Christians are encouraged to pray every day and not everyone can do so inside a church; This means that it is necessary to find the best place within your own house.
Although the church is the quintessential place to pray official liturgies (such as the Mass ), Christians are not restricted to praying only within a sacred place. The home, in particular, is often called the “domestic church” ( CIC 1655 ).
Christians can pray at any time and place but, even within our own homes, there are more suitable places for prayer.
Have a special space
This could be as simple as praying in the bedroom instead of the living room. At the same time, this could be the opposite for other people, who have a better place to pray in their living room.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church encourages Christians to dedicate a particular space in their home to prayer:
«For personal prayer, it can be a ‘prayer corner’ with the Holy Scriptures and icons, to be there, secretly, before our Father.In a Christian family, this type of small oratory favors common prayer.(CCC2691)
Prayer corners are a popular tradition in many Eastern Christian homes, although they have recently become more common in Western Christian homes.
Some families have a “prayer table” where they place religious statues and images, while others simply have a shelf dedicated to their favorite saint.
Pray as a family
© bigbirdz
The best place to pray varies depending on the family and the person, but the most important thing is to try to set aside a place in the house that encourages a personal prayer life.
In countries like Mexico, it is customary to pray at very special times, for example, the 47 rosaries to the Virgin of Guadalupe that begin in October, or the novena of a saint or even a deceased person.
Therefore, even if the house is small, it is worth setting up a special space for all family members to come and pray together and give thanks to God from dawn until they go to rest.