Catholic Sunday Prayers

One of my favorite parts of our Catholic faith is the rich treasure trove of prayers available to us. While we can absolutely pray by having a spontaneous conversation with God, I also love praying the prayers of the Saints and reflecting on the words in our “pre-written” prayers. 

Sundays are no exception. Obviously, as Catholics, we attend Mass on Sundays and it’s filled with all kinds of prayers—from the ones the priest says to those we recite together, and those taken directly from scripture. 

For the longest time, I didn’t realize just how many parts of the Mass were taken directly from scripture in the first place! But as I’ve grown in faith and in my prayer life, I’ve come to recognize these prayers and to look forward to my Sunday morning prayer time in church. (And a year ago I NEVER would have admitted that because of my struggles with Catholic imposter syndrome. I'm so glad to be past that now, by the grace of God!)

If you’re looking specifically for prayers for Sunday, you’re in the right place.

Here are my favorites:

The Weekly Mass Readings

My favorite way to pray on Sundays is to begin by looking up the Mass readings before Mass. This is especially crucial for parents of toddlers who will very likely miss the readings during the actual Mass due to an almost guaranteed outburst or dirty diaper.

I prefer to read the Sunday Mass readings through the USCCB website or in the Laudate app because I’m almost always on the go and doing things from my phone. If you have a Magnificat or something similar, you can read them that way as well.

Even if you are able to listen and pay attention without kiddo distractions, reading the readings ahead of time will also help you to listen more intently and reflect more deeply on the message when you hear it for a second time

The Glorious Mysteries

On Sundays, we reflect on the glorious mysteries when praying the rosary. This is especially fitting if we remember that every Sunday is “a little Easter,” meaning that we celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus every Sunday in the holy sacrifice of the Mass. Praying with the glorious mysteries is a great way to pray on Sunday and keep the Easter story top of mind.

Sunday Prayers from Scripture

(all verses are from the New American RE Bible translation)

• “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” -Matthew 11:28-30
  
  
• Enter, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us. For her is our God, we are the people he shepherds, the sheep in his hands. Oh, that today you would hear his voice: Do not harden your hearts… -Psalm 95:6-8
  
  
• I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous deeds. I will delight and rejoice in you; I will sing hymns to your name, Most High. -Psalm 9:2-3
  
  
• Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. -1 Peter 4:11
  
  
• May he remember your every offering, graciously accept your burnt offering, grant what is in your heart, fulfill your every plan. May we shout for joy at your victory, raise the banners in the name of our God. The Lord grant your every petition! -Psalm 20:3-6

Sunday Morning Prayers

Technically there’s nothing exclusive about these prayers to pray on Sundays (except maybe the prayers before and after Mass), they are great ones to pray for any day of the week. But since we’re talking about Sunday prayer here, I figured it would be a good time to list out my favorite morning prayers too!

• The Morning Offering
  
  
• Prayer Before Mass
  
  
• An Act of Spiritual Communion
  
  
• Thanksgiving Prayer After Mass
  
  
• The Magnificat

Whether you’re looking to enhance your prayer life overall or to deepen your prayer practice on Sundays, I hope this post has given you some inspiration. Have a blessed Sunday!