We are called to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thes 5:17) but in our busy lives full of distractions, how can this really be done without being a monk or cloistered nun? St. Thérèse of Lisieux told us to do “ordinary things with extortionary love” through her Little Way, but what does that mean in our modern times of the fast life? Here are are few ways to continue to live in this world without losing ourselves.
1 Wake with a Prayer
When we were little we were taught to say a morning prayer to bless our day, but somehow we lost that practice. It doesn’t have to be anything more formal than “Today God, no matter what happens, I give this day to you. Bless me and my family. Amen”
2 Visit Jesus at the Bathroom Mirror
Photo by Laura Hensley
Awhile back, I put a prayer card with an image of the Divine Mercy on my mirror. When I look at it, be it first thing in the morning, during the day or last thing at night, I love to talk with Jesus and say “I trust in You”.
3 Crucifix above the door
Photo by Laura Hensley
We have a family practice of placing a crucifix above the door heading out to the garage (or whatever door you head out for your day). It is a simple way of blessing those we love most coming and going from the door.
4 Prayers on the drive
from PxHere
Our our way dropping the kids off to school, we would say a quick prayer blessing our day. If you don’t have kids in the car, you still can bless your work day or whatever happens wherever you are heading.
5 Say the Rosary
from PxHere
This one is a little longer, but you can listen to the rosary during your drive or at work, I pull up YouTube and find a rosary I can follow along with. That way I can do simple work tasks and continue to pray along without losing my place.
6 Ask Saint Michael and the Saints for protection
from PxHere
I love St. Michael (my daughter’s confirmation saint) and all of the other saints who have prayed for me. Ask for their intersession since they are so close to God.
7 “Lord, have Mercy”
from PxHere
I don’t like it when my co-workers or others use the Lord’s name, so when I hear it, I quietly say “Lord, have mercy”. First, they are not all religious and may not realize how hurtful it is, but I feel like I’m being a friend to our Lord trying to remind him to have mercy on us.
8 Pray before Events or Meetings or Big Test
from PxHere
When my kids compete, I don’t want anyone to get hurt during the event, so I’ll say a little prayer of protection over all the athletes, and a little something extra for my own kids or teammates. And who else would you want standing next to you during a big presentation or during a test? I know who I want by my side.
9 Pray after Events or Meetings or Big Test
Photo by rawpixel.com from PxHere
Whew! That was hard! THANK GOD for whatever the outcome was, for His hand was in it. His will be done.
10 Come Holy Spirit
Photo by MalaikaUbuntu from PxHere
Have a tough talk, say the “Come Holy Spirit” prayer to give you the words you need and to open the ears of the person that needs to hear.
11 Call your Mother
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Immaculate_Heart_of_Mary.jpg
Yep, do it! And here’s an easy way to remember – every time you wash my hands after going to the bathroom, say a Hail Mary. It’s about 20 seconds to clean off any germs and talk to your Mother.
12 Pray on the drive home
from PxHere
Again, another way to talk through the events of the day, thank God for the blessings, ask for forgiveness where we fell short, and help going forward.
13 Pray before meals
Ok, so this isn’t probably your first meal of the day, but if you can’t say full out grace before eating, say a little prayer to bless the food to be consumed.
14 Prayer before bed
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
My kids are older now, but when they are home we still say our night prayers together. We bless each of our family members and say something we are thankful for and something we are sorry about that day. Then we close with a ‘standard prayer’.
15 Hold Jesus
Photo by Laura Hensley
I safety pin a knot rosary to my pillowcase (or fitted sheet), so when I turn on my side to fall asleep, I hold onto the Crucifix. It is my way of holding hands with Jesus as I drift off to sleep.
I hope you are able to use some of these simple but powerful ways to add Jesus to your day. What other ways to do you keep pray without ceasing thought out your day? Post in the comments.