How do we pray without ceasing?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Robert_Sock
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Robert_Sock

Guest
I wish I could get a tattoo inside my forehead that simply read: “Love God.” I would like to condition myself to always be thinking of God, but I forget about Him the moment I get distracted.

Any help on how I can pray without ceasing?
 
In the book, “The Way of the Pilgrim,” the peasant asks that same question.

So, he embarks by walking through 19 century Russia, seeking the top spiritual leaders of the Orthodox Church. He visits monasteries and churches, to find the answer.

At each stop, he’s told to say the Jesus Prayer on his rosary beads. First one tells him to say 10 rosaries per day. The next tells him to say 100 and the number keeps increasing.

But he’s still not satisfied that he hasn’t been told how to pray without ceasing.

That is until he’s walking along and realises that he’s constantly praying the Jesus Prayer, all or in part in his mind and in his every action in some way. Mostly, it’s his life is devoted to Jesus and his acts of mercy are intertwined with the Jesus Prayer pulsating in his heart.

So, the answer is, pray everyday at specific times and whenever you become aware of being in the presence of God.

Eventually, prayer will be pulsating in your very being.

Jim
 
I remember that book “The Way of a Pilgrim”…very inspiring!

“Poustinia” by Catharine Doherty is very good also.
 
I still like the idea of a spiritual tattoo artist!

That reminds me of the ordiniment (I forgot what it’s called) that Jews wear on their foreheads.
 
crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/praying-always-through-the-desire-of-the-heart/

st. Augustine of Hippo

…
So the psalmist says I roared our with the groaning of my heart because if men ever hear a man’s groanings they hear only the groaning of the flesh; the groans within the heart are silent.

And who observed and noticed the cause of his groaning? All my desire is in front of you. It cannot be before men because they cannot see the heart, but still the psalm says all my desire is in front of you. If your desire is laid before him then the Father, who sees in secret, will grant it to you.

For that very desire of your heart is your prayer; and if your desire continues uninterrupted, then so does your prayer. It was not in vain that the Apostle said Pray without ceasing. Can we be always bending the knee, prostrating the body, or lifting up our hands, that he says Pray without ceasing? If that is what prayer means then I say that we cannot do it without ceasing.

There is another inward kind of prayer without ceasing, which is the desire of the heart. Whatever activity you happen to be engaged in are doing, if you only long for that Sabbath then you do not cease to pray. If you do not want to pause in prayer then never pause in your longing.

Your continuous desire is your continuous prayer. If you cease to desire than you will have fallen silent in your prayer. Who are those who have fallen silent? Those of whom it is said Because iniquity will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

Peace
 
The ability to truly pray without ceasing must be a very rare gift from God.
 
Father Apostoli said a story in a program in ewtn, I will paraphrase, as I don’t remember exactly. He said that there was a Priest that was very committed to God, and Jesus appeared to Him, but at that instance, was at the time when he had to feed some poor people. And the priest was thinking what he should do, because he was afraid that if he went away the apparition would disappear. But he decided he needed to attend his people, his duty. So he went to act his duty, after that he came back, the apparition was there, and Jesus told him that he chose wisely, because if he would have chose to stay because of the apparition he would have disappear.

I thought about this when reading:
{There is another inward kind of prayer without ceasing, which is the desire of the heart. Whatever activity you happen to be engaged in are doing, if you only long for that Sabbath then you do not cease to pray. If you do not want to pause in prayer then never pause in your longing.

Your continuous desire is your continuous prayer. If you cease to desire than you will have fallen silent in your prayer. Who are those who have fallen silent? Those of whom it is said Because iniquity will abound, the love of many will grow cold.}
The post by hazcompat, which I really liked.

So our prayers continue with our non-ceasing desire to please God, in our prayers, in our duties, in our life. As in fact life itself is given by God, and while we are graceful for the things given and trying to do His will in faith without ceasing, then this is our continuous prayer.
 
Daily Mass and being part of a Catholic Community helps. Even hermits, Church sanctioned hermits, attend Mass. historically they find people coming to their door for help too.
 
Everything can be a prayer if it’s done for God, always saying “yes” to His will, making sure in the morning to say your morning offering, and just trying your best to do good and avoid sin…I forget which saint said this, but they said how we pray always is “whatever you do, do it well”.
And distractions happen, but as Saint Francis de Sales said, even if you spend your whole time praying fighting distractions, you still prayed well, the most important thing is trying your best.
 
edlinked said:
Father Apostoli said a story in a program in ewtn…
Click to expand...
I just wanted to correct myself, It wasn’t father Apostoli though I was close, it was Father Benedict Groeschel and the program was:
Fr. Benedict Groeschel: Life-long Catholic - The Journey Home (4-9-2007).

The story was in fact a poem, he states the story of the poem there around min 6:15. You can find it in youtube.

The poem was The Legend Beautiful by Henry Wadsworth longfellow.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top