A simple but powerful prayer for a complex time

  • How can you live in and face a world drowning in bad news?
  • How can we not become discouraged at the chaos around us?
  • How can Catholics pursue holiness in the midst of increasing darkness?

Fr. Charles Fox, in an article from Catholic World Report, urges us quite simply to:

“Call upon the name of the Lord!” (Romans 10:13)

He says: “Invoking the name of the Lord can get a Christian through anything the world, the flesh, or the devil can dish out. This simple yet powerful prayer can effectively counter the attacks of temptation, sorrow, and frustration.”

A beautiful expression of our faith is to punctuate our daily activities with short invocations and aspirations. Practice including simple one-line prayers in your day (or even one-word prayers: “Father,” “Jesus,” and “Come Holy Spirit”).

Find a simple “arrow” prayer you can echo throughout the day and send to the Lord, raising your mind and heart, for example:

  • “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)
  • “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” (Jesus Prayer)
  • “Thy grace is sufficient!” (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9)
  • “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)
  • “Mary, give me your heart.” (St. Mother Theresa)
  • “Jesus, I trust in you.” (St. Faustina)

Read Article by Fr. Charles Fox