Praying Constantly

[Psychotheosophy]

“And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray…”

Luke 18:1

Is it possible to pray constantly?

 

[Bookcat]

Yes in a real sense.

but there are differing ‘ways’ or understandings of this…

that of the eastern desert fathers…that of the pilgrime…that of St. Augustine etc…

here is one

crossroadsinitiative.com/library_article/832/Pray_Without_Ceasing_Through_the_Desire_of_the_Heart_Augustine.html

From the Catechism:

2757 “Pray constantly” (1 Thess 5:17). It is always possible to pray. It is even a vital necessity. Prayer and Christian life are inseparable.

1174 The mystery of Christ, his Incarnation and Passover, which we celebrate in the Eucharist especially at the Sunday assembly, permeates and transfigures the time of each day, through the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, “the divine office.” This celebration, faithful to the apostolic exhortations to “pray constantly,” is “so devised that the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praise of God.” In this “public prayer of the Church,” the faithful (clergy, religious, and lay people) exercise the royal priesthood of the baptized. Celebrated in “the form approved” by the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours "is truly the voice of the Bride herself addressed to her Bridegroom. It is the very prayer which Christ himself together with his Body addresses to the Father.

2742 “Pray constantly . . . always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.” St. Paul adds, “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance making supplication for all the saints.” For “we have not been commanded to work, to keep watch and to fast constantly, but it has been laid down that we are to pray without ceasing.” This tireless fervor can come only from love. Against our dullness and laziness, the battle of prayer is that of humble, trusting, and persevering love. This love opens our hearts to three enlightening and life-giving facts of faith about prayer.

 

[Julian0404]

Eternal Father, through the Immaculate and Sorrowful hearts of Mary, I offer to Thee this day, all my works, prayers and sufferings, through the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in union with all the Masses said throughout the world today, [insert your own intentions] for the repiration of my sins, for the intention of my associates and especially for the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Bendedict XVI

Offer this prayer first thing upon waking, even before you get out of bed, and the rest of the day, all your “…works, prayers and sufferings…” will be an act of praying without ceasing.

 

[Bookcat]

On the subject of prayer…

A very good…short but profound book on mental prayer…

frjacquesphilippe.com/books/time_for_god.html

frjacquesphilippe.com/testimonials/interview.html

He is one of the best living authors on prayer in my opinion…

 

[Bookcat]

another little work on contemplation…By Raissa and Jacques Maritain

ewtn.net/library/THEOLOGY/LITCOM.HTM#3

 

[Psychotheosophy]

Yes in a real sense.

but there are differing ‘ways’ or understandings of this…

that of the eastern desert fathers…that of the pilgrime…that of St. Augustine etc…

here is one

crossroadsinitiative.com/library_article/832/Pray_Without_Ceasing_Through_the_Desire_of_the_Heart_Augustine.html

From the Catechism:

2757 “Pray constantly” (1 Thess 5:17). It is always possible to pray. It is even a vital necessity. Prayer and Christian life are inseparable.

1174 The mystery of Christ, his Incarnation and Passover, which we celebrate in the Eucharist especially at the Sunday assembly, permeates and transfigures the time of each day, through the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, “the divine office.” This celebration, faithful to the apostolic exhortations to “pray constantly,” is “so devised that the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praise of God.” In this “public prayer of the Church,” the faithful (clergy, religious, and lay people) exercise the royal priesthood of the baptized. Celebrated in “the form approved” by the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours "is truly the voice of the Bride herself addressed to her Bridegroom. It is the very prayer which Christ himself together with his Body addresses to the Father.

2742 “Pray constantly . . . always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.” St. Paul adds, “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance making supplication for all the saints.” For “we have not been commanded to work, to keep watch and to fast constantly, but it has been laid down that we are to pray without ceasing.” This tireless fervor can come only from love. Against our dullness and laziness, the battle of prayer is that of humble, trusting, and persevering love. This love opens our hearts to three enlightening and life-giving facts of faith about prayer.

Certain phrases caught my attention from your references:

“This tireless fervor can come only from love.”

“Your continuous desire is your continuous prayer.”

“And if one perseveres despite times of aridity, there will always be moments when God visits and makes his presence felt.”

“Saint John of the Cross spoke of it in prose and in poems…”

Could you or anyone else comment on this stanza from,
“The Spiritual Canticle”…

Be still, deadening north wind;
South wind come, you that waken love,
Breathe through my garden,
Let its fragrance flow,
And the Beloved will feed amid the flowers.

The Spiritual Canticle

• St. John of the Cross

Though it was originally wriiten in Spanish:

Detente, cierzo muerto,
Ven, austro, que recuerdas los amores,
Aspira por mi huerto,
Y corran tus olores,
Y pacera’ el Amado entre las flores.

Cantico Espiritual

 

[Vytis]

I am reading The Way of a Pilgrim by an anonymous Russian author. It describes the journey of the author after hearing Saint Paul’s First Epistle to the Thessalonians where the Apostle admonished the listener to “pray constantly” (5:16).

The journey discusses the Jesus prayer: Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.

Here is an example where a layman attempts to achieve the holiness usually associated with the great mystics who were ordained or in some form of obediance.

Hope it helps.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

js

 

[Psychotheosophy]

Could you or anyone else comment on this stanza from,
“The Spiritual Canticle”…

Here are partial commentaries by St. John of the Cross.

“Be still, deadening north wind;”

“The north wind is very cold, it dries up and withers the flowers and plants, or at least when striking them makes them shrink and close. Because the spiritual dryness and affective absence of the Beloved produces this same effect in the soul by extinguishing the satisfaction, delight, and fragrance of the virtues she was enjoying… It should be understood that this plea of the soul flows from prayer and the spiritual exercises and is directed toward a detainment of the dryness.”

“South wind come, you that waken love,”

“The south wind is a delightful breeze: it causes rain, makes the herbs and plants germinate, opens the flowers, and scatters their fragrance. Its effects are the opposite of those of the north wind. The soul, by this breeze, refers to the Holy Spirit, who awakens love.”

“Breathe through my garden,”

“This garden is the soul. …To breathe in the soul is to infuse graces, gifts, and virtues. To breathe through the soul is to touch and put in motion the virtues and perfections already given.”

“Let its fragrance flow,”

“Sometimes the fragrance is so abundant that it seems to the soul she is clothed with delight and bathed in inestimable glory, to such an extent that the experience is not only within her but overflows and becomes manifest outside her, and those capable of recognizing it are aware of her experience.”

“And the Beloved will feed amid the flowers.”

"This term (“feed”) provides an appropriate description, since food is something which not only gives pleasure but also sustains. The Son of God finds delight in the soul in these delights, and is sustained in her, that is, He dwells in her as in a place that pleases Him, for the soul is indeed pleasing to Him…

He feeds on the soul, transforming her into Himself, now that she is prepared and seasoned with the flowers of virtues, gifts, and perfections…

By means of the Holy Spirit, who prepares the dwelling, these virtues delight the Son of God so that through them He may feed more on the love of the soul. This is characteristic of the Bridegroom: to unite Himself with the soul amid the fragrance of these flowers."