As Catholics, we are blessed to have a plethora of prayers, reflections, meditations, spiritual readings, and so much more at our fingertips that nurture our faith and allow us to grow closer to Our Lord. While we strive to live our lives in the way God is calling us to, oftentimes we seek a deeper, more intricate prayer life and wisdom from the Holy Spirit that comes with that. The Bible, Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet and popular prayers, such as the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be are frequently what we turn to—and we should! After all, these are amazing ways of growing our faith! But sometimes, we desire more…
I’d love to share with you three unique and powerful things you can add to your “spiritual toolkit” that have helped transform my prayer, relationship with Christ and my life:
The Fifteen Prayers of St. Bridget
Honoring Our Lord’s Wounds
When St. Bridget was ten years old, she was deeply impacted by a sermon she heard on the Passion of Our Lord. The following night she believed that she saw Our Lord nailed to the cross, completely covered with blood and wounds. She asked Him, “O Dear Lord, who has treated You so cruelly?” He replied, “Those who despise Me and are insensible to My Love for them.” That dream left such a deep impression on her that from then on, she continually meditated on the sufferings of Christ and wondered how many blows He received during His Passion. One day Our Lord appeared to her and said, “I received 5480 blows on My Body. If you wish to honor them in some way, say 15 Our Fathers and 15 Hail Marys with the following prayers (which He taught her) for a whole year. When the year is up, you will have honored each one of My Wounds.”
The 15 Prayers of St. Bridget can be found here: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/prayers-of-saint-bridget-9117
They are also printed in The Original Pieta Prayer Book, which can be purchased here:
Searching for and Maintaining Peace by Father Jacques Philippe
A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart
“We live in a day and age characterized by an extraordinary amount of agitation and lack of peace. This tendency manifests itself in our spiritual as well as our secular life. In our search for God and holiness, in our service to our neighbor, a kind of restlessness and anxiety take the place of the confidence and peace which ought to be ours. What must we do to overcome the moments of fear and distress which assail us all too often in our lives? How can we learn to place all our confidence in God and abandon ourselves into his loving care? This is what is taught in this simple, yet profound little treatise on peace of heart. Taking concrete examples from our everyday life, the author invites us to respond in a Gospel fashion to the upsetting situations we must all confront. Since peace of heart is a pure gift of God, it is something we should seek, pursue and ask him for without cease. This book is here to help us in that pursuit.” (Taken from the back cover of the book)
It can be purchased here: https://www.catholiccompany.com/searching-maintaining-peace-small-treatise-peace-heart-i22220/
33 Days to Morning Glory by Father Michael E. Gaitley, MIC
Consecrate Yourself to Jesus through Mary
Father Michael Gaitley, MIC walks readers through an extraordinary 33-day journey to Marian consecration, or a consecration “to Jesus through Mary.” Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary truly is “the surest, easiest, shortest, and the most perfect means” to becoming a saint. Father Michael summarizes the teachings of four saints who were close to Our Mother in a “user-friendly, do-it-yourself retreat that will bless even the busiest of people”!
This book can be purchased here: https://www.catholiccompany.com/33-days-to-morning-glory-i33911/
What’s in your spiritual toolkit? Comment below!
May God bless you as you strive to grow closer to Him!