Fresh Approaches to Classic Prayer Practices

With a long stretch of Ordinary Time coming, the faithful often loses vigor once the intense seasons of  Lenten penitence and Easter celebrations finish.  However, there are many ways to keep our faith vibrant in the midst of slow seasons.  Apart from celebrating the many special feast days and solemnities summer offers, this Ordinary Time could be the perfect opportunity to try a different variation of classic prayer practices.

Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

The Rosary – Focused Decades or a Complete Rosary

The Rosary is a classic Catholic prayer, based on portions of the Bible and reflecting on mysteries in the life of Christ.  The five decades of “Hail Mary’s” can be said in around 15-20 minutes on average, and there are four sets of mysteries to aid your prayer.  As it is a repetitive prayer, it can be unappealing to some.  Others can feel it still takes too much time.

This Ordinary Time, try a shorter variation: a “focused” decade!  A decade of the Rosary is essential one-fifth of it: an Our Father and ten Hail Mary’s, along with optional opening and closing prayers.  These prayers are said while meditating on a chosen mystery of Christ’s life.  To switch it up, make it a “focused” decade.  Before saying each Hail Mary, choose either a specific intention to pray for or a moment in the mystery to picture.  For example, if meditating on the Annunciation, the first “Hail Mary” could consider Mary’s initial reaction to Gabriel’s appearance, then the second could consider how Mary appeared to Gabriel, etc.

Alternately, if you wanted to experiment with a longer spiritual practice, you could say a “complete” Rosary- meaning all four sets of mysteries, twenty decades, to reflect on Christ’s life from beginning to end.  (Traditionally a “complete Rosary” is considered fifteen decades, as the tradition predates the creation of the Luminous mysteries.)

The Divine Mercy Chaplet – Other Chaplets

The Divine Mercy Chaplet is perhaps the best known of all the chaplets.  It is a short but powerful reflection on the gravity of Christ’s Passion and its salvific significance.  Chaplets are similar in form to the Rosary: specific, written prayers said a certain amount of times, with the aid of a string of beads to keep count.

There are a plethora of other chaplets that can spark or deepen devotion.  Some are dedicated to saints, such as the St. Michael Chaplet or the St. Joseph Chaplet.  Others focus on a particular title of Mary, like the Stella Maris or the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows.  There are additional chaplets center around Jesus, such as the Sacred Heart Chaplet and the Chaplet of the Holy Wounds.

Sunday Mass – Other Mass Times and Days

Though some may still be waiting to return to regular Sunday Mass in the wake of 2020, others may have fallen back into their regular pre-pandemic routine.  If so, Ordinary Time is a great time to experiment with adding a Daily Mass once a week or going to Mass at a different time than usual.  The Mass remains the same, but the incidentals can vary between times and days.

Daily Masses tend to be shorter and simpler, which can be quieting for the mind.  Each weekend Mass time has its own personality as well.  Going at a different time or on an additional day can invite one to consider the Mass from a different perspective.  There is also the option to try the Latin Mass, or for those who attend the Latin Mass to attend the Novus Ordo.

Petitionary Prayer – Petitionary Offerings

Petitionary Prayer is when one requests something of God, either for himself or for others.  Prayers of petition are said by all Christians, even non-Christians have been known to send up a desperate plea to God for help when in difficult situations.  When these prayers are combined with the Catholic tradition of sacrificial offerings for intentions, they can be even more powerful.

But this concept can extend beyond food sacrifices and be even more tailored to the petition.  For example, if one was praying for a friend in surgery, he could spend the day giving up his favorites, from his outfit to his radio station.  Kristine of the Instagram, @thefutureisfamily, shared that she gave up her favorite jewelry accessory: rings, as a petitionary offering until she was engaged.  One pro-life movement encourages people to give up a certain thing until abortion is made illegal.

Approaching sacrifices as a fluid practice that can evolve with the issues encountered can make every day an opportunity.   Each sacrifice offers a chance to enter new depths of spirituality through new offerings.

These are just a few simple ways to take common Catholic prayer practices and give them a fresh twist.  May creativity in prayer enable souls to enter deeper into the mystery and grace of Christ.