If one is looking for traditional Catholic prayer books there are a number to choose from today. Coming in various lengths and a wide-ranging assortment of content there is something available to suit anyone’s prayer needs. I want to draw to your attention to a new entry in the field that is very special and one written from the heart. Vinny Flynn and his daughter Erin have compiled the Mass & Adoration Companion
The book is not an ordinary book by any means. From the introduction: “What we have put together is a careful, loving selection of prayers – some old, some new – that are especially meaningful and fruitful for us so that we wouldn’t merely be spectators during Mass, wouldn’t merely be reciting prayers and responses, but would be fully present and actively involved through specific prayers that would help us really enter in, speaking to God and to Our Lady, person-to-person, from our hearts.”
This is the key to every successful prayer life. Having a person-to-person relationship with our creator is all He wants and all we need. Despite the struggles in life and the obstacles we must overcome nothing can stand in our way as long as we cultivate and hold dear a personal relationship with God, That is where this little book becomes a valued resource and worth far more than it costs.
Vinny uses the example Saint Faustina to form his own prayer life and in turn as a guide for how to use this book. “Many years ago, I was greatly moved by the way St. Faustina talked to God. She had come to realize that God wants a relationship with each of us that is completely real and personal. So she developed a natural way of praying to God in the most personal, loving, and intimate language imaginable….”
What you will find the pages of this book are prayers that have been adapted, written, and rewritten that will serve as the pathway to a deeper, unique, one-on-one relationship with God. You will find 146 prayers that are arranged by sections as follows: Prayers Before Mass, Introductory Rites and the liturgy of the Word, The Liturgy of the Eucharist, Communion Prayers, Thanksgiving Prayers, Spiritual Communion Prayers, Adoration Prayers as well as a section of Prayers for Various Occasions that includes Prayers, Litanies, and Novenas. At the end of each section are a number of blank pages for you to record your own prayers making this a truly complete prayer resource.
This handy pocket-sized prayer book is a labor of love. When I spoke to Vinny a few months ago about this book, he was very excited to be able to bring into the hands of faithful Catholics. Now that I have had a chance to peruse the book I can say he had good reason to be excited. This prayer book is an absolute treasure trove of prayer that is a balanced mix of prayers both old and new. Bound in premium ultra-soft, this is a prayer companion made to last. This is one book I highly recommend and one I will be referring to often during my own Mass and Adoration prayer times.
