A Special Prayer

At church yesterday, while waiting for Mass to start, a special prayer I've known since I was a child came to mind. I remember growing up in the Philippines that everyday at exactly 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the TV stations would interrupt their programs and the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is frozen on the TV screens. I remember also when I was in college at a Catholic University (USJ-R), everyone would pause and the prayer would reverberate throughout the campus on the speakers.

The prayer was simply called,

The Three O'Clock Prayer

You died Jesus, but the source of life
flowed out for souls
and the ocean of mercy
opened up for the whole world.
Oh, fountain of life,
immeasurable divine mery,
cover the whole world
and empty yourself out upon us.
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One
Have mercy on us and the whole world
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One
Have mercy on us and the whole world
Holy God, Holy Might One, Holy Immortal One
Have mercy on us and the whole world.
Amen.

Then at 6pm, the church bells would toll and the radio stations interrupt their programming and the "Angelus" would resonate on the airwaves.
I somehow miss all that, that structured prayer schedule. It forced us (me) to pause and reflect. In our busy lives these days, too often, there is no time set aside (or left, seemingly) for prayers.