No matter what your faith is, it’s always good to make a little time for prayer. Even you’re a fire-breathing atheist, take some time to just wonder at the universe, rather than always thinking of this world.
All ancient cultures use prayer, and when John Robbins journeyed to the four longest-lived cultures on earth (communities in Chile, Japan, Russia and Pakistan), he was surprised to find none of them even knew what an atheist was, even though they were fairly remote from established religious churches.
Saint Padre Pio apparently would smell flowers, when sins were confessed! In the confessional, he was so wise that he would remind penitents of sins they had omitted!
It’s interesting that in these stressful times, although we have moved away from the ‘fake New Age gurus’ who try to sell us ‘faith and happiness’, increasingly we are also moving away from ‘hell and fire’ churches, and yet returning to the real faith of prayer.
Irish nun Sr Briege McKenna was once asked how to pray. She said it’s a bit like sunbathing. You simply go somewhere you feel at peace with God, and kind of do the same – just sit and be, and absorb your faith and that’s prayer, rather than parroting off prayers you learned in childhood.
Where to Find Prayers to Pray
Blair Piras is an American Catholic artist, who offers lovely images of Jesus and favourite saints, with prayer cards on the back. These are nice to carry on your person (especially when travelling) or just to keep by your beside.
Pray As You Go is a gentle Catholic site where you can pray along each morning. However, the site also has some lovely music you can listen to, which you’ll likely enjoy, whatever your faith or belief. Just find the songs you like and click through to listen online.
Poor Clares (Ireland) is a closed order of Catholic nuns, who wrote a very popular book Calm the Soul, based on their popular music. They have nice prayers on site, by nuns who between them have very interesting histories.
From former campaigners to accountants, you can read their biographies on-site from how they ended up here, after quite a few heavy partying days!
Hallow is the world’s most popular Catholic meditation app, created by a former atheist. Choose your guide, length and personal prayer plan, and even choose background music (like Gregorian chant). Includes a 30-day free trial, to see if it works for you.
The Prayer of Unwanting is about saying the Lord’s Prayer to get over ourselves, rather than a magical way to ask for stuff. The purpose of prayer is simply to change the heart of our wanting. In this book, a pastor leads us into a prayer that Jesus taught us to pray, and how.
An Illustrated Little Book of Prayers
The Little Book of Prayers is a matching elegant little book, with 75 classic Christian prayers, paired with beautiful illustrations taken from prayer books and vintage missals. Gorgeous representations of holy figures are accompanied by beloved litanies including:
- The Lord’s Prayer
- Prayer of St Francis
- The Apostle’s Creed
Books to Understand the Power of Prayer
Simply Pray is a book on how to understand the power of prayer: ask, seek and knock! This simple concept from Matthew 7:7 is known the world over. Now the author masterfully weaves her own story (from desperation and divorce), to hope and healing with Biblical principles and Scripture.
With over 30 years of answered prayer in her own life, Deb demonstrates how every concern, is worth bringing to God.
Prayer doesn’t have to be a mystery. Nor does it have to be for the super-religious person. Jesus gave simple directions for anyone to pray, and this book unpacks how anyone can make prayer a part of everyday lives.
God listens and cares about any issue we bring to him, and can also bring you peace from relying on Him, rather than always focusing on carrying the burdens of life yourself.
More than a simple prayer ABC, this book includes prompts at the end of each chapter, to experience prayer for yourself. Try it today, and make prayer of your daily life. It may just change your life!
Deb Hopper has been married for almost 30 years (and is a mother and grandmother). But before that she reached breaking point spending 10 years as a single parent, which saw her begin a powerful prayer journey. She even launched a non-profit to help single mothers on their next times.
The Ave Treasury of Catholic Prayers is a beautiful gift book, which instead of boring you with huge tomes of religious dogma, just gives you nice prayers to keep by your bedside, when you need some spiritual inspiration and help.
A timeless resource, it features a variety of devotions, psalms and litanies to showcase the diversity of voices and traditions that have been part of the Catholic faith for over 2000 years. This hardcover, full-colour volume includes:
- Our Father, Hail Mary, Creeds & Confiteor
- Prayers to talk with God through the day
- Sacraments of Reconciliation & Holy Communion
- Devotions & consecrations to Jesus, Mary & Joseph
- Prayers from saints (blessing, petition, intercession, thanksgiving & praise)
Elegant, vintage lithographs and engravings taken from traditional prayer books, psalms and Bibles are presented in a contemporary design, to add to the beauty of the book. And an index makes it easy to find prayers, based on the saint or topic of devotion.
Pause and Pray is a book of reflections, prayers and actions for everyday life. Inspired by the traditions of St Francis of Assisi, each of the dozen prayers include a brief reflection and a simple action, to make your everyday life more prayerful. The book is divided into sections including prayers for:
- Care for creation
- Love
- Family
- Gratitude
- Joy & wonder
- Forgiveness
- Sorrow & grief
- Acceptance
- Patience & peace
- Courage
- Compassion
- Social justice
Each page is designed to give you space to pause, reflect prayerfully on an intention, and take that intention with you into the world, with a concrete action. If you’re seeking a way to make daily life more prayerful, this is the book to integrate prayer into everyday life.
A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer
Made for Heaven is a beautiful book by Fr. Agustino Torres with stunning art by Valerie Delgado. Begin the season with a vow of poverty and end at Easter, with a heart that is open to love, serve and care for others.
Along with daily meditations on a passage from Scripture, there are also reflection questions, prayer and space for journalling. In six transformative weeks, you will learn how to allow the Holy Spirit to move in your heart through a new theme each week.
Reflect on the story of Jesus being cast in the desert (to make your life about Christ), allow yourself to become transformed by your spiritual gifts, accept the call to conversion and say yes to a life of simplicity (like St Joseph).
Let the healing power of God challenge you to become a vessel of mercy and learn how to pray and look beyond ourselves. During Holy Week, experience a deep encounter with God, through the ancient liturgy of the Church.
Father Augustino Torres is a Catholic priest with Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and the founder of Corazón Puro and Latinos por la Vida.
He is the author of several books, and also works as a retreat guide, and international youth speaker.
