3 SIMPLE STEPS TO

PRAYER/MEDITATION
There is much more that can be shared about this topic, but the following information
can help you remember the main points of making daily prayer/meditation a habit.

What is meditation?
• The Catechism says that meditation is a quest to understand, both in the mind
and heart, the how and why of our relationship with God. This is how we can
adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking (cf. CCC 2705).
• Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This deepens the
conviction of faith, prompts the conversion of our heart, and strengthens our will
to follow Christ (CCC 2708).

The reasons why we should pray/meditate

• First, because our Lord commands it. (When you pray, go into your inner room,
shut the door and pray to your Father who sees in secret…Mt 6:6).

• Second, this is how we change the fallen desires of the heart. We sin because
we desire actions that are harmful to us. Meditation is how our desires are
purified. Once purified, Satan’s power over us through temptation is weakened,
and we begin to choose that which is good more easily, promptly, and joyfully.

• Third, we are made for God; hence, we are made for prayer. The fact that prayer
is difficult is a result of The Fall. Like anything else, however, practice makes
perfect.

TIPS FOR BUILDING THE HABIT OF DAILY

MEDITATION

When should I pray?

• Pick a specific time. Pray early in the morning or later afternoon. General times
are ineffective.
• Waiting until the end of the day creates further problems. If you leave prayer time
only till the end of the day, the devil will set traps.
• Fatigue and business can wreak havoc on a good time of prayer.

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Where should I pray?
• Reflect on Matthew 6:6 in which Jesus directs us to go into our room, shut the
door, and speak to our Father in secret.
• Your place of prayer should incorporate solitude and silence.
• Consider creating a special place at home. Use holy images and objects to help
you be placed in an interior sacred space.
• The best place is in the presence of the Eucharist.

How long should I pray?

• St. Francis de Sales, St. Teresa of Avila, and Venerable Fulton Sheen all
recommended that laity should meditate for 30 minutes a day.
• If this is too intimidating, start at 15 minutes a day. It is easier to expand your
time once the habit is formed than it is to form a habit if the initial goal is too high.
• Conversely, try the 30-minute goal first before deciding that this time allotment is
too much.
• The overriding question is how much time is necessary for an intimate, loving
conversation? Don’t leave off too soon.

3 SIMPLE STEPS TO PRAYER/MEDITATION

Once we ask the Holy Spirit to help us in prayer, there are three steps: Read, Reflect,
Resolve (make a resolution). The 3 R’s are ways that the saints prayed. They used
books specifically written for what is called Spiritual Reading. St. Teresa of Avila
mentioned that without a book written for spiritual reading on her lap, she found
meditation almost impossible. The following is based on and inspired by her instruction
to her nuns on how to practice meditation.

Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help

• Pray: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the
fire of your love. Come Holy Spirit, come through Mary. Hail Mary, full of grace…

Read
• Read: Read slowly and repeatedly a passage of Scripture or from a book of
meditation.
o What to read? Read a book written for spiritual meditation. Obvious
examples are the Gospels and the Psalms. Spiritual meditation material is
any book written for the purpose of bringing the soul into communion with
God, to sit still with our being enjoying His Being. “My being with His Being
sitting and being together.” Examples: Fr. Francis Fernandez, In
Conversation with God; Fr. Jacques Philippe, Searching for and

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 Maintaining Peace (actually, all of his books are excellent!); Fr. Gabriel of
St. Mary Magdalen, Divine Intimacy; St. José Maria Escriva,The Way; St.
Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life; St. Thérèse of Lisieux,
Story of a Soul.
o Spiritual books are books written for the purpose of receiving inspired
thoughts that pass from thought to the heart, from the heart to our life.
These works stir the heart and aid us in asking, “Lord, what do you want
me to do?” cf. CCC 2706.

Reflect
• Reflect: Read until something strikes you. Then, stop, and put the book down
and reflect on what you just read. Why did this passage or word strike you? What
is the Holy Spirit saying to you? Cease being in a hurry. Let yourself be still and
peaceful, soaking in this point for as long as possible.
o Think and ponder what the Lord might be saying to you in what you read.
Have a conversation with God about what you read. Speak, but above all,
listen further to what He is saying to you, as He will continue to unfold His
insights when He finds us ready pupils.

Resolve
• Resolve: Resolve to apply the grace from this meditation to change you by
making a resolution. This means to put into practice something concrete revealed
to you by the Holy Spirit that He wants you to change, something that is small,
concrete, and doable in the next 24 hours.
o Another method is to take something from your prayer, i.e. a phrase or
word that struck you, and repeat it throughout the day. This will focus your
mind on prayer, which will focus your thoughts and heart on God-like
actions.
o Making a resolution is of utmost importance because making and
keeping the resolution is how you will make progress in your growth in
holiness.
o What if I cannot find a resolution? Then simply keep your meditation in
mind all day long. This remembrance will change the way you think and
act.

Meditation may be challenging but it’s doable.

Don’t be discouraged in your efforts as God will bless you and help you grow.

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