A Soul's Response: A Prayer Companion for Catholic Moms

Maura Gentry reviews a new devotional that introduces different prayer practices to help moms grow spiritually.

A Soul's Response: A Prayer Companion for Catholic Moms

By Catholic Mom contributor Margaret Rash

Writing a devotional that meets busy Catholic moms where they are at is no easy feat. In A Soul’s Response, author Margaret Rash has done just that, beautifully drawing on her own experience to create a prayer companion that guides and inspires.   

What makes Rash’s book so unique is its creative structure. The book is divided into twelve sections, so each month you are given the opportunity to reflect in four different ways:  

• Lectio Divina: a bible verse with accompanying reflection prompts and plenty of space to journal or draw as you pray.
• Curated photographs: pictures of nature accompanied by prayers that aid your prayerful reflection of God’s creation.
• Original poetry: beautiful verse also accompanied by prayers and reflection prompts.  
• Reflections: the author presents her meditations on the theme for the month, along with suggestions of certain prayers of the Church that aid you in further contemplation.  

A New Way to Pray Every Month

I found the structure of A Soul’s Response so compelling. By presenting different ways to pray each month, it allowed me to challenge the areas of my spiritual life where I have become too comfortable and helped me seek new ways to encounter our Lord. I also found that the delineations between the months weren’t decisive. I felt as though I could pray along with the prompts at my own pace, listening to the Holy Spirit rather than feeling the need to complete a section or refrain from continuing on if I felt called to.   

Rash’s reflections are profound in their humility. I found her poetry, especially, to be a joy. While reading, I was struck by her commitment to simple images. In the poem “The Rosary,” she so ingeniously connects children hopping along stepping stones holding their mother’s hand to her own fingers hopping along rosary beads to Mother Mary. It is an image that immediately sparks delight.   

In addition to her own reflections and creative writing, Rash guides her readers in learning more about the prayers of the Church. On the cover description, she writes that her hope is that “one day prayer comes naturally, reading the Bible isn’t so intimidating, and you have found a favorite go-to devotional prayer.”   

So often in devotionals authors are tempted to try to point readers in a new way to traditional devotions that have perhaps lost their luster: Adoration, daily Mass, and other practices. While this is a worthy effort, I think this devotional provides inspiration in deviating from the norm. Instead of the old faithful devotions, Rash points readers to lesser-known prayers such as the Litany of Trust from the Sisters of Life, St. Patrick’s Breastplate, and the Chaplet of the Ten Virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This really helps the reader feel encouraged to choose her own unique “go-to devotional prayer,” as Rash said, even if it’s not in the Companion.  

"Go into your inner room"

A Soul’s Response as a whole reminded me of the verse from the Gospel of Matthew:

“But when you pray, go into your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” (Matthew 6:6)

Rather than taking us along with her into her inner room, Rash has given us the tools and encouraged us to journey into our own. She is reminding busy moms that the Lord is calling to us amidst the hustle and bustle of family life. She writes: 

As mothers, we are at our most beautiful to God when we die to ourselves and are forgetful of our own desires for the sake of our children and for the love of God. In a world that relentlessly tries to convince us that we need to put ourselves first and take care of our needs first, it is truly when we put ourselves to the side, trusting in God to take care of us, and instead focusing outside of ourselves that we show our true beauty to and for God. 

A Soul’s Response: A Prayer Companion for Catholic Moms by Margaret Rash can be purchased on Amazon.com. 

Is this a devotional you’d like to pray with? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2025 Maura Gentry
Images: Canva
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