If heaven has a soundtrack, it surely includes the greatest hits of the 1990s. You will not be able to convince this biased Millennial otherwise.

A few friends recently came over to celebrate my 30th birthday. The early evening sun beamed through my window upon their arrival, creating the perfect natural spotlight on the kitchen floor. What else was there to do but crank some childhood favorites and take center stage?

The dancing continued long after the spotlight set. Heads bobbed to the beats of groups like Destiny’s Child and *NSYNC. Shoulders shimmied between bites of cake. As I twirled about toward the end of the night, a needed realization hit me: This, too, is prayer.

My prayer life felt out of sorts for most of the COVID-19 pandemic. As routines changed by the day, I struggled to bring the same focus to practices like lectio divina and Liturgy of the Hours that once had grounded me. Anxiety riddled moments of contemplation. I stared blankly at the open Bible on my lap. I was sure Mary and Elizabeth had profound wisdom to share, but my mind couldn’t let go of the nagging worry that my cloth masks wouldn’t stand a chance against the Delta variant.

I heard similar struggles from friends as the pandemic wore on: “I can’t remember the last time I picked up my morning devotional.” “Chasing kids all day leaves me too exhausted to say a rosary before bed.” “It’s hard to get excited about watching Mass online by myself.”