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In this blog we will establish the Biblical mandate to pray without ceasing, then we will cover two prayers that the Church gives us to fulfill this command, followed by three practical ways that we can pray without ceasing.
Most Christians know distinctly in their spiritual DNA the necessity of praying without ceasing, regardless I want to cover quickly some verses and doctrine from the Catechism of the Catholic Church that build this foundational truth.
Saint Luke, who traveled with the apostle Paul and no doubt had many encounters and conversations with the apostles that walked with Jesus, records that the Lord Jesus taught that we should pray constantly and not give up or lose heart.
1 And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.[1]
The apostle Paul following this, wrote that simply, pray constantly.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray constantly, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.[2]
Then he follows up in another epistle to continue in prayer steadfastly.
2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.[3]
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has much to say on prayer, but here it repeats the apostle’s words of prayer from other epistles.
2742 “Pray constantly . . . always and for everything giving
thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.”[4]
St. Paul adds, “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and
supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance making
supplication for all the saints.”[5],[6]
Now that we have established the command of the Lord to pray without ceasing, let’s look at some practical ways that this can be accomplished. I need to confess immediately that this is something that we need to purpose in our lives to do. This does NOT come naturally, though the grace of God and Holy Spirit enable us, yes, actually without His grace and the Holy Spirit, we cannot do this at all, at times prayer flows more naturally then at other times. This is a command that pulls us higher toward Him. I have to purpose to pray constantly and many, many times fail. I do not dwell on that though because with this command in mind, I am striving toward Him, hungering and thirsting for righteousness![7]
The first prayer that the Church gives us to aid us in praying without ceasing is the Jesus Prayer (for a more detailed teaching on this prayer and video click here).
The Jesus Prayer is a simple prayer to reach out to Jesus anywhere and at any time. It is simply, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me a sinner.” This is my simple go-to prayer. When I am driving, walking, doing mindless work or find myself daydreaming, I call to Him. It can be prayed mentally, in a whisper or vocally.
The next prayer that the Church has given us is the Rosary (to pray the rosary click here). The Rosary is my favorite prayer. It is the gospel on beads. Again, we call out to Jesus and our Mother Mary at any time and any place, repeating the angelic announcement, Hail Mary, full of grace, and meditating on the mysteries of the gospel.
These are two great practical prayers that can be repeated over and over by which we are calling out to Him and we are focusing our thoughts on things above.[8]
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.[9]
Whole books have been written on this passage of scripture. We cannot delve into all the treasures at this time, it is sufficient for the purpose of this blog to concentrate on two key phrases, “the Lord is near” and in “in everything by prayer”.
“The Lord is near” is something we will visit again later in the blog, so let us concentrate on “in everything by prayer”. The context of this phrase is bringing everything with thanksgiving to God by prayer. We can turn all our worries into prayer. If you are a “worrier” naturally, if you turn every worry into prayer, you very well can fulfill the commandment to pray without ceasing easier than anyone else! All our burdens, all our stress, all our anxieties can be taken straight to Him. This is a practical way to pray without ceasing.
We have the prayers given to us by the Church, we can turn our worries into prayers, and we can turn our interactions with other people into prayer. Along the same lines, anytime we think of someone, we can pray for them. A lot of times the way others treat us is basically a silent non-verbal prayer request! They need prayer but are not certain how to ask for it except by treating others in less than desirable ways. The apostle Paul wrote this to Timothy:
1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. 3 This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.[10]
God desires all to be saved! The apostle requests us to pray for all men. By turning our thoughts of and our interactions with others, we can move toward praying without ceasing. What can we pray though? If we do not know what to pray, we can simply ask God to have mercy on them. Praying for God’s mercy is something we should pray all the time for all people.
16 So it depends not upon man’s will or exertion, but upon God’s mercy.[11]
God’s mercy can change everything. Conversion is a miracle and only God can affect it. Mercy though is far from only being needed for conversion. We need His mercy every day. Another word for mercy is pity. Every human needs His mercy. His mercy softens hearts. He knows what every person needs. He knows all our struggles. When we pray for His mercy to be given to someone this is the sentiment behind that prayer. For more on this subject, please see the link for the Jesus Prayer above.
One last practical way we can fulfill the command to pray without ceasing is simply thanksgiving and gratitude to God. Verbally communicating our love for Him.
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul;
and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
If you do not have the habit of telling God that you love Him and are thankful for Him and all that He has done and is doing in your life, there is no time like now. There is no law governing how much we can tell Him that we love Him. Truly this simple gesture builds faith and encourages fellowship with God.
That brings us to the main point of praying without ceasing. We hinted at this earlier from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians. In his statement, “the Lord is near”. This could be and should be all of us. The Lord is near! The theological virtues of hope, faith and love are the fruit that people see in our lives that shout, the Lord is near. If you have been baptized and confirmed, you are a temple of the Holy Spirit.[12] He is closer to you than the breath in your lungs. We are called to pray without ceasing because we are called to a living relationship with the Lord.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says this:
In the New Covenant, prayer is the living relationship of
the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure,
with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The grace of the
Kingdom is “the union of the entire holy and royal Trinity . . . with
the whole human spirit.” Thus, the life of prayer is the habit of
being in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion
with him. This communion of life is always possible because,
through Baptism, we have already been united with Christ. Prayer
is Christian insofar as it is communion with Christ and extends
throughout the Church, which is his Body. Its dimensions are those
of Christ’s love.[13]
It is always possible to pray: The time of the Christian is that
of the risen Christ who is with us always, no matter what tempests
may arise. Our time is in the hands of God:
It is possible to offer fervent prayer even while walking in
public or strolling alone, or seated in your shop, . . . while
buying or selling, . . . or even while cooking.[14]
Fulfilling God’s call to deep communion with Him through ceaseless prayer is available to us all. We can pray the prayers given to us by the Church, the Jesus Prayer and the Rosary. We can turn our worries into prayers. We can pray for those that come to our minds and that we have interaction with throughout our day. And finally, we can take every opportunity throughout our day no matter where we are or what we are doing to tell Him that we love Him.
Embrace God’s call to pray without ceasing!
Live repentance. Be zealous. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen
May 29, 2025, Thursday, the Feast of the Asencion of the Lord
[4] Referenced from Romans 10: 12-13; 8: 26-39
[5] Ephesians 6:18
[6] CCC 2742 Catechism of the Catholic Church
[7] Matthew 5:6
[8] Colossians 3:1
[12] 1 Corinthians 3:16
[13] CCC 2565 Catechism of the Catholic Church
[14] CCC 2743 Catechism of the Catholic Church Quote from St John Chrysostom
Be Zealous 
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