“Pray without ceasing.”  St. Paul

“That we should establish in ourselves a sense of God’s Presence, by continually conversing with Him.”  Brother Lawrence

“I am praying for you.”

“I’ll be keeping you in my prayers.”

These sentiments about prayer are quite common.  We here them all the time.  We’ve been on both the receiving and giving end.  Often-times this is what is said in times of some kind of a crisis, President Biden said it to former President Trump yesterday.  Or we say it when we don’t know what else to say. But I wonder . . . how sincere are they?

People of any faith, some faith, or no faith at all revert to them when it seems “appropriate” or convenient. Such pious platitudes or glib cliches are common in religiosity.

Forgive me for being judgmental or being a bit cynical.  But I’ve found that such sentiments are vacuous and really are no help at all. In fact, seldom, I suspect, are they sincere or indicate a familiarity with what prayer is or a genuine intention to practice it.

There is prayer that can be done in an authentic way, in a way that is without ceasing, as Paul indicates. It is not by desiring to become a “prayer warrior”, making long lists of everyone imaginable who needs praying for, or entering into a convent or monastery.  It is merely practicing the awareness of God.

Praying without ceasing means that prayer becomes communion with God.  An intuitive recognition that God is nearer to one than one is to themselves.  It becomes a connection with God which, while it can be fostered and nurtured, is as natural as breathing.  It means having ones eyes of faith, the eyes of the heart, opened so that one can “see” God present in all things, in all places, in all people, in all situations. 

Prayer in this way can take place anywhere and all the time.  Yes, it can be an intentional act of going to a quiet, secluded place, whether that be a room in the house or a place in nature or a church building, getting on one’s knees, and listening intently to the rhythm of the Divine.  Or it can be done while driving a car, riding a train, or in the midst of a multitude of people gathered for a sporting event, or yes, even a political rally.

In essence, prayer is not primarily an intentional act on our part, though it certainly can be, but rather a lifestyle in which we become aware on a very deep level that God is with us in a way that is so intimate that even we sometimes can’t recognize it.  It is not so much a conscious act, but a subconscious way of Being.

I believe this is how Jesus prayed.  That His life was a life of prayer.  And I also believe that this was not limited to Jesus, but is a very real and present possibility for each of us.

(This was not the blog I had prepared for today.  Current events prompted me to spontaneously write this.  Next week I will continue with the series on living an everyday mystical life.  The topic will be “obstacles to prayer.”)