We can pray ceaselessly (St. Augustine / Hunter Leonard)

If you want to pray without ceasing,
never cease to long for God.
The continual longing is
the continuation of your prayer,
and if you cease to long for Him,
this prayer will also cease.

 --St. Augustine

   Perhaps the most common excuse for why we don’t pray is that we are too busy — it certainly is for me. Yet all the busyness in the world can’t keep us from ceaseless prayer. In fact, St. Augustine points out that while it is beneficial to spend much time in prayer, this is not necessary for unending prayer. We can continue with the good and necessary work in our lives, all the while desiring the Lord and his will for us. This means keeping God at the heart of all we do. 

   Augustine explains that prayer without ceasing is “Desire without intermission, from him who alone can give it, a happy life, which no life can be but that which is eternal.” We can pray ceaselessly, by desiring continually, the Lord and the true happiness that only he can bring. It can be very easy for me to get overwhelmed by the struggles and anxieties of my daily life, but I strive to remember and focus on what is at the heart of my life — the Lord. When I can end the day knowing that I kept God and his love for me in mind with all that I did, I can rest knowing it was a day of prayer. 

   One of the most transformative approaches to ceaseless prayer I have learned is to turn the interior monologue of my thoughts into a dialogue with God. If there is one thing I already do without end, it is thinking! There is a beautiful opportunity to invite the Lord into these thoughts so that they are transformed into a conversation with him. I often become overwhelmed when thinking of my plans for the future. Instead of planning my future alone in my mind, I turn my thoughts into a dialogue with God, asking him to guide my ideas, show me the right way, and help me accomplish his will for my future. Through that continual conversation and contact with the Lord, we are truly praying without ceasing. 

--Hunter Leonard

Image source: Pope Francis prays at Lac Ste. Anne, a place long held to have healing powers by the Indigenous Peoples of Canada, https://globalnews.ca/video/9018380/pope-francis-pilgrimage-to-lac-ste-anne-draws-thousands-to-alberta-lakeshore
Quotation 1 source
Quotation 2 source