Dear St. Rita Families,

In two weeks, we will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of this remarkable parish! We have much to thank God for over the last 100 years, and I know that so many people continue to find much spiritual nourishment and consolation here, which brings me great joy as your pastor. The foundation of all of this is prayer, the opportunities for which are abundant. It is one of the reasons that I wanted to set the dates for our upcoming 40 Hours of Adoration to the three days leading up to our anniversary. Nothing – and I mean nothing at all – good is accomplished without prayer. Prayer is all powerful, said St. Josemaría, and it is good that we have that confidence.

Prayer is an act of faith in the goodness of God. All the “productive” activities that we could be engaged in are set aside so that we can submit ourselves once again to the will of the infinitely good, all-powerfully good and loving God. Should that not accomplish all things? Certainly it will accomplish all things worth accomplishing. And if it’s not worth accomplishing, it is really no-thing at all. All of the good desires we have for our lives, for our families, for the parish and school, for the country, for the world, can all be – must all be – accomplished first through prayer.

For the non-cloistered (you and I), this means a profound integration of prayer into our daily lives. Indeed, prayer must the priority, the thing that is prior to all else. In his 2012 book “The One Thing”, Gary Keller urges his readers to ask, “What is the one thing you can do, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?” As a successful businessman, he provides some great advice that has enabled many people to reframe the way they think about the tasks ahead. For the Christian, our task isn’t a successful business or a comfortable life, or even a successful or comfortable parish as such; our task is love of God and love of neighbor: personal holiness, the salvation of souls, to be alteri Christi (other Christs), to fulfill the three-fold mission of the baptized of priest, prophet, and king. All other worthy tasks in the world are accomplished well because we are focused on these things. 

And so we can answer Mr. Keller’s question in two ways: With respect to all of the things that seem so pressing and urgent in your life, what is the one thing you can do, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary? The answer is personal holiness – be a saint! All that is unnecessary or unhelpful will be stripped away, and that which God – the meaning and purpose not just of your life but of all of existence – has made you for will be accomplished. The second way to answer the question gets to the point of this note. With respect to personal holiness, what is the one thing you can do, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary? Here, the answer is prayer.

Integrating prayer into your life requires a tenacity of will. There is much that machinates against your desire and ability to pray: constant distractions, pressing and immediate needs, work schedule, family schedule, and the list goes on and on. And yet, as Our Lord reminds Martha when she is anxious and worried, “one thing is needful” (Lk 10:42) – to sit at the feet of Jesus. I don’t know if Gary Keller made the connection between his book title and Our Lord’s words in this scene with Martha and Mary, but Jesus certainly knew what He was doing. You and I, then, must prioritize prayer, not as one of many priorities, but as the priority.

A healthy plan of life (daily prayer regimen) will look different for each individual, and it is based on your state in life. These items should be the framework around which the rest of your life is built. If prayer and your relationship with God is giving order to your life, then you can be sure that other things (perhaps evil things) are not. You want to be guided by God and no one else! Therefore, I will offer some suggestions as to what types of prayer you can and should strive to integrate into your life. Whatever it is for you, make it intentional, prioritize it, and move things around so you can do it. Give it pride of place in your life and persevere in it, so that you give yourself space to receive God’s gifts.

My suggestions:

1)    Mental Prayer: quiet time with Our Lord, where you have the opportunity to speak to Him as a friend. Bring your thoughts, feelings, and desires to Him in His presence in Adoration or at least in front of the Blessed Sacrament, though can do this at home, too. Fight for 30 minutes daily. Get up early if you have to. If you have to do less, try for at least 15 minutes. If you can do an hour, even better! My preferred method is 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening. 

2)    Mass: Look for opportunities to attend Mass daily. Nearly every Catholic Church in the area has daily Mass, and you can choose what fits your schedule: morning, noon, or night.

3)    Rosary: Just do it. Break it up throughout the day if necessary, or do it while driving. Mary prepares a safe path for us, always.

4)    Spiritual Reading / Scripture: Combine these two, taking 15 minutes total. This way, you can work through Scripture and a good spiritual book in a timely manner.

5)    Touch points: Morning Offering, Examination of Conscience/Act of Contrition at night, Angelus/Regina Coeli at noon, short visit to the Blessed Sacrament

There are lots of possibilities here, and there are more than what I’ve listed! Choose something substantial around which to build your day, and then pick a few of the touch points (#5) to help you maintain the presence of God in your mind and heart throughout the day. In this way, you will gradually become a contemplative in the middle of the world, and you will not regret it.

In Christ,

Fr. Christensen