A School Day Prayer Routine

We have been given months and months of free time. What did you use that free time for? Hopefully you've used it to your benefit and made time for things you haven't normally had time to do. Sadly, one of these things that people often say they don't have time for is prayer. But it doesn't have to be this way!!! We can make every single action, thought, and feeling of our day into a prayer. Prayer is simply a conversation with God. That's it. Even one singular thought of God is a prayer. It is entirely possible (and actually fairly easy!) to, as St.Paul says, "Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5: 17) In non-first century language, this basically means to pray constantly. If you are like most people, you probably don't know where to start. I'm here to help! The following is a "schedule" of a typical day for a teenager. This can apply whether you're in a school building, cyber school, or homeschooled, and will hopefully give you ideas for how to incorporate prayer into your day. The links to the prayers can be found by clicking on the underlined, purple words.

Wakeup- Stop! Before you even get out of bed, say some morning prayers. I would especially recommend praying the morning offering as well as a prayer to your guardian angel. Another good habit to get into would be to reading the daily readings and making a spiritual communion, even before you get out of bed.

Getting ready for the day- As you get a shower, remember your Baptism and ask Christ to wash you of your sins once again. As you brush your teeth, ask Him to make all of your speech holy. As you get dressed, envision yourself putting on the armor of God. (Ephesians 6 13-16)

Eat breakfast- As my health class teacher once told my class, "You're a fool if you don't eat breakfast!" So do it!! But before you do that, make another spiritual communion, recognizing that Christ himself is all the sustenance you'll ever need, and of course, say a prayer before meals to thank Him for your food.

Going to school- This one doesn't apply so much to the home/cyber schoolers, but you could still do it too :-) On your way to school, whether you're biking, walking, riding a bus, or driving, pray a decade of the Rosary (or a full Rosary) and ask God to help you in all your struggles and trials throughout the day.

English class- At the beginning of class, say a prayer for your teacher and classmates. If you are writing an essay, ask the Holy Spirit to give you the necessary words. If you are reading a book, pray for real-life people who may be involved in similar conflicts. Always remember to stand up for the values and morals that you stand for when it comes to reading books. Don't settle for garbage. It's not worth losing your soul over a trashy book. This can sometimes be hard in a public school setting but it will be worth it in the end!

Computer Class- Thank God for the gift of technology and pray that it will be used for good in your school and all around the world.

Language Class- Ask the Holy Spirit to help you speak with confidence. Pray that your knowledge of the language may be helpful in your spreading the Good News to every nation.

Math Class- Pray for perseverance, courage, and strength. You're also going to need some patience. A lot of it. If you are love math, good for you! Please say a prayer for those of us who don't... (this applies to any subject)

Art Class- Use your art skills for Good! If you have the freedom to create whatever you want, use your creativity to make something that is going to build up the kingdom of God. Ex: drawing or painting of a saint, religious symbolism, cord, bead, or wire Rosary, carving or statue of a saint, Jesus, or the Blessed Mother. If you aren't allowed to do this, make your art to be a gift to someone else. It will definitely brighten someone's day :-)

Science Class- Pray for scientists who are trying every day to figure out how to make the world an even better place for us by trying to understand it. Science is a great gift from God! Depending on what you are studying, you could pray for the protection of the environment, protection from sickness and disease, health, etc.

History class- One really cool thing about God is that He is outside of time. This means that our prayers can be used to help someone who lived thousands of years ago! Pray for people in whichever period of history you're learning about. Another interesting thing to do out of school hours would be to look up how the Church was involved in whatever historical events your class is discussing, if they happened within the past 2000 years.

Lunch- Pray the prayer before meals, using the sign of the cross and everything! You can pray out loud or in your head. Invite your friends to pray with you as well. You could also make another spiritual communion. Praying is a great way to evangelize without using words! If you see someone sitting alone, go and sit with them, or invite them to sit with you.

In the hallways (Home/cyber schoolers- in between subjects??) - Depending on how much time you have between classes, pray a decade of the Rosary, or just say a few prayers asking the Lord to bless everyone you pass by.

Music Classes- Use your music to evangelize! If you can choose a piece to play or sing and present to a class, make it something religious. A hymn or contemporary Christian song woud be great! If your school has a holiday concert and you sing a Christmas song that has lyrics that include the true meaning of Christmas, tell your choir/band director that you really appreciate that and thank them for their choice in music.

Health and Gym- Ask the Lord to keep you healthy so that you can continue to work for His glory. Offer up your discomfort and tiredness for the salvation of souls.

Study Hall- Say a prayer before study, and then do your homework! If you have extra time, you could pray another decade of the Rosary.

Going home- Most schools seem to get out around the 3 o'clock hour. On your way home, pray a Divine Mercy Chaplet and thank God for a good day.

After School activities- Ask Jesus to be with you as you travel to and from your activities. If you have time, you our could finish your Rosary if you didn't already do so. Some parishes offer a daily Mass in the evenings. If you can, try to attend a daily Mass before or after your activities.

Dinner- Say the prayer before meals and make a spiritual communion. Use this time to talk with your family about your day!

Bedtime- Don't stay up too late! If you like to read, you could do some spiritual reading to wind down. Before you go to sleep, take some time to talk to God about your day. Pray the prayer for daily neglects, the healing prayer at bedtime, and the prayer to your guardian angel. You can replace the word "day" with "night" in the guardian angel prayer. Pray an Act of Contrition.

I hope these ideas help you to build prayer into your school day. The more you pray, the better your relationships with God, yourself, and others will be. I truly believe that God changes lives through prayer. Let Him change yours!

Please share this post with other Christian friends who might benefit from it!