5 Convenient Tools to Help Your Prayer Life

​Over the last few months, by being withdrawn from a lot of the things and people that once kept me busy, I have turned inward and taken a good, hard look at myself. I have thought a lot about the kind of person I want to be and with whom I want to surround myself. I have made a mental check of who and what drains my energy, and what are the things that really fill my cup. Little by little, I have reduced the number of things that drain my energy, and I have increased those things that fill my cup.

Prayer and scripture have been one of the things that most fills my cup and that grounds me in a way that nothing else does. It had been a long time since I really sat down and thought about how I was applying the Gospel to my own life. We had been attending Mass regularly before the pandemic, and we have tried to make sure to attend virtually throughout, but my attention is never one hundred percent there, because I have small children who require my attention and correction. And while I try to remind myself often that Jesus meets us where we are, I have found that turning to prayer, reflection, and Scripture has helped to ground me throughout this pandemic. Many of the ways I pray are tailored specifically to my Catholic faith, but many of them can be adapted to fit your own denomination.  Here are 5 convenient tools to help your prayer life.

1. Blessed is She daily devotional e-mails. Every time I post a screenshot, someone asks me about my devotional and what I use. Blessed is She has these very convenient e-mails that are sent to your inbox each morning. You can read the daily readings and the accompanying devotional that go with it. I like to read the readings in my journaling bible, do a little journaling (sometimes that looks like writing a prayer, sometimes it's doodling a verse that really tugged at me, or sometimes it's writing my own reflection), and then read the devotional. But whichever way you do it, it gets sent to your inbox and it's a great way to remind yourself to do it!
2. Pray More Novenas. I will be honest with you, up until a few weeks ago, I had never prayed a novena in my life. A novena is an ancient tradition of devotional praying in Christianity, consisting of prayers repeated for nine successive days or weeks. I recently came across the website PrayMoreNovenas.com. You can sign up for specific novenas and have them sent to your inbox every day. When one is done, you can sign up for another. Each of these novenas has a specific intention. I am currently praying a novena for marriage and family, but they have a lot from which to choose!
3. Pope Francis's Five Finger Prayer. I just learned about this this past week in a post from Brick House in the City. It's a great way to remind ourselves and our children who to pray for - especially on those days when we just cannot recall our specific intentions. The five finger prayer uses the 5 fingers of your hand to remind you of who it is we should pray for. The thumb, the closet finger to you, remind us to pray for those who are closest to us. The next finger is the index finger - to pray for those who teach you, instruct you, and heal you. The middle finger, the tallest - pray for our leaders, the governors, and those who have authority. The ring finger is our weakest finger. It should remind us to pray for the weakest among us - the sick or those plagued by problems. The pinkie is the smallest finger. Pray for yourself once you have prayed for others. You will be able to see your own needs, but with the right perspective. 
4. Podcasts! There are several podcasts out there to help you build up your prayer life. There are some that invite you to spend 10 minutes with Jesus, and others that will help you pray the rosary daily. Do a quick search and I'm sure you will find something. Play them in the car when you are on your way to work, school, activities, etc. Some good ones are: Blessed is She, 10 Minutes with Jesus, and A Rosary Companion. 
5. The USCCB Website has the readings of the day which can really help you when you're not sure what to read in terms of scripture. You can access them on their site or have them sent to your inbox as well. 

Also, just like I have made my gratitude practice intentional, I have done the same for my prayer life. I have been using the Blessed is She planner, which has a checklist for daily prayer each day. Each time I post about it, I get questions. It's an awesome planner with tons of space and awesome features. If you're looking to incorporate prayer into your life a little more, I highly recommend it!

​ If you have any other tips, send them my way. And if you haven't tried any of these, I hope you will! 

xoxo, 

Jenise