October 10: Prayer

During his public ministry as our Holy Father, the late Pope Francis was asked what he did when he prayed, but found “the words” hard to come by. His response was that he used what he called the “Five Finger Prayer.”

Pope Francis said, “First, put your hands together in front of you, because you are praying. You will notice that the closest finger to you is the thumb. Since it is the closest to you, the thumb reminds you to pray for those who are closest to you. So, pray for your parents, grandparents, and Godparents ... and for your brothers or sisters, your spouse, companions at work, and your classmates and friends.

The next finger is called your index finger. It is used for pointing. Let this finger remind you to pray for those who point you in the right direction ... in God's direction. Pray for your mentors, friends in your prayer group, your teachers, your aides, and your pastor.

The next finger is the tallest finger. It is the finger that ‘stands out’ and therefore reminds you to pray for your leaders, including the Pope himself, the mayor, the governor, and other leaders.

The fourth finger is the called the ring finger. Did you know that this is the weakest of all the fingers? Just ask anyone who plays the piano and they will tell you that this is true. Let this finger remind you to pray for those who are sick, the vulnerable, and those in the greatest need.

The last finger is the smallest one. The Bible says, ‘Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.’ And it says, ‘Blessed are the lowly.’ Let the little finger remind you to pray for yourself.

And use these helps to pray as Jesus taught us to pray: ‘Our Father...’”