publishing), a correspondent for the National Catholic Register, and a contributing writer for the IntegratedCatholicLife.org. She has presented in venues like the National Catholic Bible Conference, the Catholic Family Conference, numerous Legatus chapters, the Eucharistic Congress of Atlanta, the Augustine Institute’s acclaimed Symbolon and Opening the Word programs, and on EWTN radio and EWTN television. Katie is the part-time Manager of Communication and Evangelization for Catholics Come Home. Katie and her husband, Raymond, have two children, and her favorite ministry work is family life. You connect with Katie on Facebook, Twitter, and through her website at CatholicKatie.com.
