Sit with the Lord, every single day.
Fr. John Bartunek’s beloved guide to praying the Gospels — now in your hands two ways. Keep the treasured book on your shelf, or carry the daily app in your pocket.
The better part will not be taken from you. — Luke 10:42
App — $9.99 / year (under 3¢ a day). Prefer the printed book? Shop the book — $34.95 →
Beautiful, distraction-free, reverent
Designed to get out of the way, so you and the Word can be alone together.
The classic that started it all
The Better Part: A Christ-Centered Resource for Personal Prayer by Fr. John Bartunek is a work praised as substantive, meditative, and flexible — a practical guide to Christian meditation followed by prayerful commentary on all four Gospels in their entirety.
Every reflection in the app is drawn from its pages. Many readers want both: the treasured volume for the shelf and the study desk, and the app for the daily commute and the quiet moment.
Buy the book — $34.95 Paperback · ships from Sophia Institute Press
Open the app. Meet the Lord where the day begins.
Most of us want to pray with Scripture — but the blank page is hard, and the day gets loud fast. The Better Part removes the friction. Every day it’s already there: the Gospel appointed for today, and a meditation to lead you gently into it.
No searching. No guesswork. Just a faithful, unhurried encounter with Christ — five minutes or fifty, whatever your day allows.
Everything you need for daily meditation
Substantive, meditative, and flexible — the acclaimed content of the book, reshaped for the rhythm of your day.
Today’s Gospel & Meditation
The day’s Gospel reading paired with a rich, Christ-centered meditation — ready the moment you wake.
Listen, Don’t Just Read
Tap to Listen and let any reflection be read aloud — perfect for the commute or the walk. Download over Wi-Fi for offline.
Wisdom of the Saints
Every reflection opens with the voice of a Church Father or saint, drawing you into two thousand years of prayer.
Highlights & Favorites
Save the verses and lines that stir your heart — with your own notes — and return to them anytime.
Streaks & Daily Reminders
A growing streak and gentle, customizable reminders help daily prayer become a habit that lasts — plus feast-day alerts.
Made Your Way
Adjustable text size, light or dark mode, and a calm, distraction-free design that gets out of the way.
A simple method that turns reading into prayer
You’re never left to figure it out alone. Every meditation follows the Church’s time-tested rhythm — the heart of Fr. Bartunek’s method — carrying you from a distracted mind to real conversation with God.
Concentrate
Quiet yourself and become aware that you are in the presence of God.
Consider
Read the Gospel slowly and ponder what it means for you today.
Converse
Speak with the Lord, heart to heart, about all it stirs within you.
Commit
Carry one concrete resolution back into the hours ahead.
Walk through all four Gospels
More than 300 guided reflections across the whole life of Christ — read at your own pace, on a path that always remembers where you left off.
Matthew
The King of the Jews
92 reflectionsMark
The Suffering Servant
56 reflectionsLuke
The Savior of All
90 reflectionsJohn
The Word Made Flesh
65 reflectionsDaily meditation irrigates the soil of your soul, making your life more fruitful and continually opening up new vistas along the path to spiritual maturity.
— Fr. John Bartunek, The Better Part
Choose the book, the app — or both
One work by Fr. John Bartunek, offered two ways. Take home the classic volume, carry the daily app, or pair them together.
The Better Part
The complete, treasured volume
- A practical guide to Christian meditation
- Prayerful commentary on all four Gospels, in full
- A reference for a lifetime of prayer
- Ships from Sophia Institute Press
The Better Part App
Your daily Gospel companion
- The day’s Gospel and meditation, every day
- 300+ guided reflections across all four Gospels
- Listen to any reflection with audio narration
- Highlights, streaks, reminders & feast-day alerts
Choose the better part.
Let tomorrow morning start with the Gospel — and every morning after. Get the app below, or order the book.