A word you’d hear quite a bit in seminary is “formation,” meaning that over the course of your time in seminary, you try to grow as a person. You study the faith, but you also want to grow in your relationship with God too spiritually, which is true for all of us. We might learn how to pray or the words to prayers at an early age but coming to know God is a daily thing throughout our lives.

In our second reading this weekend, Paul writes in his letter to the Roman church “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought.” This calls to mind some of the gifts of the spirit which include piety and fear of the Lord. Learning how to pray is something we fine-tune, and I think it’s worth thinking about the role that prayer plays in our lives. How can we really work with the Spirit to have a deeper spirituality with effective prayer?

First, make prayer a regular part of your day. Getting into the habit can do so much for the soul. I try to get a little exercise daily and I notice it helps me feel more alert throughout the day. With respect to prayer, I made a commitment to pray the Liturgy of the Hours when I was ordained a transitional deacon, so it’s obligatory. It’s not obligatory for most outside of coming to Mass on the weekend, but it is important. After all, we don’t just show our love one hour out of the week to those in our family. Consider some prayer as you get up, or before going to bed. Consider praying as a family. Or even pray in the car. Pray when you are feeling close to God but also pray when you feel like you have to “force” yourself to do it, such as after a long day. Maybe even set an alarm on your phone to remind you to pray.

Second, consider experimenting with different kinds of prayer. It’s good to use what works, but there are many ways to pray. As you pray, try too to not just ask for things – intercessory prayer is good, but we should also be thankful for things. Sometimes we forget how blessed we are.

Third, remember you don’t have to do anything. Sometimes people will just meditate in a church or at Eucharistic Adoration. I often find God in nature too; when I’m at a national park watching the stars come out, taking a picture of a tiny bird who has just migrated across thousands of miles, or gaze upon the light hitting the mountains for the morning “Alpine Glow” turning the mountains briefly orange, it really touches the soul. Sometimes God speaks most loudly when we are silent – so it’s important to let God speak to us in different ways, and to listen to what He tells us.

Fourth, don’t be afraid to pray with people. I’m quite an introvert; I’ll say Mass alone when I travel and enjoy quiet time in prayer. But of course, as a priest I pray with people all the time. But I think this is good for us all to do too. If you have a family, consider praying together from time to time, or with a spouse. If someone asks you for prayer, maybe offer to say a short prayer with them not just for them. Praying together is a great way to help one another, but also a witness to others too.

Fifth, open your heart to God. What in your life do you want to change? Prayer can be petitionary, but it’s also good to ask God for help in our ongoing struggles with sin. Sometimes there are sin’s that we more frequently struggle with; it’s not as if God does not know this, and sometimes moments in prayer can be a good time to shine the light of His love on the parts of our lives we want to change.

And lastly, be willing to be surprised and again, listen. Prayer may give us the answer we aren’t always expecting – or want. But when we discern God’s will, we need to carry it out.

Some of my earliest memories are of prayer, praying with my dad before bed, or Mrs. Barta, my kindergarten teacher, explaining why we pray the Lord’s Prayer and drawing pictures to illustrate each part of it. Prayer over the years always brings me closer to God As in the song “Day by Day” from “Godspell,” “Oh Dear Lord, three things I pray: to see Thee more clearly, love Thee more dearly, Follow thee more nearly, Day by day.” That is what prayer does – so may we truly do it, day by day.

God bless,

Fr. Paul

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July 18, 2026