FEATURED PAGES AND POSTS: FEBRUARY 2026
SAINT GABRIEL HOURS
The Good News:
Praying with Christ Every Day.
Anytime. Anywhere. With Anyone.
_______________________________________________________
The Bishop Malesic's Pastor Letter, A Flourishing Apostolic Church, invites us to do five simple things: 1) read the letter, underlining key points, making notes, and then sharing our reflections with others, 2) spend at least fifteen minutes a day in personal prayer, 3) develop a spiritual support network, 4) share the story of our spiritual journey, and 5) articulate our mission to use our gifts to build the kingdom of God here on earth.
Through personal responsibility, these five practices will produce both unity and diversity among the People of God. Each of us is responsible for reading the letter, interpreting it for our situation, and initiating conversations with others. The bishop is confident that each of us can find the best way to pray, and that we can create our own spiritual support network. Of course, our stories and our missions in life are unique.
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Do we have time to pray the Hours?
Time, Television and the Hours
Screens, beginning with television, have consumed much of our time. In the period from 1965 to 1995, while total leisure increased, television screens not only absorbed all the time freed up from paid and unpaid work they reduced the number of hours spent socializing, reading, and listening to music. In those three decades TV time rose by 5.7 hours from 9.3 hours per week to 15.0 hours per week for women. It rose by 5.4 hours from 11.9 to 17.3 hours for men. How and why did television come to absorb so much of our time?
Television is inexpensive and easily available in comparison to alternatives. Increased free time has become available in small amounts spread over the week rather than increased weeks of vacation, or less workdays per week. When people go on vacation they don’t watch much television. People report television is less satisfying than alternatives such as socializing, hobbies, sports, etc. However, these more satisfying alternatives generally need larger chunks of time and more advanced planning. When asked what they would do if they needed more time, people say they would give up television. Read my March 2011article at the PrayTell liturgy blog:
Screens, beginning with television, have consumed much of our time. In the period from 1965 to 1995, while total leisure increased, television screens not only absorbed all the time freed up from paid and unpaid work they reduced the number of hours spent socializing, reading, and listening to music. In those three decades TV time rose by 5.7 hours from 9.3 hours per week to 15.0 hours per week for women. It rose by 5.4 hours from 11.9 to 17.3 hours for men. How and why did television come to absorb so much of our time?
Television is inexpensive and easily available in comparison to alternatives. Increased free time has become available in small amounts spread over the week rather than increased weeks of vacation, or less workdays per week. When people go on vacation they don’t watch much television. People report television is less satisfying than alternatives such as socializing, hobbies, sports, etc. However, these more satisfying alternatives generally need larger chunks of time and more advanced planning. When asked what they would do if they needed more time, people say they would give up television. Read my March 2011article at the PrayTell liturgy blog:
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
How much time should we spend in prayer each day?
WHY IS FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAY IMPORTANT?
Summary of the Above Page
For the person who is finding God in all things, Saint Ignatius suggests that fifteen minutes of quality prayer is more important than spending several hours. Social science research says we spend an average of fifteen minutes a day with the five people who are most important in our lives. Research has found that faculty members who daily spend small amounts of time, e.g. fifteen minutes, writing articles, preparing lectures, and talking to their colleagues are more productive researchers, teachers, and faculty members.
Prayer
Ignatius claims that the "truly mortified person," one who has died to selfishness in order to seek God in all things (in the case of most laity, their families and their work), will profit more from fifteen minutes of quality prayer than the self-centered person who spends two hours in prayer. His observation was that people who spent too much time in mental prayer often become preoccupied with themselves e.g. their virtues and vices, rather than God and the people whom they were serving.
Friendship (Meaningful Personal Relationships)
Based on his research, Robert Dunbar claims that the average person is capable of having only about 150 meaningful relationships at one time. Friends include family and work relationships about which we often have no choice. They can include dead persons and most importantly for us, God! We are limited in our relationships by two factors: our cognitive capacity to process relationships and the limited amount of time we have each day for socializing.
We spend 40% of our social time with an inner circle of about 5 very close friends, averaging 8.5 hours a month a, little over two hours a week, which is only 17 minutes a day. If our relationship consists only of going to church for an hour each Sunday, God is a best friend but not a close, intimate friend.
We also spend about 20% of our social time with a circle of about 10 best friends with whom we spend a little over two hours a month. If our relationship with God consists of going to church about once-a-month God is just a good friend rather than a best friend.
Many more people pray daily than go to church weekly. If we pray only one of the Hours daily (about 17 minutes) God becomes a close, intimate friend! Most people who pray daily probably spend less than 17 minutes, e.g. grace at meals, or the Lord's Pray or some requests on rising, or thoughts before going to sleep. Therefore, praying just one of the Hours, especially if it is quality prayer, can deepen our relationship with Christ into a close intimate friendship.
Accomplishing Projects in Fifteen Minutes Sessions
How much time should we spend in prayer each day?
WHY IS FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAY IMPORTANT?
Summary of the Above Page
For the person who is finding God in all things, Saint Ignatius suggests that fifteen minutes of quality prayer is more important than spending several hours. Social science research says we spend an average of fifteen minutes a day with the five people who are most important in our lives. Research has found that faculty members who daily spend small amounts of time, e.g. fifteen minutes, writing articles, preparing lectures, and talking to their colleagues are more productive researchers, teachers, and faculty members.
Ignatius claims that the "truly mortified person," one who has died to selfishness in order to seek God in all things (in the case of most laity, their families and their work), will profit more from fifteen minutes of quality prayer than the self-centered person who spends two hours in prayer. His observation was that people who spent too much time in mental prayer often become preoccupied with themselves e.g. their virtues and vices, rather than God and the people whom they were serving.
Friendship (Meaningful Personal Relationships)
Based on his research, Robert Dunbar claims that the average person is capable of having only about 150 meaningful relationships at one time. Friends include family and work relationships about which we often have no choice. They can include dead persons and most importantly for us, God! We are limited in our relationships by two factors: our cognitive capacity to process relationships and the limited amount of time we have each day for socializing.
We spend 40% of our social time with an inner circle of about 5 very close friends, averaging 8.5 hours a month a, little over two hours a week, which is only 17 minutes a day. If our relationship consists only of going to church for an hour each Sunday, God is a best friend but not a close, intimate friend.
We also spend about 20% of our social time with a circle of about 10 best friends with whom we spend a little over two hours a month. If our relationship with God consists of going to church about once-a-month God is just a good friend rather than a best friend.
Many more people pray daily than go to church weekly. If we pray only one of the Hours daily (about 17 minutes) God becomes a close, intimate friend! Most people who pray daily probably spend less than 17 minutes, e.g. grace at meals, or the Lord's Pray or some requests on rising, or thoughts before going to sleep. Therefore, praying just one of the Hours, especially if it is quality prayer, can deepen our relationship with Christ into a close intimate friendship.
Accomplishing Projects in Fifteen Minutes Sessions
Robert Boice, who was one of my graduate school mentors, later wrote a book of advice to young faculty members based upon research into what makes for successful faculty members (e.g. good researchers, good teachers, and good colleagues). The answers are rather simple. First, tackle any large task (an article, lecture, relationship) with small amounts of time (e.g. fifteen minutes) rather than large amounts of time (one of more hours). Second, share your work with others, students, friends, colleagues.
Boice has many pithy sayings that illustrate how to manage small amounts of time. These can be applied to praying the Hours, "Wait expectantly" gives importance to setting aside a time and place for any project. That may be a morning walk, time on a treadmill, commercial breaks, a computer screen, etc. All of these may work well for the Hours if they become habitual. "Begin before you are ready" may seem contradictory. Once you have settled into your special place, don't wait for inspiration, or the right mood just begin, "Pause often" to respond to your thoughts and feelings, your surroundings, the text. Turn distractions into prayer. Make notes. Ask questions. "Stop before you are finished." Leave some things for the next session or next free minutes.
Robert Boice, who was one of my graduate school mentors, later wrote a book of advice to young faculty members based upon research into what makes for successful faculty members (e.g. good researchers, good teachers, and good colleagues). The answers are rather simple. First, tackle any large task (an article, lecture, relationship) with small amounts of time (e.g. fifteen minutes) rather than large amounts of time (one of more hours). Second, share your work with others, students, friends, colleagues.
Boice has many pithy sayings that illustrate how to manage small amounts of time. These can be applied to praying the Hours, "Wait expectantly" gives importance to setting aside a time and place for any project. That may be a morning walk, time on a treadmill, commercial breaks, a computer screen, etc. All of these may work well for the Hours if they become habitual. "Begin before you are ready" may seem contradictory. Once you have settled into your special place, don't wait for inspiration, or the right mood just begin, "Pause often" to respond to your thoughts and feelings, your surroundings, the text. Turn distractions into prayer. Make notes. Ask questions. "Stop before you are finished." Leave some things for the next session or next free minutes.
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________