Better Prayer and Faster Growth in Virtue: Two New Books, by Dr. Jeff Mirus

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture, Nov 05, 2024

Jeffrey Mirus holds a Ph.D. in intellectual history from Princeton University. A co-founder of Christendom College, he also pioneered Catholic Internet services. He is the founder of Trinity Communications and CatholicCulture.org.

We should all be seeking each and every day to grow closer to God, especially by adopting and persevering in good habits of prayer and virtue. The first steps, of course, are to attend Mass at least as often as Church law requires and to develop the habit of regular confession. But beyond these sacramental activities, it is important to practice the presence of God—that is, to live with an ever-increasing mindfulness of God’s presence in our lives, so that we habitually think and act in conscious awareness of the love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

There are many ways to form this habit, such as associating brief prayers with various kinds of actions throughout the day, or adopting set times of prayer, such as the Morning Offering or the Angelus and grace at meals. It is also of great benefit to reserve some time each day on a regular schedule for private or family prayer and spiritual reading. For those who recognize the importance of such habits, the difficulty becomes to repeat them mindfully. As I get older, I find myself sitting on the couch in the evening with my eyes closed in blissful meditation only to have my wife tell me I’m snoring. …

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