A Handy Little Guide to Prayer

 

In The Handy Little Guide to Prayer, Barb Szyskiewicz, OFS offers a short (but remarkably comprehensive) handbook for communicating with God. It explores the “who, what, where, when, how, and what ifs of praying.”

It is set up in a question and answer format. Some of the questions include: Who should pray? (spoiler alert – “anyone who wishes to deepen their relationship with God”; What is prayer?; How do I pray?; What do the Scriptures and saints tell us about prayer?; and When should I pray? Szyskiewicz also tackles some of the tough questions about prayer, such as: What if I don’t feel anything? and What if I don’t get an answer?

Szyskiewicz offers a practical guide to making prayer an important part of your life. While this is designed to be a short book, I do wish that it had included some of the traditional prayers that she mentions in this guide such as the Rosary, Angelus, Memorare, etc. in an appendix. As it is, those unfamiliar with those prayers will need to look them up (on the plus side, a quick internet search is all one needs to find them).

I heartily recommend The Handy Little Guide to Prayer for anyone who wishes to learn more about the basics of prayer. It would also be a great book to share in church parishes.