"Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me."
-Psalm 42:7
Quiet, stillness, and unscheduled time to sink into holiness: the environment of the those blessed men and women residing in a monastery or convent. Noisy, active and an interrupted schedule: the atmosphere of a home full of little ones. Like spiritual brothers and sisters, parents deeply desire daily sacred hours to recenter our souls into the rest of the almighty for: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you” -St. Augustine. So like physical exercise, spiritual practice for the distracted and busy lay folk may look more like little five minute lifts here and there rather than hour long heavy-duty weight-lifting. So to combat that commonly experienced "Catholic Guilt" of not praying enough or reading enough scripture, may we find freedom in fostering our relationship with the Almighty with the more "pray without ceasing" (1 Timothy 5:17) approach.
So for those ready to accumulate Sacred Seconds into a Holy Hour:
1. SMALL STILLNESS: for the season when raising children, especially little ones, whether working inside or outside the home: YOU ARE LIMITED with LIMITED TIME for yourself and faith. Your vocation as a parent glorifies God, and later with less dependents on you (when children are self-fed, self-clothed and self-wiped), more time to pray alone may occur, however, ACCEPT YOUR RIGHT NOW LIMITATIONS by setting a realistic MINIMUM, the small stillness, such as I will read a verse from the Bible (daily verse already given in the "You-Verse" https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ ), complete a morning offering and/or evening examination (auditory versions in the "Pray As You Go" App- https://pray-as-you-go.org/home/).
2. SOUL STRETCHES: Whether quarterly, or yearly, dedicate more time, especially away from your spouse or children for a day or weekend retreat to refresh your soul (even priest take sabbaticals and "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed"- Luke 5:16). Refreshing by intentional time with Your Father and the deepest lover of your soul sets an example to the true purpose of your children: "We love because he first loved us"- 1 John 4:19). For more frequent Soul Stretches- a weekly adoration, or rosary (both at the same time), for an half hour to an hour for meditation. Wise wonderful women also recommend saying a 30 day Devotion to Mary (https://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=677 ) or just meditation on the Divine Mercy Chaplet ( a little than the rosary- and my favorite for the pretty film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-410S9wP0s).
3. SIMIPLE SERENITY: Integrate Jesus daily through using the most frequent item in your hand, your phone. Every morning, I check the verse of day after the weather for the day (rain, heat and random coolness frequents my southern state), and then read devotionals emailed to me (Bishop Robert Barron Word on Fire Ministry: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/free-daily-gospel-reflections-from-bishop-barron/) I listen to the attached scriptures for the day as I wash my face and brush my teeth. Often attaching a new habit to an old one really incorporates faith in everyday. As a lover of water, I often listen to podcast while showering (highly recommend sermons, and bible in a year from Ascension Press ministries: https://ascensionpress.com/).
So my busy parents with a desire to remind faithful despite limitations my your Soul Seconds add into Holy Hours as you seek small stillness, stretch your soul and find simple serenity in the ease of praying without ceasing (yes an active pray life teeters between staying and going).
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