Unceasing prayer

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NikosLaos

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The bible asks us to pray unceasingly.
How to do this?
The Eastern Church practices the Jesus prayer method. what would be the western counterpart, as seen and tought in the lives of the saints?
I am aware of the practice of consecreting to God every action and therefore make a prayer out of our lives. But I am seeking something more like actual prayer.
 
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What is an actual prayer? Is it not to bring one closer to God? Contemplation certainly holds a great spot in this. But who can say that it is not a prayer to do everything for love of God, in love of God, by love of God?
 
We’d have to be filled to the brim with the Holy Spirit -
Imagine - having that much - of him - and less of ourselves !
The mustard seed would move Mount Fuji !
 
Many monks do this by consecrating time to God. Indeed, in such communities, it is not uncommon for the tower clock to toll every quarter hour even through the night. By consecrating one’s time to God, all work, all play, all rest and even sleep is given over to the Holy Spirit who prays within us so that our very lives become an unceasing prayer to God at every moment.
 
I think of it in terms of mindfulness. Mindful every movement that our lives belong to God and that God is with us. Everything has meaning and purpose. Even this very moment exists in God, is part of God’s will and we can either be mindful and cooperate or be forgetful and perhaps go our own way.
 
The Liturgy of the Hours is designed for this purpose. There’s a prayer for every period of the day. In between these hours, you have many options, such as the rosary, the chotki, Divine Mercy- your options are almost endless. Aside from this organized prayer, it’s good to make impromptu prayers, such as whenever you pass a cemetery, non-Catholic churches, or when you hear of someone’s passing.
 
Have you ever read anything by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity? She would help you with this. When she was young, before she entered the convent, she told Our Lord that she would make a cell inside her heart, and that she promised never to leave Him alone in it. He lives inside of each one of us. I believe that we can never achieve this in our own, but if we ask Him to make us aware of His presence in Our hearts ( especially if we take Holy Communion), to allow us to keep Him company there all day, during our duties, while we relax, when we pray, when we sleep, when we eat and to do everything for love of Him. I think this is how you can pray without stopping. If all your actions are done for love of Him and offered to Him as an act of love, watching TV can become a prayer lol! If we are aware of His presence in Our Soul,of the deep unity and friendship He wants with us, breathing itself becomes a prayer. Accepting each second as coming from Him as a gift and giving Our thoughts to Him as much as possible. You aught to read St. Elizabeth of The Trinity 🙂
 
Thanks y’all for your comments! The one’s that suggest living with the awareness of God’s presence are the ones that were most helpful to me.
God bless!
 
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Ever read this one -

The entire story is about a Russian guy - homeless -
searching for the meaning of unceasing prayer.
 
Thom18 said:
The Liturgy of the Hours is designed for this purpose.
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This. Traditionally, the canonical Hours, still observed in most monasteries, are the middle of the night (Vigils), early morning (Lauds), mid-morning (Terce), mid-day (Sext), mid-afternoon (None), early evening (Vespers), and end of the day (Compline).

Monks also have other prayers: before work, to consecrate their work to God, before leaving on a journey, the Agelus and rosary, lectio divina, and short personal prayers.
 
NikosLaos said:
The bible asks us to pray unceasingly.

How to do this?

The Eastern Church practices the Jesus prayer method. what would be the western counterpart, as seen and tought in the lives of the saints?

I am aware of the practice of consecreting to God every action and therefore make a prayer out of our lives. But I am seeking something more like actual prayer.
Click to expand...
The Jesus Prayer method is also applicable in the West. The East and West are not at odds with eachother, but rather work together as two lungs to give us beautiful spiritual tools to come to know and imitate Christ.

JPII wrote a great apostolic letter on this subject:

Orientale Lumen

I often use the Jesus Prayer to help to try to keep my mind focused on Christ all day long.
 
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Thanks. I aware of their complementarity and I appreciate it…it seem as if each one helps understand the aspects of the other… I like Jesus prayer also, but not as a method of unceasing prayer. I think that one needs to be wholy devoted to that practice for such undertaking.
God bless you!
 
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