What is a litany?
A litany is a traditional Catholic prayer made up of verses and responses. It is designed as a supplication or entreaty, which is what the original Greek word litaneia means, but it can also be a prime source for meditation on the realities of God. Catholics pray litanies to the Persons of the Blessed Trinity, often responding to each verse with “Have mercy on us” or something similar, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints with the response of “Pray for us.”
How do we pray litanies?
Many people pray litanies on their own as a private devotion, quietly saying each verse and response in turn. Others pray litanies in a group with one person reciting the verses and the others replying with the response.
Aren’t litanies too repetitive?
Not at all! The repetition of the litany is intentional, for it calms us and establishes a regular pattern so that our thoughts can turn to the meaning of each verse.
How can we pray a litany more effectively?
It does sometimes seem like a litany flies right by without us hardly noticing what we are saying. The pattern can get too comfortable. This is the whole point of The Litany Project. Over the next several weeks, I will be exploring three litanies, one to the Father, one to the Son, and one to the Holy Spirit. I will first provide the litany in full. Then I will offer a short explanation and meditation for each verse.
Praying litanies in this way will deepen these beautiful prayers and allow us to open our hearts and minds to what God wants to teach us as we pray to Him.
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