Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
James Martin, S.J.January 25, 2019
  Ludovico Carracci, "Madonna and Child with Saints" (detail), 1607. Met Museum. 

Subscribe to “The Examen” for free on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe to “The Examen” for free on Google Play

Join our Patreon Community

We’re really getting deep into Ordinary Time now. At least the church is. How about you? Christmas and Epiphany have probably already receded in your mind and Lent won’t come for a while. So maybe you wonder: What can I pray about? Well, Ordinary Time is one of my favorite times of the year because we follow Jesus through his exciting public ministry of preaching and healing.

So if you sometimes have a hard time thinking about what to pray about, as many of us do during our longer prayer periods, now might be a good time to pray with the Gospels. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just use an online resource like the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website, or a daily prayer book, like Give Us This Day, or Living with Christ, or Magnificat, and pray with the Daily Gospel reading. Imagine yourself in the scene, or talk to God about the story, or see if an insight comes, or simply pick a part of the story you and just rest with it. It’s Ordinary Time for sure, but you may find that your prayer can be extraordinary.  

[Don’t miss any of the latest writings, podcasts and videos from Father Martin. Sign up for his newsletter.]

More: Prayer
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

Against the backdrop of deep differences with the Trump administration over migration and foreign aid as well as concerns for Ukraine and for Gaza, the Vatican secretary of state welcomed U.S. Vice President JD Vance to the Vatican.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, attended the liturgy with his wife, Usha, a practicing Hindu, and his three children after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni earlier in the day.
My Catholic identity and my wife’s Protestant identity continue to endure, and our faith has developed together in greater harmony, knowing that our love for each other was ultimately grounded in our love for God.
Damian WhitneyApril 17, 2025
the wily accuser tempted him in just the way to confuse a savior: All this I will give you.
Jerry HarpApril 17, 2025