Family Morning Prayer
Praying in the morning as a family is a way of putting God first, opening the door of our heart and soul to Jesus, and inviting him to accompany us throughout the day. Here's a beautiful morning prayer written in simple, up-to-date language, and accompanied by gestures to help young and old alike to experience prayer in their bodies and bring it down into their hearts.
Morning prayer with gestures for the whole family
Adapted from Pierre Lacroix's prayer:
"Lord Jesus Christ, this morning I open the door (open his hands in front of his heart) of my whole being to you for the next 24 hours. Enter into all that I am: my body, my soul, my heart, my senses, my memory, my intelligence, my joys and my sorrows. Lord Jesus, I welcome your real and miraculous Presence in all that I am (open hands, palms up), including my wounds and frailties. I also receive you in all my worries and problems of this day. Lord, I confess that you have infinite love (draw a large circle with arms outstretched) for me and that I am your beloved child despite all my faults. At the beginning of this day, I accept the totality of your unconditional love for me. I give you complete freedom to love me divinely. Whatever may happen to me in the next 24 hours, I thank you in advance. As Saint Paul says, I proclaim: "It is no longer I who live, but You, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, who live in me." ( Gal 2:20) (press right hand over heart three times on "Jesus"). Lord Jesus, You are now in me for the next 24 hours. You live everything I live. We are truly together, and I rejoice in knowing you are within me."
Tips for praying as a family in the morning
Praying as a family is essential if we are to bear witness to our children of our desire to put God first in our lives. While children are of course always free to refuse Christ, family prayer times are nevertheless privileged moments for an intimate encounter. What's more, learning from an early age to be faithful to our daily prayer is good training for continuing to be so in adulthood.
Here are a few tips for family morning prayer:
Set up a beautiful prayer corner to help you reflect
Set a specific time for prayer to begin, and a length of time that will enable younger members of the family to stay focused until the end. This can also be before dinner, with a blessing.
Choose appropriate, short, nourishing content. Different types of content can nourish prayer: a passage from the Bible, a meditation, a prayer read or recited by heart, etc.
Praying with the body: kneeling, joining hands, gesturing, etc.
Express yourself spontaneously, to give thanks, ask forgiveness or confide an intention.
Hozana helps you pray in the morning with your family!
Hozana helps each and every family to discover the joy of prayer, to grow spiritually, and to be faithful to their daily time of encounter with Jesus. On Hozana you can discover hundreds of rich Christian spiritual proposals, and choose from those specially designed for family prayer, whatever the age of the children. Discover, for example, , whose simplicity and humility will speak to everyone, or .
