Friday, January 7, 2011

Pray Without Ceasing

            All great people of faith making the journey to holiness pray.  Many of them pray without ceasing.  After making Cursillo (a four day Catholic retreat) over ten years ago, I began a more serious walk with Christ.  I began by studying and praying more.  My passion is to learn so studying is a constant.  Prayer is more difficult for me.  I forget to pray.  Unless someone reminds me, I practically never pray before breakfast, lunch, or snacks.  If I am not with my family, I forget to pray at dinner.
            Thoughts of God are never far away.  I think of Him often throughout the day; yet, I am not actively having a conversation with Him.  Distractions at work, radio and other areas get in the way.  Over the years I used paperclips at work.  I put ten on my desk.  Through the day each time I said a prayer, I put a paperclip back in the container.  For years I kept a prayer by Saint Teresa on my computer monitor.  During one lent, I taped a morning prayer to the bathroom mirror.  While I exercise, I love to pray the Rosary.  All of these activities in prayer have fallen by the wayside for a variety of reasons.  I need to get back to these and start some more.  Oh, and I should add prayer to my mornings when driving the two younger kids to school.  I need to pray when cleaning the bathroom, cooking for the family, and doing dishes.  I need to pray without ceasing. 
            While reading Rediscovering Catholicism by Matthew Kelly, this sentence touched my heart.  “And the actions of our lives are determined by our last most dominant thought.”  If we are praying continuously, our last thought will be of God causing our actions to be virtuous.  So, if I pray while doing dishes, I will approach the task with more love and not resentment.  If I pray while driving, instead of getting angry at other drivers, I will have more patience.  Praying without ceasing is a goal worth striving for in our lives.
            How often and when do you pray?  Blessings to you all.

2 comments:

  1. I love your paperclip idea. Good reminder. I pray all the time....though not always in the forefront of my consciousness. I am working on talking less and listening more.............

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  2. Hum, talking less and listening more. I like that. I would love to say I am the opposite, but I will have to ponder that.

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