When most Catholics think of Lent, fasting, meatless Fridays, and preparing for Holy Week are the first things that come to mind, but Lent is also a time for prayer – an opportunity to reconnect with our Lord.
Amidst the daily grind of life, it can be hard to find time for prayer. With soccer practices, ballet recitals, work commitments, and family obligations filling the schedule, it leaves little alone time with God. But as busy as we may be, taking time each day for God is an important part of our spiritual development.
Is prayer really that important?
Yes. How do we go from acquaintances to friends? From first date to wedding date? By getting to know one another through personal interaction and conversation. In the same way, we can only develop our relationship with God by speaking to Him each and every day.
Easier said than done, I know. Making time for prayer often requires a major shift in our daily routines. Carving out time for God can be difficult, but it can be done.
Last Lent, my wife and I wanted to do something different for Lent. For the past couple of years, we had stretched ourselves through more extreme forms of fasting, which was a great spiritual exercise, but this year, we wanted to try something else.
Instead of giving up a particular food or drink, changing a bad habit, or some other form of penance, we decided to give God time each day in prayer. Specifically, we decided to say the rosary daily, just before bed. As simple as this sounds, it turned out to be more difficult than we had first imagined.
Relatively new to Catholicism, this was one of my first experiences with the Rosary. Honestly, I had never prayed an entire rosary before, so this was definitely a learning experience. From a distance, it was overwhelming, but we took the first steps anyway.
As my wife helped me to fumble my way through my first few attempts at the rosary, I started to get better at it. Within a week, it took a lot less time to say the entire rosary, and we had found a regular routine. Unfortunately, in this life, as soon as we settle into a regular routine, something is bound to throw us off track.
Eventually, life happened. A variety of different obligations started to infringe on our time praying together. Our bodies were often not up to the challenge after late nights out with friends and family. It was hard to take time for the rosary when all we really wanted to do was sleep. Still, we refused to give up. We had made this commitment to God, and we were determined to live up to it.
As Lent drew to a close, we were excited that we had made it through this challenge. The next challenge was finding a way to incorporate it into our daily routine. We knew that we may not find time for the rosary each day, but that should not stop us from continuing to communicate with God in other ways.
Since then, we have begun saying grace before each and every meal – something that we did not do regularly before. We began saying a prayer together each night before bed, recounting the day and looking forward to the day ahead. And individually, we found ways to incorporate prayer into our own routines. All of this was thanks to a Lent focused on giving time to God each day in prayer.
With traditional fasting, the effect may be gone as soon as Lent is over; however, the impact of that Lenten season focused on prayer has made a lasting impact on our lives. We have found ways to developer a deeper relationship with God through regular communication with Him, and it keeps us focused on our faith at regular intervals throughout the day.
It’s not too late to find time for prayer this Lent, and if you haven’t begun it already, begin today.
Copyright © 2013, Chad R. Torgerson
Chad R. Torgerson
Chad R. Torgerson works as an IT Analyst for a Catholic publishing group. In his spare time, he enjoys writing and sharing his faith on his website, Waking Up Catholic, a guide to the Catholic RCIA process. and is also the Co-Founder of Assisi Media, a new Catholic publishing company focused on using new media to reach everyday Catholics. His new book, Waking Up Catholic, is available in eBook and paperback formats.
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