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Well, this year has been . . . weird.

And challenging . . .

and . . . weird.

I know I never imagined having to wear masks to go grocery shopping and attend Mass. And when everything was shut down – I don’t know, it could happen again.

The first prompt that came to mind is to just recognize in prayer that God is in control. So the first journal prompt I would suggest is to simply write out The Surrender Prayer.

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Catholic Prayer Journal Prompts for 2020

The Surrender Prayer

I mean, if any reality has hit me in the face personally – is that we can not control most things anyway, so why bother worrying about it.

Easier said than done, I know.

So here’s my suggestion. Write it out and ask Jesus to help you to truly surrender to Him. Ask Him to hold you in His loving arms and help you to rest in His Love. He will help you.

Then take a deep breath. Maybe color around it if it helps or brings you joy.

The second prompt I would suggest involves taking a deep breath.

If you are fortunate enough to take that deep breath without entering into a coughing fit – thank God. And even if you do cough, thank God you just took that breath. Then, think for a minute. There are things to be thankful for.

Make God a Thank You Card

This was actually suggested by my 3 year old daughter. I felt like I had several people I should have been writing thank you cards too – and that my children should have been thanking.

So as I went to spend some time coloring with my daughter, I asked

“who should I write a thank you card too?”

She answered:

” God.”

And I thought – “you’re right, I should make God a thank you card”.

So I folded a paper in half, drew a sun and some hills, a few flowers and my 3 year old son added a “bird”.

Then I got distracted a few times and I want to finish it and glue in into my journal.

One thing we started doing this year is after dinner, each person at the table says 5 things we are thankful for. My intention was to not only cultivate an attitude of gratitude, but also get them to look back on their day and reflect upon what good things happened. And, to have some happy discussions at dinner because there is a lot of correcting if I am being totally honest.

Our 3 year old twins interpreted this in their own, beautiful, childlike way. Each night when we do this new practice, when we get to the twins, they don’t say things or events – they say. . . .

Thanful for Mommy, Daddy, Xavier . . . and name everyone around the table. Often they add our neighbor or an Aunt or an extended family member.

And I share this because – what a great reminder.

Our greatest blessing are the people who love us. Thank God for people. Thank God for things. Thank God for events.

Thank Him.

15 Prayers of Saint Bridget of Sweden

This is a totally new “novena” for me! I had not heard of it until recently. However, I don’t know if we can really call it a novena – these prayers are to be said every day for a year. However, this devotion is very powerful.

I started listening to these prayers on YouTube when I went for a walk in the morning, but now – it’s to dark to go on walk in the morning.

You can get copies of these prayers to download for free from MaryWithYou (someone I met through CatholicsOnline.net)

I suggest writing one a day for 15 days while you listen to the YouTube video. Then maybe saying the prayers will become a part of your routine. I don’t know, let me know how it works – I really want to do it!

Why?

Because not only are they beautiful prayers and really lead you to think about Jesus’ passion, it was recommended to me by a friend who had an INCREDIBLE REVERSION story!

She credits her amazing journey back to the fullness of the faith to her sister praying this novena. It was after her sister prayed this year long novena for her and her family that she went through a tremendous reversion and now serves God in ways that are incredibly remarkable.

Read more about this friend here: A NaPro doctor is Closer than You Think

Write a prayer to Saint Gianna, our heavenly physician.

Say a novena to all the saints that were doctors and scientists! Please, this pandemic needs to go away!

I have a few Saint Gianna holy cards (different than the one pictured above) if you want one, email me!

A novena to Saint Gianna for the intention of ending this pandemic and the need for social distancing would be great!

I also found this lovely prayer from the My Catholic Life blog.

A Prayer to Combat the Coronavirus Pandemic

See the whole prayer here: MyCatholic.Life

Most Merciful and Triune God,
We come to You in our weakness.
We come to You in our fear.
We come to You with trust.
For You alone are our hope.

We place before You the disease present in our world.
We turn to You in our time of need.

Bring wisdom to doctors.
Give understanding to scientists.
Endow caregivers with compassion and generosity.
Bring healing to those who are ill.
Protect those who are most at risk.
Give comfort to those who have lost a loved one.
Welcome those who have died into Your Eternal Home.

see the whole prayer over at mycatholic.life

Draw One Decade of the Rosary, pray as you color flowers.

This Rosary Blanket is my new favorite think! It is so inspiring! It is made by Paige, owner of Shop Fiat to Halo. If you want to purchase a blanket, use the code CHOCOLATE for 20% off.

I think this picture would be great to look at as you sketch, color and pray a decade of the Rosary in your prayer journal!

I can think of more prompts, but I don’t want to overwhelm you!

If you want more prompts, comment below! Also remember you can get 40 prayer journal prompts when you subscribe to prayerwinechocolate.com’s newsletter.

Have a pre-teen or teen you are hoping will develop a love for prayer journaling?

Here you go!!!

The post Catholic Prayer Journal Prompts for 2020 appeared first on Prayer Wine Chocolate.

This post contains affiliate or associate links with several businesses (which means if you shop through the links, I earn a small commission). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Do you have your notebook all ready but the blank pages are just kind of staring at you?

Have you considered starting a prayer journal, but don’t know where to start?

No worries! I’ll help you jump start that journal and it will be fun and therapeutic. And the good news is (besides the Gospel, of course) that there are many Benefits of Prayer Journaling (including stress relief and overall better health)!

A little bit of background:

I started prayer journaling my my 20’s.  My boyfriend at the time had mentioned that when he was going through depression, his counselor suggested journaling to help him cope.  Around the same time, I was teaching 7th and 8th graders and as a part of our morning routine, I had the students write in a journal.  Each morning while I was taking attendance and doing necessary paper work, I would have a prompt on the chalkboard.  The students would write in their journal for about 10 minutes.  Sometimes the prompt would simply state, “write a letter to Jesus”, other times it might suggest writing out a traditional prayer, other times it might ask them to write ten things they feel grateful for.

These “events” led me to start my own prayer journal.

(*If you are more interested in Why I Prayer Journal, you can read more about that here: (and see some of my first journal entries!)

My idea of a prayer journal is a place where I can not only share my thoughts with Jesus, but also celebrate my faith in a creative way.

If you paged through my personal prayer journal you would see many letters that simply start, Dear Jesus or Dear Eternal Father; prayer cards pasted with novena prayers copied in my own handwriting, colored pages, newspaper clippings or other clippings pasted that discuss Scripture or have the lyrics to a song that have helped my personal faith and my relationship with Our Lord.

My prayer journaling is not based on any lessons I have learned academically – it’s a place where I believe my prayer is more focused and fruitful.

If you are looking for a more intellectual, academic explanation of prayer journaling, check out this video produced by Blessed is She: Prayer Journaling Workshop

How to start a prayer journal:

Step 1: Preparing to Prayer Journal

Have fun with picking out your supplies!!!!

This part can be so fun and will truly help you get excited about starting a prayer journal!

Pick out a notebook or journal that you will enjoy writing in, pens that feel smooth when you write and inspirational products from Open Journey

My favorite journaling supplies are:

• An old-fashioned marble styled notebook – yep, that is what I use!*
• Prayer cards/holy cards
• Stickers!  I love stickers so much – I highly recommend grabbing some from Just Love Prints,  Sweet Little Ones and Stump of Jesse. Here’s a secret I have to share with you – the Dollar Tree has some great stickers too!
• Pens that write smooth/ and colored ones too!  These gel pens from Amazon look awesome!
• Colored pencils, markers and yes, even crayons.

The truth is, I am a “wanna be artist”.  Prayer journaling allows me a creative outlet.  I like to color.  I imagine I would enjoy scrapbooking if I felt I had the time, and I do enjoy writing.  I do all of this in my prayer journal.  I can’t sew, I’m horrible at drawing and I have no business picking up a paint brush – so for me, this is a way I joyfully spend time with the Lord.  Since I pretty much don’t know how to relax – this is as close to I get to obey His command to “be still”.

*If you would rather have a journal that is more guided, check out these: 10 Best Journals for Busy Women

Step 2: Dedicate your Prayer Journal to Jesus

Now, about that first page.

If those blank pages are intimidating, or you just have no idea where to begin . . . FEAR NOT!

Here is an Instagram reel showing the first page of two journals! How to START your prayer journal!

I always put a picture of Jesus on the first page.  My favorite image is of Jesus as the Good Shepherd; but I also use what’s available.  Someone left a ton of Divine Mercy Prayer cards in the back of our church, so I give those out when I do prayer journaling workshops.

I love putting an image of Our Lord on the first page.  It sets the tone and says, “Jesus, all of this is for you”.

If you have a holy card you just love, or a special devotion to Our Blessed Mother, you could do a variation of this idea.  Another fun way to begin is to create a collage of holy cards on the first page

or

write out the sign of the cross . . . then turn the page and begin.

Step 3: Pour your heart out to Jesus, and remember to thank him for being your best friend.

So you did something with your first page and you might be wondering . . . now what?

Write a letter to Jesus and pour out your heart.  Tell him what keeps you up at night.  Tell him what you are truly grateful for.  Tell him why you are starting to prayer journal.  Ask him the questions you have about your life and your relationships.  Ask him for guidance and peace. (You can take a peak at my first prayer journal entries here: Why Prayer Journal?

Remember that Jesus is your best friend.  The way I spend time with him and my friends may look different than the way you do.  Your journey in this book will simply be where your heart and pen (or colored pencils) lead you.

If you are curious about how I pray using a journal, take a peek here:

8 Ways to Pray Using a Journal

I recently started a new journal and I know one entry is the novena prayer to Saint Joseph and another page I just had some fun coloring and then over my rainbow stripes I placed a holy card on the center and used start stickers to fasten it there. For me it’s a creative outlet, a way to silence my thoughts and hopefully in doing so, hearing God’s voice.

If you would like some printable prompts – grab this resource: 40 (More) Prayer Journal Prompts!

And lastly, if you are wondering when you might have time to journal – I wrote about that too.

When do real women find time to journal

Follow me on Instagram to see more Prayer Journaling tips!

And if you want me to come and lead a prayer journal workshop, let’s chat!

Email me at prayerwinechocolate@gmail.com and let’s see if we can set a date!

If you’d like to host your own workshop, or “sip and script” prayer journal gathering, here’s a guide:

How to Host a ‘Sip and Script’ party: Prayer Journaling with Friends

Get your tween or teen started with prayer journaling early with the Be Yourself Journal!

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Help your sons, daughters, nieces and nephews start prayer journaling with the Be Yourself Journals!

The post How to Start a Prayer Journal (in 3 easy steps) appeared first on Prayer Wine Chocolate.