In the past few sessions we have been learning about different kinds of prayer – adoration, thanksgiving, confession, asking, and prayers to the Saints.  Now we are going to see how, when they are all put together, they form our morning and evening prayers.

Morning prayers

Remembering God’s Presence

First we will take our morning prayers.  When we kneel down, we must be careful not to start saying our prayers straight away.  First of all we have to be quiet and remember the Presence of God.  If we don’t do that, then, instead of saying our prayers, we shall just recite them as though we were reciting poetry.  So start by making the sign of the Cross and spend, say, half a minute, in remembering that God is with you and that what you are going to say, you are going to say to him. 

The Lord’s Prayer

Then you can say the Our Father carefully.

Worship

Next we make an act of worship or adoration, such as, “Blessed be the most holy and undivided Trinity now and for evermore”, or “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen”.

Thanksgiving

Next, thank God for having looked after you during the past night and for all his goodness to you during your life.  So we should thank God for creating us (that is, making us) in his own image to share his eternal glory, for our health, our home and relations and friends, for making us members of his Church, for giving us the Sacraments, and above all for his birth in Bethlehem and his death upon the Cross for the salvation of our unworthy souls.

Giving yourself to God and asking for help

After that, look ahead over the coming day: think of the chief things you will be doing; and then give yourself to God so that you may belong to him and please him in everything.  As you cannot do that on your own, ask him to help you all through the day, especially in any difficulties and temptations which you may have to face.

Lastly, ask your patron Saint, to pray for you, and your Guardian Angel to protect you: “St Stephen, pray for me.  My Guardian Angel, please watch over me this day”.  And you can end by making the sign of the Cross and saying the Grace: “The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore”.

Evening prayers

Remembering God’s Presence, Lord’s Prayer, worship

So we come to our evening prayers.  If possible, you should say them during the evening before you get too tired to say them properly.  You don’t have to wait until you go to bed.  You begin your evening prayers in the same way as your morning prayers.  Make the sign of the Cross, remember God’s Presence, say the Our Father and make an act or worship or adoration.

Thanksgiving

Now, just as in the morning you thank God for all his goodness to you all through your life, so in the evening you thank him for the past day.  Think of all the different ways in which he has been good to you and then, in your own words or from a book or by using the Prayer of St Richard of Chichester, thank him for them as well as for your home and your friends.

Self-examination, confession and saying sorry

After we have thanked God for his goodness to us, we think of the sins which we have committed.  This is called self-examination, and we do it by going over in our minds the various happenings of the day and finding out all the things we have thought or said or done that were wrong in God’s eyes.  Then, when we have confessed them to him, we tell him we are sorry for them and we promise to try hard to avoid them on the following day.

Praying for other people

The next thing we do is to pray for other people.  You’ll remember that it is a good thing to make out a list for every day of the week.  Some people you will pray for every day, others on one day in the week according to your list.  And you might remember to pray for your parish priest.  And don’t forget to pray for yourself, and ask God to bless you and help you become the kind of person he wants you to be.  If any of your relations have died, pray for them too, using your own words or these words. ”Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them”.

Asking for help and giving yourself to God

Then, just as you did in the morning, ask your patron Saint to pray for you, and your Guardian Angel to protect you during the night.  Lastly give yourself to God and say, “Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit this night and for evermore”.  Make the sign of the Cross, and say the Grace.

Importance of saying our prayers

It is very important that we should say our morning and evening prayers every day, for that is one of the chief ways by which we keep ourselves near to God.  And if you should happen to miss them, don’t let that put you off but carry on the next day and say them as usual.

SUMMARY

Daily morning prayers

• Make the sign of the Cross.
• Remember God’s Presence.
• Our Father
• Act of worship or adoration.
• Thanksgiving for past life.
• Give yourself to God and ask him to help you during the day.
  Ask your patron Saint to pray for you, and your Guardian Angel to protect you.
• Make the sign of the Cross and say the Grace

Daily evening prayers

• Make the sign of the Cross.
• Remember God’s Presence.
• Our Father
• Act of worship or adoration.
• Thanksgiving for past day.
• Self-examination, confession and act of sorrow.
• Prayer for others, living and departed, and for yourself.
• Ask your patron Saint to pray for you, and your Guardian Angel to protect you.
• Give yourself to God.
• Make the sign of the Cross and say the Grace.