A Book of Uncommon Prayer

Brian Doyle's collection of prayers is funny, gut-wrenching, poignant, beautiful, honest, and necessary. He offers up prose-poetry to God and to his audience, praying in gratitude for herons and his wife and newts, for protection for his children and the Pope, and with sympathy for women who have had abortions and people whose fathers left them as children. He has prayers for the beginning of a plane ride, for bass players, for opossums, for Miles Davis and Chet Baker.

Part of one prayer says, "...we are handed miracles beyond number, every blessed moment, if only we can train ourselves to open and see and hear and taste and feel and smell and absorb them, and so be blessed ever deeper by Your mercy and profligate generosity and wry subtle humor."

This is a book of gratitude and faith and doubt and the recognition that God is God and we are not even though we'd very much like to be sometimes. It is especially appropriate for Catholic readers but all who pursue a life of deeper faith will appreciate it. Highly recommended.

A Book of Uncommon Prayer

Prayer for Cashiers and Checkout Counter Folks

“Who endure the cold swirls of winter from the sliding doors that are opening and closing every forty seconds; and who endure pomposity and buffoonery and minor madness in their customers; and who gently help the shuffling old lady in the ancient camel coat count out the right change for her loaf of bread and single can of cat food; and cheerfully also disburse stamps along with bagging the groceries and even occasionally carting them out swiftly for the customers they know are frail and wobbly; and who must sometimes silently want to scream and shriek in weariness and wondering how it is that they are here for eight hours at a stretch…”

Brian Doyle has a collection of prayers that live up to the title of the book. A Book of Uncommon Prayer celebrates the ordinary miracles and wonders in life. From birds in the garden, hot showers, decent shoes, the Chicago White Sox, Nuns, Good Friday, and so many more things that often go underappreciated. With humor, insight, and grace, Doyle has a collection of prayers offering thanks for the mundane and impressive, and makes praying an exciting and smile-inducing event. This book is for members of any faith, especially for those who know that God has a sense of humor.

This is unlike any book of this kind that I have ever read before and sometimes I'm not even sure what to make of the prayers. However, it has opened my eyes to a feeling of gratitude for many of the things in life that I walk by everyday and take for granted or don't even notice. For that reason, I am giving it five stars.

The word in the synopsis that drew me to this book was whimsical. First, whimsical is a cool word. Second, whimsical prayers sound like they would be delightful.

These prayers were a lot of fun to read. As I was reading I would share a few lines with my sister and she agreed with me. These prayers are fun, honest, much-needed prayers. The prayers address everything from hot showers to birds to suffering to salespeople.

This book of prayers are not just one person’s prayers. These are prayers that so many of us can make. Using our own words, we can really pray for everything, even the small things that are important even when they don’t seem to be.

Beyond just being a great collection of candid prayers, Doyle’s prayers made me think of what I should be praying for in my life. For example, I should be offering thanksgiving that I can walk rather than complaining that I walk to school in sub zero temperatures.

I really enjoyed this book.