Our Lady of Ransom Fr. Matthew R. Bozovsky

1) Set a prayerful atmosphere• Have a place that is dedicated to prayer (for example, a chair and small table that you only use for prayer).

• Decide what you are going to pray with (usually 5-8 verses or a single parable/passage). Use a reliable translation of the bible. The New American Bible (NAB) or Revised Standard Version (RSV) are the versions Catholics should use.

• Decide how long you will pray. The method discussed here can be used for as little as 5 minutes or for an hour or more. Start small and gradually increase the time. Commit to remaining in prayer for the entire time, even if it is dry and difficult. Our faithfulness during difficult prayer can bring many graces.

• Begin with the Sign of the Cross.

• Call to mind that you are in God’s presence.

• Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your time of prayer.

• Spend a brief moment expressing gratitude for the gifts that God has given to you. Maybe they are big gifts, maybe it was just a good cup of coffee – all good things have God as their source.

• Slowly read the passage 2-3 times.

2) Meditate with your head - 2 Possible MethodsMethod 1: Try to figure out the meaning of anything that caught your attention. Be aware of words, phrases or ideas that bring you peace or satisfaction. Also pay attention to words that elicit a negative reaction. Reflect on the scripture passage and what it might mean, both in general and to your unique situation.

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Padre Pio

“He who does not meditate acts as one who never looks into the mirror and so does not bother to put himself in order, since he can be dirty without knowing it. The person who meditates . . . turns his thoughts to God who is the mirror of the soul. . .”

St. Teresa of Avila

“Before prayer, endeavor to realize whose Presence you are approaching, and to whom you are about to speak. We can never understand how we ought to behave towards God, before whom the angels tremble.”

St. Bonaventure

“When we pray, the voice of the heart must be heard more than proceedings from the mouth.”

PRAYING WITH THE BIBLE “Give me a person of prayer, and such a one will be capable of accomplishing anything.”

-St. Vincent de Paul

Our Lady of Ransom Fr. Matthew R. Bozovsky

Method 2: Use your imagination to place yourself in the scripture scene. Pay attention to any details, and use your “senses” to engage the story. Notice what you see, taste, smell and hear as you use your imagination to live out the passage. Ask yourself questions such as: who are you in the scene (a disciple? someone being cured? a 3rd person observer?); is there anything that you see that catches your attention; how is Jesus interacting with you? Be open to allowing the scene to unfold in a different way than it did in the bible. Trust

that the Holy Spirit will guide you, infusing your imagination with the presence of God.

3) Meditate with your heart• As you pray with the passage, pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and desires. Grow in an awareness of your interior responses.

• Be attentive to any experience of God’s presence, peace or joy. Also note any experiences of dryness, emptiness or difficulty.

• Spend time considering how your reactions may be leading you to greater friendship with God and greater love of neighbor, or things that may be obstacles to love and blocks to your relationship with Christ.

4) Bring it to God• Take what has happened and talk to God about it. Speak with either the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Spirit in simple and honest words, as you would with a friend.

• Make any requests, whether for yourself or others.

• Ask for a specific grace. It could be triggered by your prayer or something else that has been weighing on you. Examples include asking for patience with family, the grace to be a better spouse, or to be free from an addiction.

5) Rest in God’s presence• Allow your heart and mind to quiet down and sit in silence with the Lord. Open yourself up to whatever the Lord desires to say to you.

• Don’t get frustrated with yourself if you find it difficult to be silent. That is normal. Just let any thoughts or distractions pass and refocus your attention on God.

6) Pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. End with the Sign of the Cross.

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“Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source of constant

happiness, a protection against

sadness.” - St. John Chrysostom

“The grace of contemplation is granted only in response to a

longing insistent desire.”

- St. Bernard of Clairvaux

“Much more is accomplished by a single word of the Our Father said,

now and then, from our heart, than by the whole prayer repeated many

times in haste and without attention.”

- St. Teresa of Avila