Pocket Guide to Prayer

Alexis Dallara-Marsh reviews an easy-to-use guide to prayer, newly published by Ascension Press.

Pocket Guide to Prayer

by Dr. Edward Sri, Beth Sri, and Father Mark-Mary Ames, CFR
Published by Ascension Press

The best thing husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, can do for each other and for their children is to become saints, men and women of burning prayer. The impact of their words and actions is not only stronger — it is eternal. (Father Thomas Dubay, quoted in Pocket Guide to Prayer)

I have always struggled with how to pray. As a Catholic, I have learned those prayers we should all know such as the Our Father or Hail Mary, but spontaneous opening of my heart to He who I often find difficult to hear is a lofty task in my distracted, never-resting day-to-day life.

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A road map for where to begin with prayer

The Pocket Guide to Prayer by Dr. Edward Sri, Beth Sri, and Father Mark-Mary Ames, CFR, is truly a lifesaver, serving as a roadmap for where to begin with a high-yield overview of the tools I need. It is a little handbook I can easily fit into a purse, equipped with even a ribbon bookmark to keep me organized. I love that there are countless references to teachings of the Catechism and the saints.

Perhaps most reassuring is that rather than coming off as intimidating, this book begins with acknowledging my desire to pray as the beginning of prayer (as taught by Saint Thomas Aquinas). What a comfort to one who has otherwise been so torn with where to start!

This small yet extremely powerful book includes:

reasons one should pray and how to prepare, coordinating a time and place properly and eliminating distractions
giving a format for prayer through the acronym ACTS (Adoration. Confession. Thanksgiving, and Supplication, which includes asking God to intercede for others as well as petitioning for our desires)
reviewing the types of prayer: Vocal, Meditation (i.e. the stages of Lectio Divina, or Ignatian prayer, imagining ourselves present for a particular biblical passage), Contemplation (a deeper form of prayer God grants one to know Him on a more intimate level)
how to conquer difficulties such as distractions ("Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also": Matthew 6:21), dryness ("Persevere. Love resides in the will, not feelings"), or even how to incorporate one's family.
resources such as on the Mass, the Rosary, the Sacraments, prayers for certain time periods and various traditional Catholic prayers

Ultimately, Dr Sri reassures us that prayer is not meant to be perfect words but will radiate from the humble heart that seeks God. St Catherine of Siena, doctor of the Church, has taught prayer is, simply, the uniting of two infinite desires: God's infinite desire for us and our infinite desire for Him.

I am so thankful for this resource I can easily carry with me to help guide me more in the path to love and serve our Lord.

Ask for Pocket Guide to Prayer at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Amazon.com or the publisher, Ascension Press.

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

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