If we set out to pray a Holy Hour of complete silence and contemplation for the entire hour, then more often than not, we are setting ourselves up for failure. We might possibly even will fall asleep, as Peter, James, and John did, and the Lord could rightly rebuke us and ask, “So you could not keep watch with Me for one hour?”

We need a strategy when we set out to pray a Holy Hour. The Rosary is always a good option; it keeps both the mind and the body engaged in prayer as the mind prays the words and the fingers work the beads.

Another good option is spiritual reading; find some Saint whom you have been meaning to know, or some papal document that your pesky pastor is always mentioning, or some other book of a spiritual nature that will help you enter into the presence of God. Earlier this summer, we posted a reading list of good Catholic Christian books; like that child’s voice told Saint Augustine in his Confessions, “take up and read.”

Still other options include making a list of people for whom to pray and then praying for them by name. As Catholics, we are often entrusted with people’s prayer requests, so let us actually make that commitment to pray for them.

We can also learn how to enter into a good, thorough examination of conscience to reflect upon what evil things we have done as well as what good things we have failed to do, and then make our firm resolve to get to confession as soon as we can so that we might be reconciled with Christ and His Church.

These are just a few suggestions on how to make a good and fruitful Holy Hour. Try them out; you will certainly not be disappointed.