“Pray always without becoming weary.” -Luke 8: 1
This thought-provoking message is repeated in 1 Thessalonians 5: 17: Pray without ceasing!
The parable Jesus shares in today’s Gospel is to teach this lesson: Pray always! Have we ever wondered or meditated upon what this means? How can we truly pray without interruption? Is this even possible? Would Jesus command us to do the impossible?
The Way of a Pilgrim
Many years ago, I read a beautiful short book called The Way of a Pilgrim. This classic spiritual text was written by an anonymous author as a firsthand account of a Russian pilgrim, in the nineteenth century. In it, the pilgrim shares his insights as he embarks upon the quest to live out what it means to “pray without ceasing.” He lives simply, journeying from place to place, repeatedly reciting the Jesus prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, an ancient prayer dating back to the 4th century. This reflective story offers rich lessons on living with a recollected heart and ultimately what it means to grow in an awareness of God’s presence, or as Brother Lawrence put it: the practice of the presence of God.
We, too, are pilgrims on a journey, and we hear Christ telling us to embark upon this same journey. But how is this possible? The poor pilgrim struggled to practice this, and he did not have a job, family, or other responsibilities. Yet, Jesus is not one for exaggeration to make a point. There must be an authentic way to grow in constant prayer.
Living in the Fiat
St. Therese is often quoted as saying “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” So, it is clear, prayer is not necessarily or even primarily a constant flow of words but rather an interior disposition. She talks about this disposition that embraces both the sufferings and the blessings. This reminds me of our Blessed Mother’s fiat – Let it be done! In all things, no matter what came her way, she lived in God’s Will above all else. Mary proclaimed her fiat to His mighty and wondrous plan. She embraced His Will not only in the incredibly miraculous Incarnation, but also in the terribly cruel events of her flight with St. Joseph into Egypt. She truly lived the Fiat, thus praying without ceasing.
Start the Journey
With Advent just two weeks away, it is time to take up this journey in earnest, not just as a pathway to Christmas joy, but as the quest of our pilgrim longing for eternity with God. Let us go to prayer and ask our Lord to teach us how to pray constantly, how to turn our eyes and heart so fully towards him, that we see Him in everything. Also, ask Him to take our human will and dissolve it in the ocean of His divine will so that we too can live in the Fiat. Let us ask Him to teach us to do the seemingly impossible, to pray without ceasing, because by His grace all things are possible.
