J.M.J.
THE HOLY HOUR PRAYER BOOK
Could you not watch one hour with me?
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, when he was ordained, made a promise to make a Holy Hour daily before the Blessed Sacrament. For sixty years of his priesthood, he kept that promise. It was during his Holy Hour that he learned to listen and abandon himself totally to God’s call.
He always encouraged this practice in others, even non-Catholics. His strong convictions on the benefits of time spent in Eucharistic adoration were a powerful example to religious and laity alike. Of this practice he states:
’The Holy Hour is not a devotion; it is a sharing in the work of redemption. ’Could you not watch one hour with me?’ Not for an hour of activity did He plead, but for an hour of companionship.’
Some might ask, ’Why spend an hour a day in meditation?’ to which Archbishop Sheen would respond, ’Because we are living on the surface of our souls, knowing little either of God or our inner self. Our knowledge is mostly about things, not about destiny.’
Here Archbishop Sheen will share a number of his recommended prayers and meditations that will elicit some ’heart speaks to heart’ moments and encourage the reader to ’Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you’.
Few books are such an inspiring call to sanctity, and few books are such a spiritual powerhouse. With Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen as your guide you will also learn:
Why Make a Holy Hour
How to Make a Holy Hour
The Incarnation of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
How Christ Lives in Us Today
How the Divine Life is Lost and our Final End
The Duty of Self-Denial
Giving Glory to God in the World
The Eucharist; The Need of Our Heart
Our Blessed Mother
You will also discover how to make your Holy Hours more efficacious and master a variety of other techniques that Archbishop Sheen employed in his own fruitful quest for holiness. The saintly Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will unveil often overlooked riches in other everyday Catholic prayers, transforming them from rote recitations into powerful moments of communion with God.
Innehållsförteckning
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE HOLY HOUR: MEDITATIONS AND REFLECTIONS
’Could You Not Watch One Hour With Me.’
Why Make a Holy Hour?
How to Make the Holy Hour
First Meditation – The Incarnation of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
Second Meditation – How Christ Lives in Us Today
Third Meditation – How that Divine Life is Lost and Our Final End
Fourth Meditation – The Duty of Self-Denial
Fifth Meditation – Giving Glory to God in the World
Sixth Meditation – The Eucharist, The Need of Our Heart
Seventh Meditation – Our Blessed Mother
’To Our Lady’
PRAYERS OF MEDITATION AND PETITION
Christ to a Faithful Soul
Prayer to Follow the Example of Jesus Christ
Prayer against Evil Thoughts
Prayer for the Enlightening of the Mind
Prayer for Charity and Tolerance
A Universal Prayer
A Prayer of the Church under Grievous Persecutions
Prayer of St. Ignatius
Acknowledgments
About the Author: Fulton J. Sheen