One of the simple catholic prayers I have discovered is The Angelus which is Latin for Angel. It is a prayer based upon the Angel Gabriel’s announcement or annunciation to Mary, the mother of Jesus found in Luke 1:25-38. Even before I was Catholic, I appreciated and adored Mary, a teenage girl visited by an angel and told she would give birth to the Son of God. The first thing she asks is “How?” (verse 34). I love her practicality. She is a betrothed virgin and preparing to marry Joseph. So, being around farm animals, she knows where babies come from. “How will I get pregnant?” Once Gabriel clarifies how she will get pregnant, she says the most important words humans can say, “Be it done to me according to your word.” (verse 38).

In brief, the prayer dates back to 1317 when monks would ring a bell 3 times a day, morning, noon and evening while praying three Hail Marys. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelus

Let’s look at The Angelus Prayer and then I will review how I make a personal prayer.

℣. The Angel of the LORD declared unto Mary,
℟. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;
blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

℣. Behold the handmaid of the LORD.
℟. Be it done unto me according to thy word.
Hail Mary, …

℣. And the Word was made flesh.
℟. And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary, …

℣. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
℟. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O LORD, Thy grace into our hearts; that, we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord.
℟. Amen. (US Catholic Bishops website)

The ℣/℟. notations our when the prayer is said in a group. ℣ is for the Leader/Priest to say. ℟ is for the response of the people. All lines are said when praying individually.

The prayer, with meditations or adaptations, helps me align my life with the most obedient, holy human to walk the earth besides Jesus–Mary. Let me show you how.

The first line states: The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. When, I say the Hail Mary response, I think or meditate asking the Holy Spirit to indwell within me for my life and work. I may ask specifically for a challenging situation in my home or work.

The second line states: Behold the handmaid of the LORD. Be it done unto me according to thy word. During the Haily Mary, I meditate and ask that I too may also be obedient to the word God sends to me.

The third line states: And the Word was made flesh. And dwelt among us. During the Hail Mary, I meditate and ask that Jesus (the living Word) be evident in my life for others to see. I may ask specifically to be Jesus to a family or friend who doesn’t know the Lord.

I have personalized the fourth line: Pray for me, O Holy Mother of God. That I may be worthy of the promises of Christ. During the Hail Mary, I will ask the Holy Spirit to guide me in becoming worthy of Christ’s promises.

I have also personalized the beginning of the final prayer: Pour forth, I beseech Thee, O LORD, Thy grace into my heart, …. I conclude the prayer without personalization or meditation:

that, we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

The conclusion is a powerful reminder of the truth and hope of the Gospel– the Birth, Passion, Cross, and Resurrection of Christ is complete.

I am left with no other response except to follow centuries of the faithful with the Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.

When we personalize a prayer, we engage with our heart and spirit as part of a rich relationship with the Trinity.