How can I develop my prayer life?

“How does a beginner start a prayer regimen?”

The keys to a successful prayer life are finding a quiet place to pray and praying at the same time every day.

Saint Alphonsus stressed that it is much more important to find a few min­utes each day than to give a whole hour once a week. In fact, he encouraged beginners to start slowly, even only fifteen minutes a day, as long as they were sure to take those fifteen minutes every day.

Alphonsus also liked to say that prayer is conversation with God about whatever is on our minds or in our hearts. Speak to God as you would your closest friend. Tell him about your day-your preoccupations, your worries, your joys, your hopes. Keep in mind, however, that a true conversation re­quires listening as well as talking.

In the Gospel stories, we often see Jesus at prayer. These stories offer us a variety of prayer experiences, but two in particular stand out. In the morn­ing, long before dawn, Jesus often goes out to a lonely place to pray. At other times, Jesus goes into the hills after sunset and prays. But whatever time a person prefers, all of us can benefit from taking a few moments to enter more deeply into solitude with Jesus in the Spirit.