Your car, your personal retreat!

I don't know about everyone else but I spend a lot of time in my car.  I am usually a very neat and organized person however my car is a very messy place.  I plan on cleaning it real soon before the bad weather comes! A clean car will help to make it a more relaxing experience.  Once a month we should do the following:
1. Clean out all trash.
2. Bring in any coats, hats or other items that don't belong in the car.
3. Make sure maintenance is on schedule.
4. Dust and wipe down all hard surfaces
5. Vacuum the inside
6. Wash the outside. (I even go through the car in winter to get rid of all that salt!)

I spend at least an hour a day in my car with my commute to and from work.  I recently was listening to Relevant Radio.  There was a guest on Morning Air discussing the car as a place for daily retreat.  I had never thought of that before.  All this time I had been using podcasts or CDs to keep me busy but never did I think all that learning was considered a retreat.  So how can we all make our car rides retreat like?  Sometimes this may be your only quiet time on your way to or from work.  Don't waste that time!  Here are my top ten ways to turn your commute into a retreat:

1. Listen to the rosary and pray along.  This way you don't have to hold a rosary when you should have two hands on the wheel!
2. Listen to the Liturgy of the Hours.  You can do so on these podcasts: Daybreak  or Divine Office
3. Just pray!  Pour your heart out to the Lord!
4. Listen to Christen music or Gregorian Chants
5. Listen to CDs from famous speakers and apologetics.  Lighthouse Catholic Media has some great ones!
6. Listen to podcasts from different Catholics from around the world. SQPN.com has great podcasts for families and those that love pop culture.
7. Sit in the silence and listen for God.
8. Listen to a religious book or the Bible on CD.
9. Depending on where you drive, pray for the people you see along the way.  Maybe someone cuts you off but they are trying to get to an emergency room and are in a rush or you see a homeless man on the corner, pray for that person.
10.  Use the car as a place of penance.  Maybe you enjoy listening to rock radio in the car.  For a certain time abstain for that such as during Lent, Advent or offer that time up for special intentions.


BONUS IDEAS: Have the car blessed, hang a rosary in it and add a car clip or prayer card of St. Christopher. Make your car prayerful!

Happy travels!