Ways to Improve your prayer life

#1 BE YOURSELF

God created you‐the you that you are today, not yesterday or tomorrow‐to be a praying

person. You were created to dialogue with God. He welcomes your conversation.

#2 BE DISCIPLINED

must be done over and over again.

Prayer takes practice!! You must be faithful to prayer. Anything that is accomplished

#3 LEARN TO MEDITATE

No one can progress in the spiritual life without learning to meditate. In meditation you

are merely thinking about God. Meditation is supposed to move the heart to God.

#4 GET A BOOK

If progress in the spiritual life means learning to meditate, and meditation is the placing

of thoughts before the mind in order to raise the heart to God, then we are going to need some

help! Read Scripture, a good spiritual book, or an inspiring novel with a good message.

#5 IF IT WORKS, DO IT!

If you find that it works, do it. Listening to good music, walking in nature, sitting in a

chair with a candle lit – whatever brings you to the presence of God, do it. If you pray better in

the morning or in the evening ‐ make that your time for prayer.

#6 MAKE YOUR PRAYER FRUITFUL THROUGH MORAL LIVING

The spiritual and moral lives are one. One who prays will not gossip… One who prays

will not lie and cheat… One who prays will not destroy their neighbor’s reputation. Prayer

makes your life fruitful.

#7 DON’T JUDGE PRAYER BY FEELINGS

The single goal of prayer is to bring us in closer union with God. In prayer, we are

seeking God – not a feeling. Often times prayer will give us a good feeling – a feeling of peace.

But we cannot rely on that feeling – for that will become our reward. There is only one

criterion for evaluation of prayer: How we live our life.

#8 DON’T PLOT YOUR PRAYER’S PROGRESS

In today’s world, we like to measure our success by how we improve and progress each

year according to society’s standards. Prayer doesn’t have a tape measure type of evaluation.

The evaluation of a prayer experience never lies within the experience itself. It lies in the kind,

caring, and compassionate life that comes from that prayer.

#9 PRAYER IS ALSO THE WORK OF THE CHURCH

Prayer is more than just our solitary search for God. It is also communal prayer, such as

the Liturgy (mass), the Liturgy of the Hours, Word and Communion services, and other prayer

services. God is present when the Church gathers for communal prayer.

#10 SOMETIMES, JUST SIT

Take some moments each and every day to just sit in God’s presence. Let God work

through you. Listen to God in the quiet of your soul.

Remember that prayer takes all shapes and forms. It takes place in the ordinary moments of

our lives: the prayer of a mother nursing her sick child; a husband praying for the recovery of

his ailing wife; the farmer praying as he goes up and down the fields that he is plowing; the

person that just sits in the presence of God.

PRAYER CAN TAKE PLACE ANYWHERE AT ANY TIME!