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Part 1
Have you considered an intentional prayer for each of the 24 hours of the day? To center oneself during each waking (and nightly) hour, it can be helpful to have a go-to prayer. Feel free to shift which prayers are said at what hours to better fit your schedule.
This is a general template of prayers, including where they might fit well throughout the day. Let’s start with the morning hours and we will conclude in the next column with the afternoon and evening hours.
Midnight | Whether you’re a night owl just getting ready for bed, working a night shift, up with an infant or having trouble falling or staying asleep, I invite you to use this time for your prayer intentions. It’s a good opportunity to intercede on another’s behalf.
1 a.m. | An ancient contemplative prayer is called the Jesus prayer. Each time you repeat the prayer, remove a section:
- Jesus, son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
- Jesus, son of the living God, have mercy on me.
- Jesus, son of the living God, have mercy.
- Jesus, son of the living God.
- Jesus.
2 a.m. | Angels are spiritual beings created by God to watch over and guard us in all of our endeavors. The Church has several prayers to the angels, one of which is the Guardian Angel prayer: “Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this night, be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule, to guide.”
3 a.m. | Three o’clock is the hour of Christ’s passion and is often when the rosary is prayed. When I’m in bed, the rhythmic repetition of the Hail Mary helps me still my mind and eventually sleep. If you think you might fall asleep before finishing, pray just one or two decades.
4 a.m. | Imaginative prayer focuses one’s mind on a holy image. Think about a Bible story from the Gospels, and imagine yourself as one of the people in the scene. Ask the Holy Spirit to be with you and to help you enter the scene using your five senses.
5 a.m. | Calling to mind our own sins and failings, the Act of Contrition, commonly prayed after confession, is a beautiful prayer to ask God to forgive us for our failings. There are several versions to choose from, and an examination of conscience can be done beforehand if desired.
6 a.m. | The Angelus is a prayer said three times daily with the first recitation at the six o’clock hour. This prayer calls to mind God becoming one of us – a perfect reminder that God dwells with us.
7 a.m. | The Morning Offering is another good way to begin your day: “O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month.”
8 a.m. | Listening to an audiobook on the lives of the saints or their spiritual writings is a prayerful exercise for spiritual insight. The Hallow app offers several beautifully voiced audiobooks including Story of a Soul by St. Thérèse of Lisieux, The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence and Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales.
9 a.m. | A daily devotional offers a morning reflection or Scripture passage. There are many 365-day devotional books to start your day.
10 a.m. | Listening to a guided meditation allows you to reflect on a particular theme or virtue while growing to better understand the chosen topic.
11 a.m. | Novenas are nine-day prayers often begun before a particular feast day and are said for a particular intention while invoking the intercession of a saint. One popular novena is the Surrender Novena.
Allison Ramirez is a Catholic author, editor and teacher. She holds an M.A. in theology with an emphasis on Church History.