Is now...                                                             Monday, March 5, 2012 - Week 30 

St. Michael's Abbey
ONE HOUR
What is one hour?

 

Our schedules have become clogged with so many things that stress and busyness seem to take over, crushing our days. Time itself seems to conspire against us, as a thousand menial tasks loom on the horizon, burdening our minds and hearts and challenging us to find enough time to finish them all in due order. Lent is the time to step back from all of this, seek contact with the Lord and place time itself back under the dominion of its Creator. God, the Creator of time, dwells in eternity. Take an hour of your day, 60 minutes, 3600 seconds... and pray.  Pray alone, pray with your spouse or your friends - pray with your family or a loved one, but take the time to pray. What is one hour out of your schedule, and how would prayer improve it?  Lent is a time of prayer, so turn off the television for an hour and pray; get off the Internet for an hour and pray. Stop worrying about everything, and pray - not asking to have health or financial gain, not asking for the conversion of anyone (you can pray for these things later) but just saying, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening."  Spend an hour with God today.
ABBEY DAILY SCHEDULE
Matins & Lauds Morning Prayers 
                           5:45 am (7:00 am*)
 
Mass                 7:00 am (11:00 am*)
Terce
Mid-Morning Prayer
                            8:40 am (8:45 am*)

Sext
Mid-Day Prayer
                         12:00 pm (12:30pm*)

None
Mid-Afternoon Prayer 4:20 pm
Rosary                                   4:30 pm

Vespers Evening Prayer        5:00 pm
Eucharistic Holy Hour & Confession                            8:00 pm

Compline
Night Prayer         8:05 pm
Benediction                           9:05 pm


*Sunday Schedule

LENTEN PRACTICE 
PRAYER
 
While many different Saints could be quoted on the importance of prayer, it is Jesus Himself who is our best example and our reason for prayer, because He is our Savior, because He alone can bring us to the Father.  Lent is a time of increased prayer for the faithful, and the variety of prayers possible make it something that can suit every soul and temperament. 
  • Mass - Attendance at Mass, even daily, is an efficacious way of strengthening our relationship with Christ, even more so if you are able to receive communion.   
  • Scriptures - Reading of Scripture before the Blessed Sacrament is another very good Lenten practice - pondering on the word before the Word.  
  • Rosary - Recitation of the Rosary every day is another good way of deepening the life of prayer, familiarizing us with the Gospel and its mysteries, and bringing us into contemplative prayer.  
  • Divine Office - Reading the Divine Office, the daily public prayer of the Church, is another way of becoming familiar with Scripture and one of the most ancient manners of praying in the Catholic Church.   

This short article only introduces the topic of prayer which is ultimately not a spiritual technique or a skill we learn but a relationship with God, and one that He wants us to have more than we could ever desire it. What's more, each of these forms of prayer mentioned above is something that we do at St. Michael's Abbey all the time, during Lent and during the rest of the year.   

 

If you live within driving distance, why not join us for one or another of these prayers this Lent or Holy Week?  We pray for you and your loved ones every day: come join us.

For the next 3 weeks, we will be "fasting" from Roses.
Roses for Mary will return on March 26th.
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St. Michael's Abbey

949-273-5450