What Does it Mean to Pray Without Ceasing
Listen to the beautiful words from Cardinal Fenelon, the French mystic:
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Do not be discouraged at your faults; bear with yourself in correcting them, as you would with your neighbor. Lay aside this ardor of mind, which exhausts your body, and leads you to commit errors.
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Accustom yourself gradually to carry prayer into all your daily occupations. Speak, move, work, in peace, as if you were in prayer, as indeed you ought to be. Do everything without excitement, by the spirit of grace.
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As soon as you perceive your natural impetuosity gliding in, retire quietly within, where is the kingdom of God. Listen to the leadings of grace, then say and do nothing but what the Holy Spirit shall put in your heart.
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You will find that you will become more tranquil, that your words will be fewer and more effectual, and that, with less effort, you will accomplish more good.
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These words were written 300 years ago. They are just as true today as the day they were written. He's obviously found something, and I know what it is. I would like to share the secret with you, but it is only for the sincere in heart.To start again, you need two things: a way of living and moving and having your being that is calm and not willful.
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And more importantly a way of speaking and acting gracefully with wisdom and common sense. One where reason leads instead of emotion. One where intuition is your guide rather than pressures from the outside.
One where you are a friend of God and comfortable with your conscience.
Perhaps now you see what else is needed: a way of dealing with the traumas, baggage, and memories of the past. And mostly those memories are of failure. Where we were hasty, impetuous, angry, excited, greedy, prideful or selfish. We moved without wisdom and were tempted away from reason. We became resentful and said or did the wrong thing. We doubted God and good. We became animated at the thought of personal gain, and we moved excitedly and blindly.
.You cannot change the past. All you can do is live rightly from now on. The secret lies in a sincere willingness to know the truth and a willingness to admit wrong. This willingness leads to a wonderful thing: a softening of our heart and there being an opening for God's inner light to begin to shine in our life.
When we are willing to know the truth, we begin to see our own wrong--especially resentments and hatreds toward others. But this time, instead of fighting conscience, we permit it to overwhelm us and chasten us.
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To pray without ceasing is to be aware in such a way that we remain close to what we know in our heart. It is to yearn for truth and what is right so much that whenever we begin to fall into excessive thought, or when we get caught up in something that we are making more important than what is right, we are somehow nudged by our awareness. We snap out and stand back from our reverie.
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The Desiderata describes the calm state of being very well: "Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence."
The old television show Kung Fu, starring David Carradine, about the Shaolin monk who lives a noble and courageous life, does an excellent job of portraying someone who moves without haste and who wishes with all his heart to do what is right (I highly recommend you enjoy watching the pilot movie or a couple of episodes--you're in for a treat).
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Much is written about peace of mind and calm living, but doing so is quite another matter, especially when under pressure. I believe we need God's help. When we try to do right or try to be calm, we still get caught up in things and we still become upset when we err. And because our ego is involved, we tend to get frustrated and resentful, when we try to be calm.
What we need is an objective consciousness that gently and wordlessly reminds us when we stray. When we live in this light, living becomes effortless.If you wish to learn more about our meditation and how it assists the sincere seeker in refinding intuition and putting it into practice, please visit our website and get free information.
