A Good Time to Pray

When is a good time to pray? In the Gospels, we learn that Jesus prayed in the morning and at night. He rose early in the morning to pray (Mark 1:35). Before choosing the apostles, he spent the whole night in
prayer (Luke 6:12). But as well as praying at the opening of the day and during the night, Jesus was in communion with the Father throughout the day. In other words, although he chose certain moments for formal prayer, his prayer was in fact continuous. He was bathed in a continual awareness of the Father. He was totally in tune with the Father; so much so that the Father was always speaking through him. Jesus put it this way, ‘I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak’ ( John 12:49).

It would be great if you could make it your ultimate goal to imitate Jesus and ‘pray without ceasing’ (1 Thessalonians 5:17). You can start by imitating Jesus’ rhythm of formal prayer and making sure to pray both morning and evening.

Excerpted from The Mindful Our Father by Thomas Casey SJ