As Catholics, we are called to be the primary teachers of prayer to our children (CCC 2685, 2694). But if we didn’t grow up in a culture of prayer, it can be difficult to know how to do this or what to pass on to our children. So, I’m using this platform to share prayer ideas we can incorporate in our family prayer life!
Today’s prayer is The Five Finger Prayer. Technically speaking, it isn’t a prayer in itself, but more of a formula on how to pray. A big thank you to Monica from Arma Dei for sharing the poem above. She wrote it based on the Five Finger Prayer, and it’s very helpful for remembering how to pray for personal intentions. It is one of the many beautiful traditions you can find in the book, A Treasure Chest of Traditions for Catholic Families, and you can purchase a copy here! Not an affiliate link, just something I wanted to share!
It’s in the infographic above, but here it is in text only, so it’s a little easier to read:
First, My thumb, nearest to me:
I pray for my friends and family.
Next my pointer: I pray for my teacher,
My doctor, my dentist, my priest and preacher.
Next, my third, my finger most tall:
I pray for our leaders who guide us all.
Next, my fourth, my finger most weak:
I pray for the sick, poor, young, old and meek.
Now, the pinkie, the LAST and the small:
I pray for these others, then me last of all!
I like this prayer because it helps us remember the different people who need our prayers, those who we love and who help and guide us through life, and it helps us put ourselves after others. Of course, even though this prayer leads us to consider other people, this generally tends to remain a request prayer, so we should be mindful to also incorporate praise, thanksgiving, and repentance through other prayers.
Have you used the five finger prayer before? How did it go? Do you have any suggestions for its use? Please share in the comments!
Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!
Mom Things Through Christ 