Unceasing prayer a pious fantasy? Are St. Paul's words hyperbole? Three years ago in the deserts of Egypt, I decided I must know. I'd gone to a remote monastery seeking wisdom for my life. Instead I discovered the secret, not just of unceasing prayer, but of a deep interior contentment that nothing can steal (I've written the tale of this journey in my free ebook, Returning to the Center).
An occasional journal entry posted here will track my journey. This comes from September 10, 2007 in the midst of a very busy week:
If I can keep my mind active and busy with the clutter of competing and distracted thoughts, thoughts that keep me unbalanced and focused on external matters, surely I can exercise the mind toward active, interior prayer---a praying that moves from the recitation of the Psalms, through the Jesus Prayer, into the prayer of the heart, and watchfulness over my interior landscape.
Surely, with God's help, I can trade my "praying" to all these lesser gods that seek my allegiance for the pure prayer that anchors me in Jesus Christ, unites me with the inner life of the Holy Trinity.
Surely, if I can "pray" unceasingly to such false gods, then I can pray to the true God---for I have God's help, and nothing pleases God more.