HOW TO MAKE A GOOD HOLY HOUR
TIPS FROM FR. MARK
Ever try to pray only to soon find out you don’t know what to do? Ever visit the Adoration Chapel only to leave frustrated because you didn’t know how to pray? Here are a few suggestions as to how to make a good holy hour.
Minutes 0-5: Meditate on the following quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “God calls man first. Man may forget his Creator or hide far from his face; he may run after idols or accuse the deity of having abandoned him; yet the living and true God tirelessly calls each person to that mysterious encounter known as prayer. In prayer, the faithful God’s initiative of love always comes first; our own first step is always a response.” (no. 2567)
Minutes 5-10: Look in your heart, look at your life. What do you want? What do you really want from God? Tell God right now what you need from Him during this time of prayer.
Minutes 10-15: Find a passage from the Bible. Maybe it’s a Psalm; maybe it’s the readings from daily Mass; maybe it’s the readings at the upcoming Sunday Mass. Simply find a passage from Scripture. Read the passage slowly. Get familiar with the text. Read the passage a second time, this time read it even slower. Very, very slowly read the passage a third time. Pay attention to which word, words, or phrases “tug” at your heart or get your attention.
Minutes 15-25: Think about your life; think about the reality of your life. What are the word, words, or phrases from the Bible speakng to in your life? How does the Bible passage connect to your life? Think. Look deep within.
Minutes 25-35: Talk to God. Talk to God as if He were a real person. Talk to God like Moses did: “The Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another.” (Exodus 33:11)
Minutes 35-45: Listen. God will speak to you. Maybe God will speak to you through a thought in your head ... or a song in your heart ... or a memory ... or a feeling in your body. Listen with all your senses.
Minutes 45-50: Return to the Scripture passage again. Read it slowly one more time. Is there any word, words, or phrases that speak to you again?
Minutes 50-55: What can you do today, this week, to act on what God has revealed to you? Practically speaking, in your real life, what can you do?
Minutes 55-60: Thank the Lord. Blessings are specific and so should our gratitude. Tell God specifically what you’re thankful for.
