no time to pray in the morning?

[Tikhon.of.Colorado]

Hello, All.  Christ is in our midst!

well, lately I've been having a problem.  in the morning, I have SO MUCH to do in that little 1 1/2 hour period from wake up-head to school.  after my shower, but before I feed and change my dog's paper, I like to say my morning prayers. 

well, for the past few mornings, I've been really "into" my prayers.  I try not to rush through any of my prayers.  but, when I pray, I take a good 20 mins to pronounce every word.  I guess this makes me run a bit late. my mom will call "Trevor, are you getting ready?!"  and when I'm ready, she'll say "Gosh, it sure takes you a while.  I wonder what you really do in there".  then she gives me this look (wink, wink.  she think's that I'm doing something that most guys my age do a bit too often)  I just tell her I was playing with my dog. 


what should I do?!  should I cut down on my prayers?

how do those of you who have jobs deal with praying in the morning rush?

[Entscheidungsproblem]

Wake up earlier?

[Alveus Lacuna]

Any prayer is better than no prayer. If you have an iPod, you can download the morning prayers from the Jordanville prayerbook online and listen to them on the ride to school. It's not ideal, but many pious Christians have the prayers read to them, so it is certainly still beneficial.

Or you could shorten your prayer rule, under the guidance of your priest. Have you discussed the prayer rule you keep with him?

[ialmisry]

Hello, All.  Christ is in our midst!

well, lately I've been having a problem.  in the morning, I have SO MUCH to do in that little 1 1/2 hour period from wake up-head to school.  after my shower, but before I feed and change my dog's paper, I like to say my morning prayers. 

well, for the past few mornings, I've been really "into" my prayers.  I try not to rush through any of my prayers.  but, when I pray, I take a good 20 mins to pronounce every word.  I guess this makes me run a bit late. my mom will call "Trevor, are you getting ready?!"  and when I'm ready, she'll say "Gosh, it sure takes you a while.  I wonder what you really do in there".  then she gives me this look (wink, wink.  she think's that I'm doing something that most guys my age do a bit too often)  I just tell her I was playing with my dog. 


what should I do?!  should I cut down on my prayers?

how do those of you who have jobs deal with praying in the morning rush?

No reason to cut down on your prayers. Let your mother wink all she wants. Consider it persecusion for righteouness sake.

I often have had to do prayers silently to myself on the train to work, or walking etc. I'm not a morning person.  When I take my sons to school, if we don't get to say them before rushing out, they alternate reading the prayer book in the car as we go to school. I want it to sink in with them that no matter what, prayers are like eating (we often miss breakfast, etc. and have to eat on the run  ).

[quietmorning]

how do those of you who have jobs deal with praying in the morning rush?

I am out of the bed and heading to be at my prayer corner to pray no later than 5am.  With that said, know that I'm 47. . .and don't need as much sleep as a growing 16 year old young man.  So, while I get up early, if you choose to do this, you may well need to go to bed earlier, as well.

I've prayed both on the run and at my prayer corner, the preference for me is absolutely in front of my prayer corner. . .but I carry a small pocket prayer book with me everywhere I go just in case I have one of those mornings . . . and who hasn't had one of those mornings?  I try to plan ahead for events, if I can at all do it and make adjustments to when I will get up.  I shortened my prayer time . . . ONCE. . .and I don't think I will willingly do it again. . .I was HUNGRY STARVED for my Lord Christ Jesus for the rest of the day.  I really need that time of really getting into my prayer in the morning.  My days definitely go a lot better and are filled with much more grace if I will take the time. 

[Altar Server]

I will often say morning prayers from the pocket prayerbook in the car on the way to school. That might work for you.

[Thomas]

Try praying with a cd morning prayers enroute to school. It worked for me for many years---now most of the daily prayers are memorized.


THOMAS

[Heorhij]

One suggestion, maybe silly, I don't know... If you really are one of those "not-a-morning-persons," maybe try to say the Jesus prayer ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner") for a few minutes when you are already awake ("sort of..."), but still in bed? (It is hard for me to advice because I am, a ctually, what one can call a "morning person" - to me evening prayers have always been a bigger issue than morning prayers.)

[Andrew21091]

Here are two mp3s I came across of the morning and evening prayers being read from the Jordanville Prayer book.

Morning prayer: http://pomog.org/audio/morning_prayers.mp3

Prayer before sleep: http://pomog.org/audio/prayers_before_sleep.mp3

[Anastasia1]

My old boss used to pray on her way to her job/school. Maybe you can pray on your way to school or put the MP3s of the prayers on your MP3 player and listen to that in the morning.

[WetCatechumen]

This is ridiculously hard for me. I have a problem going to bed on time (sloth) and I have a problem waking up in the morning (again, sloth). So again, this reflects on my daily prayers. Evening prayers I usually get through easily enough, and praying the Jesus prayer on my rosary and various petitions to saints is much easier because I'm not reading from the psalter. The temptation to rush with the psalter is enormous.

Unfortunately, as I'm struggling with this too I don't know what to say. Luckily, my mother doesn't think I'm doing something I should not be doing when I'm in my room making noise. :p

inappropriate colorful word deleted and replaced with a phrase --- Thomas , Convert Issues Forum Moderator

[Paisius]

Hello, All.  Christ is in our midst!

well, lately I've been having a problem.  in the morning, I have SO MUCH to do in that little 1 1/2 hour period from wake up-head to school.  after my shower, but before I feed and change my dog's paper, I like to say my morning prayers. 

well, for the past few mornings, I've been really "into" my prayers.  I try not to rush through any of my prayers.  but, when I pray, I take a good 20 mins to pronounce every word.  I guess this makes me run a bit late. my mom will call "Trevor, are you getting ready?!"  and when I'm ready, she'll say "Gosh, it sure takes you a while.  I wonder what you really do in there".  then she gives me this look (wink, wink.  she think's that I'm doing something that most guys my age do a bit too often)  I just tell her I was playing with my dog. 


what should I do?!  should I cut down on my prayers?

how do those of you who have jobs deal with praying in the morning rush?

I'm going to second the question Alveus put forth. Have you discussed your prayer rule with your priest? Quite frankly, a twenty minute prayer rule seems a bit excessive for someone as new to the faith as yourself. Of course that's not even mentioning the fact that you are still in high school.

There is an enormous danger of burnout if you try to take on too much at one time. That is especially true for someone your age. Whatever you do I implore you to make sure you have the guidance of someone more experienced than yourself and that you follow that person's directions. 

[johngregory]

Dear friend, Jesus taught us the importance of daily prayer. He said, "Always pray, never lose heart" (Luke 18:1). He also said to converse with God day and night (Luke 18:7). When He taught His disciples to pray, He told them to ask God for their daily needs (Luke 11:3).
Pls wake up earlier..

[Tikhon.of.Colorado]

well, thanks, everyone for the advice!  I now have established a steady prayer rule.  I spoke to my godfather, and one thing that he does that I'll take up is he says the trisagion prayers in the shower (he memorized them) and then goes to  finnish before the icons,

It's all good!

[Hermogenes]

Hello, All.  Christ is in our midst!

well, lately I've been having a problem.  in the morning, I have SO MUCH to do in that little 1 1/2 hour period from wake up-head to school.  after my shower, but before I feed and change my dog's paper, I like to say my morning prayers. 

well, for the past few mornings, I've been really "into" my prayers.  I try not to rush through any of my prayers.  but, when I pray, I take a good 20 mins to pronounce every word.  I guess this makes me run a bit late. my mom will call "Trevor, are you getting ready?!"  and when I'm ready, she'll say "Gosh, it sure takes you a while.  I wonder what you really do in there".  then she gives me this look (wink, wink.  she think's that I'm doing something that most guys my age do a bit too often)  I just tell her I was playing with my dog. 


what should I do?!  should I cut down on my prayers?

how do those of you who have jobs deal with praying in the morning rush?

No reason to cut down on your prayers. Let your mother wink all she wants. Consider it persecusion for righteouness sake.

I often have had to do prayers silently to myself on the train to work, or walking etc. I'm not a morning person.  When I take my sons to school, if we don't get to say them before rushing out, they alternate reading the prayer book in the car as we go to school. I want it to sink in with them that no matter what, prayers are like eating (we often miss breakfast, etc. and have to eat on the run  ).

Why not just say what you're doing?

[Hermogenes]

I've probably tried as many variations on time and place as there are with this. I have to say honestly that the thing I've found works best and starts me out most connected and centered is to begin my prayer rule immediately on waking. Literally as soon as I wake up. Now, I don't always do this; I guess that goes without saying. I love sleeping, and I am one lazy dog. But it is what works best.

I agree 20 minutes may be a little too much for the beginning. Choose something you know you can do even on your worst days, and then try to grow more toward what you can do on your best days.

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