Pray Unceasingly

Today’s Gospel Text:  And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; 3 and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Vindicate me against my adversary.' 4 For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.'" 6 And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?" Luke 18:1-8

Reflection: So often we are exhorted to pray and Jesus invites us not just to pray but always to pray or pray always unceasingly.

Can that be possible, can we be praying always and all the time?

Yes, it is possible to pray always and at all times, even when we are asleep or working. It is a special grace given to each one of us at baptism and which we have failed to use.

It is like a gadget or an instrument given to us and may be with us still, in good condition, and we may never use it, more so because no one taught us how to use and when.

One of the key things we would teach those who would attend our retreats was how to always pray and all who followed the instructions would experience the power of God’s Spirit at work in them leading them to pray constantly, always and at all times.

They were taught how to develop the habit of habitual prayer and contemplation, which otherwise they would never have picked up, if it was not taught to them.

A few experience this power at Charismatic or Pentecostal gatherings but they tend to fade away if they don’t maintain that discipline in daily prayer.

Is it an option? It can never be an option, for we were called and chosen to worship God through every aspect of our lives and even sanctify the temporal order.

This we can do only by working in close union with the God who is still working in creation and wants to use each one of us as his instrument. 

We can do so not by having beautiful visions and plans for him, noble as it may seem, but rather by working in union with him.

One way of praying always is to ask the Lord for the grace and learning to praise him and thank him in all circumstances beginning with our personal prayer time before we begin the day.

Prayer:  Lord I pray that I may cooperate with your grace to pray unceasingly at all times and in every situation. 

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

How to Pray?

Today’s Gospel:  "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come.Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread; 12 And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; 13 And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.

14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matt 6:7-15

Reflection:  ‘Comparison of religions in multi-religious society’, and Jesus does just that!

The Gentile way of doing things and the way his followers are supposed to do things would be different. Since their concept of God is different.  One has to appease the gods the other has to only turn to the God who cares with sincere prayer from the heart.  

Why should his followers not do things differently? Jesus clearly indicates to us that if we pray the right way God will hear our prayers; for he has revealed to us who God is. He is our Father and he cares for us. May be we may not pray the Lord's prayer which Jesus taught us but it is a model prayer for his disciple to follow and base their prayers on.  


The Greatest truth about who God is and what one should do to please him so that he or she is heard is contained in the Lord’s Prayer.

It is important to mention here the Catholic Rosary prayer, since the many so called wise consider the Rosary to fall in the category of what Jesus is saying in the gospel.  They have got it all wrong.

The Rosary is primarily a contemplative prayer, aimed at contemplating the mystery of Christ as revealed in scripture and tradition.  This labour of contemplation could then be offered for the salvation of souls and thus it becomes an intercessory prayer too. All this action is worth twice and multiplied, because we have the Most Holy presence with Mary as our mother with us as we pray it.  

Yet as in any prayers we could approach God in the wrong sense and pray as if they are magic formulae’s.  Similarly, we may not be praying the Rosary as it is supposed to be prayed and thus loose out on its many blessings.

Prayer:  Thy will be done!

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Silent Dynamism of the Kingdom

Today’s Scripture:  And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground, 27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." Mark 4:26-29

Reflection: Life’s mysteries are a wonderful contemplation. Imagine the mystery of the grain that is ripe, it first has to sprout, and then it has to grow and so on and so forth.  Similarly, life has many mysteries which have to go through the various phases and processes. We can prudently observe and reflect and contemplate. Yet all this is not enough in keeping with our eternity.

We have to reflect on the kingdom mysteries too, with its phases and processes, which works in similar fashion as life’s mysteries and yet not the same. It works in everyone who believes but if one is not aware then like a good farmer one may not know when the grain is ripe and when to use the sickle.  Worse still, one may not know how to cooperate and participate in the work of the Kingdom dynamism.

Therefore, it is essential to reflect on God’s word on a daily and regular basis and sit at the feet of the master so as to constantly learn, let go and surrender.

Prayer:  Lord, may I ponder on your word day and night so that your silent power is manifest in and through my life.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us