Prayer Idea: Have a personal COMMEMORATION BOOK

A commemoration book is a book or notebook where "one lists the names of the people (living and dead) and specific needs to pray for."

This (note)book can be used in many ways to assist in prayer. Each section provides traditional prayers and you write the names of those you wish to pray for. The names written are a lasting record of our intentions.

Personally, I used an old daily planner and divided it into the following sections:

1. For the Living - Family Members, Relatives, Church Authorities, Friends, God-Children, people who have requested prayers for various intentions (conversion, spiritual growth, health, job, etc.).

2. For the Departed - dead loved ones, etc.

There is a prayer in every section:

LIVING - "Grant, O Lord, health and salvation to Your servants..."

DEAD = "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them."

A nice way to remind ourselves to pray for those whom we love and who need our prayers.

References:

1. http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/commemoration.aspx (an Orthodox site but informative)
2. http://commemorationbook.blogspot.com/