Do you ever want to pray, but the words just aren’t coming? Are you ever too tired or distracted to think of anything new to say?

What if I told you there was a collection of prayers you could always turn to that spark deeply personal and meaningful prayer?

Yesterday, we spoke about the life-changing habit of reading the Gospels for fifteen minutes a day. The Book of Psalms is another spiritual game changer for when you want to express any emotion at all to God in prayer, but don’t yet have the words. The Psalms are so gloriously helpful because they express every human emotion we experience.

Saint Richarius, also known as Riquier, unleashed the power of the Psalms in his own life.

Riquier was a French pagan in sixth-century France when two Welsh missionaries came to his town and were put in danger by the locals (who blamed them for the failure of their crops). Riquier gave the missionaries shelter, and soon learned the truth of the Gospel.

He wasted no time, and set out across France on a donkey, armed only with a Psalter (a book of the Psalms). As he rode from town to town, he would read the Psalms on his donkey. It was not only his donkey that made him relatable rather than “high-horsed”—it was the topics he spoke about. 

The Psalms are well-known for expressing the full range of human emotion. Much of their power is contained in this truth. Riquier tapped into this power to meet people where they were, no matter what they were feeling. And each of the Psalms usually ends with a beautiful recognition of God’s ability to help human beings in their distress. Riquier tapped into this power to lead people to where God was calling them to be. 

The Psalms were a spiritual game changer for Riquier and all of France.

This is a moment where we need game changers in the Church. And if the Catholic Church needs game changers, then every archdiocese and diocese needs game changers. And if every archdiocese and diocese needs game changers, then every parish needs game changers. And if every parish needs game changers, then every Catholic needs game changers.

Will you make use of this amazing spiritual game changer?

Patron Saint of: Saint-Riquier-en-Rivière in France.

Also Known As: Riquier

Feast Day: April 26

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Cletus