When Satan Tricks You Out of Prayer Time by Katie Kimball

If you’ve read my last few columns, you know that I found naptime to be the perfect time for a 5-minute power prayer session. I shared with you my novena trick to keep me motivated to regular prayer. Sometimes, even the best laid plans don’t end up working so well…

When I had a second child, the naptime thing no longer worked for me, since someone always seemed to be awake. Satan tricked me into thinking that I didn’t have the energy to pray. I fell off the wagon, hard, and lost the rhythm of my Ordinary Time novenas.

When my daughter turned about six months, I found motivation for try anew for regular prayer time. I had lost the momentum of my novenas, so I tried something new: I made a list of daily prayer intentions, my "most important people," along with a saint to pray to for each one of them. I quickly implored each saint to pray for this person, and if I had a particular intention for them, I added that at the time.

I can get through the list in 5 minutes, plus ask God for help in my day and even add another prayer for my marriage sometimes. Here is an idea of my current list:

St. Joseph – for my husband
St. Paul – for my son
St. Katharine Drexel – for my daughter
Mary, Mother of God – for patience in parenting for myself
I offer up my: time, money, parenting, daily duty
St. Monica – for my parents and in-laws (I figure she prayed for her son, but she can pray for my parents, too. I don’t know if there is a patron saint of parents!)
St. Michael the Archangel – for my brother in the armed forces
St. Maria Goretti – for my sister and brother-in-law, newly married
St. Benedict – for my work, my writing, discernment about jobs
St. Martin de Porres – for the USA and the conversion of President Obama
For an end to abortion and contraception
St. Gerard – for all my pregnant friends (16 at one point – too many to keep track of!! God knows my heart…)
Blessed Mother Teresa – for all sick, especially…(here I can add people as I learn of illnesses)

You can do this, too. God wants to talk to you, even if it’s just 5 minutes. When you’re lucky, the timer will beep and you’ll ignore it because you’re enjoying your time with the Lord so much. This is how we grow in holiness…one 5-minute step at a time.

I don’t only pray 5 minutes a day, but that’s the time I spend on my knees. Here is how I incorporate prayer into my busy work in the kitchen.