Time for Prayer in a Busy Life

Composed by: Sr. Catalina Rosa

I set aside time strictly for prayer by (1) leaving a buffer of time between my departure from work and my ministerial/volunteering/social endeavor of the evening for silent prayer on weekdays and (2) making myself arrive early or stay late after Mass for silent prayer on both weekdays and weekends. I also offer my day each morning to God, and I thank Him before I fall asleep for the blessings of the day. Even if I had a "bad" day, making myself thank God for my blessings helps me "get over myself" and realize that, yes, I do have blessings, and, yes, they come from a loving God. In the spirit of the words of the morning offering--"O my God, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You..."--I've recently started to take seriously the need to have a friendship with God, and with the Blessed Virgin, too! So, throughout the day, I tell Jesus and Mary what I think and feel--just as I do with my close friends. Also, since I ride public transit, I almost always take each bus or subway ride as an opportunity to listen to beautiful music on my phone via earbuds (the combination of placing earbuds in my ears and playing music shuts out the din that I usually hear while riding public transit) and pray a Rosary, pray the Divine Office, or read a reflection. (Side note: I'm a musician, and so I've also come to learn that offering each day to God includes offering the music I play and hear to Him, and includes using music as a way to talk to Him.) No, this isn't enough! To improve my prayer life further, I can continue to be comfortable with silence, continue to unplug myself from the world (there's a difference between being aware of current events and doing what I can in response to them, versus being consumed with worry about all that's wrong in the world)--and continue to grow in friendship with Jesus and Mary.