God, I hope I’m doing this right. You seem awfully quiet. Am I missing something? Sometimes I feel really close to You, and sometimes it’s like I’m talking to a brick wall. I’m just not quite sure what to do next. Is this all there is? Or is there something more for me…something You’re calling me towards…?

We want to help you find something more this Lent.

Write to us about your experience with prayer, and we’ll write back.

Settle down with paper and pen, and tell us:

  • What’s it like for you when you pray?

    • What are you doing? And what do you sense God is doing?

    • What road blocks do you encounter?

  • Then, hand us your letter after Mass any time during Lent, or drop it off/mail it to the rectory office any time.

“Dear Fr. Fallon and Jen,”

Make sure to write your letter by hand. (It’s good for the soul!) Please include your name and email address, so we can send you a timely reply.

Fr. Fallon and Jen will write back via email.

A starting point for writing about your experience in prayer:

  • Pray first- before you start writing.

  • Great! Now, what did you notice?

    • When you sit down to pray: WHERE are you? WHAT are you doing? HOW LONG do you remain? HOW FREQUENTLY do you do this?

    • What is it like for YOU?

      • What do you feel while you’re praying?

      • What thoughts tend to come to mind?

      • Any images, desires, or aspirations?

    • What do you notice about GOD while you’re praying?

      • Do you have a sense that He is with you?

      • Does He seem to be close to you, or far away?

      • What does it seem like God is doing while you’re with Him?

    • What happens when you’re quiet in prayer?

    • What are you struggling with in prayer?

    General questions for reflection:

  • What gets you excited about praying? And what makes you dread it sometimes?

  • What seems like the easiest part of prayer? The hardest?

  • Can you describe a time when you felt very close to God? What was it like for you?

  • Can you describe a time when you felt far away from God? What was it like for you?

  • What is your hope for prayer?

Sample Letter

Dear Fr. Fallon and Jen,

Okay here goes. I used to pray every morning while drinking my coffee. I’d usually read the daily Gospel reading and then take about 15 minutes to just sit with God and reflect on the reading. I used to get a lot out of it, actually, and I felt very peaceful and like…ready for the day. But then I started having a hard time waking up early enough to take the time, and I sort of fell out of the habit. I don’t know why because I used to look forward to it.

Then I tried to start going to Adoration on Wednesday nights to change it up…and at first it was really good, and I just felt very connected to God, like He wanted me there and everything. But that waned, too. I would get pretty distracted while I was sitting there, like I couldn’t sit still. I didn’t know what to focus on, and I ended up just planning out what I wanted for dinner or overanalyzing the latest horrible conversation I had with my co-worker. Or if I bring a spiritual book, I’d just end up reading the book the whole time.

I’m finding it hard to commit to prayer because it just feels like I’m wasting my time sometimes. I go to Mass every Sunday, and I believe God is real and everything…but I have no idea why He is so hard to reach.

Thoughts?

Sincerely,

Kinda-Lost-and-Almost-Giving-Up-Guy ( J/k. This is Josh B.) My email is joshbejoshing@email.com

Sample Letter 2

Dear Fr. Fallon and Jen,

Lately prayer has been pretty good. I have definitely gone back and forth between times of great consolation and then dryness…so I really want to make sure I’m doing what I can to stay on track. I have to be crafty about when I can steal the time to pray because I have kids at home, but it’s been working out to take twenty minutes when my oldest is at school and my youngest is taking a nap. I usually take the first few minutes just to become aware of God sitting with me, and then I swear it’s like He’s excited to see me, and He scoops me up, and I spend the rest of the time in silence. I used to really struggle to know what to do…but now I kind of get the impression I’m supposed to just sit there. Sometimes I thank Him for blessings I know He’s given me, and sometimes I ask Him for the things I need. But sometimes I’m really just sitting there enjoying being with Him in the quiet before I have to mom it up again.

When I’m praying, it seems like that’s exactly what I need to be doing…but then when things amp up at home again, I’m not sure. Especially when everything goes haywire and I find myself yelling or getting frustrated….at everyone. Now that I think about it, it really doesn’t make sense that God would be so present to me in prayer- I mess up a lot. Am I just making all of this up? (And I know you’ll say I should just go to Confession, but let’s just say it’s been a while, and I’m not sold on the concept.)

Thanks,

Mary Beth G- mbgfamily@email.com