You do not need a store-bought "prayer journal"

I am going to make a hot take here, as 2023 is around the corner and I keep getting emails from Catholic companies selling 2023 prayer journals or other similarly-themed 2023 spiritual notebooks.

I suppose I am a bit of a curmudgeon on this, but I think: you don’t need it. Yes, there are many beautifully illustrated and devout-looking journals out there, and I am sure they help some people. But is it really necessary? No.

Why am I a curmudgeon on this? Because I see the having, or the not having, of a professional prayer journal as a roadblock to an actual prayer life. It is like one who buys weights, exercise outfits, and a subscription for an exercise program, but never actually works out. You’ve got the stuff, but are you actually showing up?

I have never used anything other than spiral-bound notebooks, either for regular journaling and note-taking, or keeping a prayer journal. Sometimes I even just use my phone. But every article, and any other thing, I have ever written, more often than not has had its start in a simple spiral-bound notebook.

My larger point is: don’t overcomplicate it. You do not need a rose-covered book with loopy calligraphy of inspiring Scripture to commune with God. Rather, the harder part is the showing up. Can you do that, first? Can you show your commitment with nothing - no crutches, no journals - other than dependence on God for the grace of prayer time with Him?

That’s my curmudgeonly hot take. If you are someone who has been deeply helped by a pre-populated prayer journal or the like - God bless you, truly. If you’re someone who thinks your prayer life can’t happen without it, and an exact plan about how each day is going to go in your prayer - you can, and you will.

My last Catholic Stand article of the year comes out the last day of the year: December 31. It is a short meditation on what went right this year: reasons for hope at the end of the year. Then I’ll be back with the Morning Air Show on Tuesday, January 10 at 7:10 am eastern to discuss.

May you have a blessed Christmas season, and a blessed new year!

The Gift of the Magi for Christmas

O. Henry’s short story, “The Gift of the Magi,” is one of my favorites, any time of year. A few years ago I recorded a version, which I share again here in honor of the Christmas season.

And yes, that is a reminder, that although Christmas was yesterday - December 25 - it actually lasts much longer than that! And, thankfully, we are still in the Christmas season. Let it last as long as God wills! Which will be January 5, if you want to get technical about it. So, I hope your Christmas is off to a joyous start.

Another thing: I look at the visitors to my website. I can see country, and in the case of the US, state, where everyone comes from.

For many years I have had many Nigerian visitors. I attribute this to the abundance of Legion of Mary-related articles from the early years of this blog. The Legion is highly active in Nigeria. I see people searching for information on certain chapters of the handbook, and finding my allocutios. So, first, welcome Nigerian visitors, fellow Legionaries.

And for everyone else: if you have not been following it, Nigeria is in rough shape these days, and especially the Church. The Pillar has been providing excellent analysis about the martyrs and persecution of Christians happening there at the hand of the state. Read it. And, my request this Christmas season: please pray for Nigeria, Nigerians, Christians in Nigeria, and the Church in Nigeria. Chances are pretty good anyway that, as the west loses vocations and Africa abounds in vocations, you will soon, if not already, have yourself a Nigerian priest. That is not the only reason, of course, but if that is helpful to drive the point home: fellow Catholics are in crisis there, who are one or two administrative decisions away from being your own leaders. But the Church there is the Church here, not just because of administrative decisions, but because the Church is one body. Pray for the brave Christian Nigerians facing very real persecution. Pray for the intercession of the baby Jesus and the Holy Family.

And, on this December 26: pray for us, St. Stephen, the very first martyr of the Church! As Bishop Barron wrote in today’s Gospel reflection:

“Indeed, the martyrs have come from all corners of the world, and they have spoken Greek, Latin, French, German, English, Japanese, Polish, and many other languages besides. Friends, this, strangely, is the army that undermines the foundations of the fallen world through the centuries. This is the great fighting force that Jesus has unleashed and continues to unleash.”

Odd to discuss death at Christmas? Well, just wait until this Wednesday and the feast of the Holy Innocents! All the children King Herod put to death at the announement of Christ’s birth.

And that is how it is, isn’t it? Birth and death together, one and the same. Accept the light with the darkness, that is how it must be. God himself was put to death. But, he rose again. That is how it is.

Anyway - sincerely, Merry Christmas! May yours be less weird than perhaps it was the last two years; perhaps there was room for new traditions or a simpler celebration learned during the pandemic. Whatever the case, know I am praying for you, and please pray for me.

Latest radio + wishing you a very Merry Christmas

I had one of my most interesting conversations with John Morales last week on the Morning Air Show. You can listen to the conversation here.

We were discussing my latest article, Evangelizing in a Post-Christian World. There is so, so much to be said on the topic, and the main point is that you cannot take for granted that the people you meet, and who you are inviting into the Christian life, have any idea what you’re talking about. For many, they are coming into the conversation without a basic understanding of a lot of things, especially historical, because the Church is no longer the dominant cultural force in the western world. There’s no common ground on stories, values, morality, and the purpose and meaning of life. What you do have in common, though, is the human experience - and the longing in every heart for something more and to be loved. Listen to the conversation and you’ll learn more. And I’ll be continuing to think about this, and how we can meet in charity those who are, essentially, speaking another language.

Wishing you the merriest, most splendid Christmas!