With the colder months and daylight ending as Summer approaches, many people are going to bed earlier. And with the pandemic still here and teleworking the norm, many others are waking up later.
Saint Paul told us to pray unceasingly. That would include our time sleeping!
One of my favorite Catholic writers, Father Paul O’Sullivan, writes about this in his book, An Easy Way To Become A Saint. He has written many other popular books as displayed in the image below.
In this book, he mentions the big hitters for becoming a saint, such as the sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, praying the rosary, spiritual reading, etc. What we don’t normally hear about, as another means for our holiness, is through sanctifying our sleep! Here are some epic quotes from the book on this game changer.
- “We ought to say our night prayers slowly and devoutly, asking for a good night’s rest.” Getting good rest is even more crucial if you work hard, love your family hard, and pray hard.
- “Let us offer our sleep to our Lord in union with his sleep during his life on earth.” This logic makes sense as we offer our suffering to Christ’s suffering on the cross. And priests, through the Roman Breviary, unite their prayers to Jesus’s prayers to the Father.
- “Let us offer every breath we draw, every beating of our hearts during the night as so many acts of love for God.” So if you get eight hours of sleep, rather than seven, you’re performing even more acts of love! Boom! Too easy.
- “Our dear angel guardian is with us all night, watching over us, just as a tender mother watches over her sick child. Say a few loving words to this dear angel before closing your eyes.”
- “Good Christians sprinkle holy water every night over their persons and bed as defense against the devil.” And if you want to step it up, the Catholic Church in its traditional history, adds holy salt to the holy water.
Bonus Material:
You might be inspired and excited to put these ideas into action. But what if you’re struggling to sleep or struggle with insomnia? Well, you’re in luck!
“If we cannot sleep, let us offer this weariness in honor of the 3 hours Jesus Christ passed on the hard bed of the cross. Let us go on repeating the name of Jesus, and this will help us to get the desired rest.”
Featured Image: Pixabay. Free for commercial use. No attribution required.