Every Day a Holy Day Prayer Journal

EVERY DAY A

H O LY DAY

Daily Prayer Journal

EVERY DAY A

H O LY DAY

Daily Prayer Journal

Copyright © 2019 by The Word Among Us All rights reserved.

Published by The Word Among Us Press 7115 Guilford Drive Frederick, Maryland 21704 www.wau.org 23 22 21 20 19

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ISBN: 978-1-59325-231-1 Scripture texts used in this work are taken from New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture texts marked RSVCE are taken from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Design by Suzanne Earl No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the author and publisher.

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All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord,

are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.

— 2 CO R I N T H I A N S 3:18 Dear Friend in Christ, If you ask people why they keep prayer journals, you’ll get a variety of answers.

“It helps me clarify my thoughts and be more honest with God.” “When I see how God has answered my prayers, it builds my trust.” “It keeps me focused on what matters.” Essentially, all the reasons boil down to this: a prayer journal is a tool for deepening your relationship with the Lord. The title of this prayer journal gets right to the heart of it: Every Day a Holy Day. As the Scripture passage above makes clear, each day is an opportunity to be transformed into the image of the Lord . . . to be holy! In this journal, you’ll find a quotation from a saint or other spiritual writer and ample space for writing, along with beautiful images to inspire your prayer and journaling time.

This prayer journal is your spiritual diary, a private communication between you and the Lord. It’s the place where you can pour out your thoughts to him.

What do you write? Anything that touches or moves you spiritually: God’s word and your response, ordinary happenings at work or at home, your joys and triumphs, pain and frustration, events both small and great. A journal helps you keep track of what happens as you sit with the Lord and ponder what he is saying to you through Scripture and your experiences.

Begin your prayer journal by making a few choices. First, decide when you will pray (preferably, the same time each day) and where (a place that is quiet and free of distractions).

When you pray, quiet your thoughts. If it’s helpful, light a candle or listen to some music. Out loud or in the stillness of your heart, invite Jesus to be with you.

There’s no formula for what to do or when. You might read Scripture—next Sunday’s Gospel, perhaps, or a psalm. Or just talk to the Lord about whatever is on your mind. Then, be sure to listen. Sometimes, it will seem that nothing happens. Other times, you may sense the strong presence of the Lord. Recording such times in a prayer journal not only helps you to remember them but also lets you see the depth of the love the Lord has for you. This builds your faith and helps you get through the times when your prayer is dry and you don’t feel the Lord speaking to you.

As you read Scripture during prayer, one or two lines may jump out at you. It’s as if the Lord is speaking to you directly, and the passage may have something important to say to you. At these times, it’s helpful simply to write down the Scripture passage that spoke to you. It may be something you need to carry with you throughout the day, and writing it down will help you to remember it or find it again easily. By going back and rereading the passage later on in your journal, you can remember why God wanted to speak that word to you.

There are so many ways you can use a prayer journal. You can write down prayer petitions and then write down how God has answered them. You can mark important days, like birthdays, anniversaries, or other special events in the life of your family. You can record prayers of the Church that you love, writings of the saints that have inspired you, or some insight about a relationship you may have had.

Journaling need not be another chore, something you “should” do. When you have prayed, if you have a pen and journal in hand, you can be ready to write down whatever has inspired you. If you have nothing to write, you can simply put down two words: “I prayed.”

The Word Among Us Press

PRAYER NOTES

JANUARY

The only way to make rapid progress along the path of divine love is to remain ver y little and to put all our tr ust in Almighty God. That is what I have done.

— S T. T H É R È S E O F L I S I E U X

To yo u we e ntr ust . . . t he fut ure of t h e Ch u rc h , t h e f uture o f humanit y. Mar y, Mot her of G od , Q ueen of Peac e, w at c h o ver u s . — S T. J O H N P A U L I I

1

I n t i mac y wi th th e L ord is not a mat t er of phy s ic a l k i ns hi p ; r ather, it is ac hie ved by c heer fu l re ad in e s s to do t he w il l of G od. — S T. B A S I L

2

Oh, how g reat is your Name, O L ord! It is th e s t reng th o f m y soul. W hen my st rengt h fa il s , a n d d arknes s i nvades my soul, your Name is th e s u n who s e r ay s give light s and also w a r m th . — S T. F A U S T I N A K O W A L S K A

3

T h e fi rs t e nd I propose in our dail y wo rk is to d o t h e W i l l o f Go d ; sec ond l y, t o do it in t h e m a n n e r h e w i l ls i t; and thi rd l y, t o do it bec ause it is h is W il l . — S T. E L I Z A B E T H A N N S E T O N

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JANUARY

T ho ug h Go d ha t es sin more t han any oth e r th in g, h e lo ve s us p o or miser able sinners. He a rd e n tl y d e s i res the welfare of our souls as if h is ow n happiness depended on it . — S T. J O H N N E U M A N N

5

O ur L o rd i s o ur big Brot her, and we are th e l ittl e bro t h e rs . Cons e quent l y, we should lo ve on e a n oth e r as members of t he same famil y. — S T. A N D R É B E S S E T T E

6

M ay Go d s helte r you from dist ur banc e in th e h id d e n re c e ss e s o f hi s lo ve, unt il he br ings you a t l a s t in to t h at p lace o f f ul lness w here you wil l repos e f ore ve r i n t he vision of peac e.

— S T. R A Y M O N D O F P E Ñ A F O R T

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Cas t yo urs elf i nto t he ar ms of G od and b e ve r y s u re t hat i f he wants any t hing of you, he w il l fit you f or the work and give you st rengt h .

— S T. P H I L I P N E R I

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JANUARY

We s hal l s teer saf el y t hrough e ver y s tor m , s o long as o ur h ear t is r ight , our int ent i on f e r ve n t, o ur co ur age s teadfast , and our t r ust fixe d in G od . — S T. F R A N C I S D E S A L E S

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I t is onl y whe n e ver y t hing is hopeless th a t h op e b e g i ns to b e a s t rengt h at al l. Lik e al l t h e Ch r is tia n v i r t ues , i t i s as u nreasonable as it is indis p e n s a b l e. —G. K. CHESTERTON

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H e s ai d not : You shal l not be t roub l e d — yo u s hal l not be t empt ed—you shal l n ot b e d i s t re s s e d . But h e said: You shal l not be o ve rcom e.

—BLESSED JULIAN OF NORWICH

11

W i t h the confi dence of a son, rest in t h e c a re a n d lo ve that D i vi ne Pro vidence has f or you in a l l you r n e ed s . L o ok upon Pro vidence as a c hil d d oe s its m ot h e r who lo ves him t ender l y. You c an b e s u re th a t Go d lo ves you incompar abl y more.

— S T. J A N E F R A N C E S D E C H A N T A L

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JANUARY

G od , fi l l wi th wind t he sails I have hoiste d f or you , and c arr y me f or ward on my cou r s e. — S T. H I L A R Y

13

I w i l l re mem b er how S t . Pet er, at a bla s t of w in d , be g an to s i nk b ec ause of his lac k of fait h , a n d I w il l d o a s he d i d : c a l l upon C hr ist and pr ay to h im f or he lp. And then I t r ust he w il l plac e his h ol y h a n d on m e a nd i n the s tor my seas hold me up from d row n in g. — S T. T H O M A S M O R E

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H op e al way s d r a w s t he soul from t he be a u t y th a t is s e e n to what i s be yond, al w ay s k ind les t h e d e s ire f or the hi d d en t hrough what is perc e ive d . — S T. G R E G O R Y O F N Y S S A

15

T h e hear t o f God invit es al l t o put it t o th e p roof.

T h e m o re he g i ves, t he more he desires to g ive. H e lo ves to s e e the t r ust w hic h mak es u s p e r s is t i n k noc k ing unc easingl y. —BLESSED P LACI D RICCARDI

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JANUARY

H e who know s himself k nows al l m e n .

H e who c a n lo ve himself lo ves al l m e n .

— S T. A N T H O N Y O F E G Y P T

17

The onl y way t o mak e r apid progres s a l on g t he p ath o f d ivine lo ve is t o remain ve r y l ittl e and to p ut al l our t r ust in Almight y G od .

That is what I have done.

— S T. T H É R È S E O F L I S I E U X

18

T he g re ater and more persist ent your c on fid e n ce i n Go d , the more abundant l y you wil l re ce ive al l t hat you ask . — S T. A L B E R T T H E G R E A T

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Cas t yo ur c ares upon G od, f or you a re h is and he w il l not f orget you. — S T. J O H N O F T H E C R O S S

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JANUARY

Chr i s t has made my soul beaut ifu l wi th the j e wels of gr ace and vir tu e.

I b e long to him whom t he angels s e r ve. — S T. A G N E S

21

T h e d eep e s t e l ement of G od ’s c omman d m e n t to p ro tect hum an lif e is t he requirement to s h ow re ve re nce and lo ve f or e ver y person an d th e l if e of e ver y person. — P O P E S T. J O H N P A U L I I

22

If your confidence were as great as it ought to be, you would not worr y about what may happen to you; you would place it all in God ’s hands, hoping that when he wants something of you, he will let you know what it is.

— S T. C L A U D E D E L A C O L O M B I È R E

23

The re i s no th ing smal l in t he ser vic e of G od .

— S T. F R A N C I S D E S A L E S

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JANUARY

The s ame Jesus w ho t ouc hed S aul is re ad y and ab le t o t r ansf or m eac h of u s , s etti ng us on fire w it h his lo ve. — A Y E A R O F C E L E B R AT I O N

25

[ Go d ] s ave d us , not bec ause of deeds d on e by u s i n r i g hte o us ness, but in vir t ue of his ow n m e rc y, by the was hing of regener at ion and re n e w a l in t he Hol y S pir it . —TITUS 3:5 (RSVCE)

26

I n o rd er to b e come an inst r ument in G od ’s h a n d s , we mus t b e of no ac count in our ow n e ye s .

— S T. A N G E L A M E R I C I

27

G r ant m e, O L ord my G od, a mind t o kn ow you , a hear t to seek you, w isdom t o fin d you , c ond uct p leasing t o you, fait hful pers e ve r a n ce i n wait ing f or you, and a hope o f final l y embr ac ing you.

— S T. T H O M A S A Q U I N A S

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JANUARY

Go d i s f ul l o f compassion, and ne ver fail s th os e w h o are a f f li cte d and despised, if t he y t r ust in h im a l on e. — S T. T E R E S A O F à V I L A

29

Have g reat confidence in J esus, and may you r t r u s t i n hi m g row dail y. . . . L ean on you r B e l o ve d , be c a us e the s o ul who abandons herself i n th e h a n d s of Je s us i n al l she does is c arr ied in h is a r m s . — S T. F R A N C E S C A B R I N I

30

B e l i e ve me . . . nobody c an be t r ul y happy in th is wo r ld unless he is at peace wit h G od . — S T. J O H N B O S C O

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PRAYER NOTES

JANUARY