Happy Wednesday! At Queen of All Saints and St. Mary Immaculate Conception, small groups have recently talked about the power of prayer! Prayer allows us to have a personal relationship with God. It allows us to talk to God and share our lives with Him. God desires to be in relationship with us. Prayer allows us to get to know God’s heart-- the way He speaks to us, loves us, cares for us, and works in our lives. Prayer is beautiful, necessary, and can change our lives and the lives of those around us.

As a parish community, we just began our one percent prayer challenge. This challenge is an invitation to devote at least one percent (~15 minutes) of each day to God in prayer. This is an opportunity to encounter Jesus through scripture, and to develop a daily habit of prayer. This prayer challenge is a great way to develop or deepen your relationship with our Lord!

To help you begin this prayer challenge, we’ve provided a daily scripture passage for you to pray with. We’ve also outlined a prayer method that can help you pray with scripture! Click here to view this information about the prayer challenge. If you’d like to get your family involved in your prayer life, we also have a prayer challenge for kids! Click here to view the children’s prayer calendar.

I’ll walk you through another prayer method that can be very helpful when we’re praying with scripture!

Here’s the steps to follow:

1. Ask: Start your prayer by making the Sign of the Cross. Begin to quiet your thoughts, and recognize that Jesus is there with you. Ask Him to help guide your prayer. You might say “Jesus, teach me to pray. I want to get to know you better.”

2. Seek: Read the daily scripture passage. Think about what Jesus said and how He acted. Pick out any words or phrases that stood out to you, and reflect on those. Read the scripture passage once again. Talk to Jesus about how this passage can apply to your daily life. Ask Jesus: “What do you want to tell me through this passage?” Take some time to listen to what Jesus is telling you.

3. Knock: Finish your prayer by asking Jesus for your needs and the needs of others. Tell Him thank you for the time of prayer. End with an Our Father, a Glory Be, a Hail Mary, or a prayer of your choice, and make the Sign of the Cross.

I hope that you’ll consider joining us on the one percent prayer challenge! Let us know how we can be praying for you. Feel free to submit your prayer requests here.

Right now, there’s a few spots open in our small groups! If you’re interested in joining a small group, now is a great time! Click here to view our small groups interest form or contact Maureen at maureenj@qas.org / (219)-872-9196. We will help you find a great small group!

Also, check out this video from Fr. Mike about prayer! Tips For Praying from Fr. Mike