The Saint

Story by Catholic Editor Faith Addington

College has always been branded as a time of personal growth and decision making. Just as the body requires sustenance for physical growth, the soul requires prayer for spiritual growth. Through prayer, we receive the graces necessary to maneuver the challenges presented to us in college as well as helping us to discern hundreds of opportunities. By growing our relationship with God through prayer, we increase our ability to see his presence in our lives which ultimately guides us to make the best choices. However, making these decisions is often a great source of anxiety for many students. This is why we pray. 

Prayer, simply put, is communion with God. This can be done hundreds of different ways. 

1. Set Prayers: this includes reciting and meditating upon the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary, the Glory Be, the Nicene Creed and many others. 
2. The Rosary: a scripture based prayer that summarizes and promotes meditation on the great mysteries of the Catholic faith. In praying the rosary, it allows us to get to the purpose of life by knowing, loving, and serving God. 
3. Lectio Divina: this is a type of scripture prayer that involves lectio (reading the passage), meditatio (meditation), oratio (prayer) and contemplatio (contemplation)
4. Adoration: this is a practice of worshiping Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament by sitting in His presence.
5. The Examen: this is a reflective prayer on our day that helps us find God’s presence and direction in our life. It includes giving thanksgiving for our day, asking the Lord to show us our failures from that day, asking for forgiveness and healing then praying for the next day. 
6. Other: keeping a prayer journal, taking a prayer walk, praying the psalms, prayer through song, prayer with art, or praying with a friend.

Similarly, to an athlete training to excel in their sport, a prayer routine trains our body, mind and soul to be more Christ-like. Setting a prayer routine is important considering the constant fluctuation of our college schedule. Perhaps we wake up 10 minutes earlier and invite Jesus to walk with us throughout the day. Perhaps we pray before class or spend 15 minutes praying in the chapel after class. Whether we pray for an hour or through a single breath, it all matters as long as the intention is genuine. Creating a meaningful and feasible prayer routine will help us to foster a deeper connection in our faith.