The Holy Habit of Praying

Divine Appeal Reflection - 167

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 167: "I ask you to pray and I beg you not to grow faint.  I call you today to strive with diligence. I want you in the holy habit  of praying. Behold the very dawn found Me at prayer. Even in My  labours, I lifted Myself to My Eternal Father."

There is a tender urgency in Christ’s call to prayer: He patiently draws the soul back when prayer begins to fade (cf. Lk 18:1; CCC 2567). The danger is often not rejecting God, but slowly allowing prayer to become optional through tiredness, busyness, distraction, or discouragement . Yet Christ continues to invite the heart to return. Scripture shows this struggle in unusual ways. Moses grew weary while Israel fought below, and his weakness affected the battle until others helped him remain steadfast (cf. Ex 17:8–13). Prayer is therefore not always an experience of strength; sometimes prayer is simply refusing to let tired hands fall completely. Habakkuk stood watch in darkness, waiting for an answer he could not yet see (cf. Hab 2:1–4). Anna, the prophetess, remained near the temple through long years of worship and expectation,(cf. Lk 2:36–38) and her hidden fidelity enabled her to recognise the Messiah when others passed by . These personalities reveal that perseverance in prayer changes the eyes before it changes circumstances.  A priest may pray for a divided parish while misunderstandings continue. A young unemployed graduate may continue praying while submitting application after application. The temptation is to conclude that prayer has failed. Yet Christ(cf. Lk 18:1–8; CCC 2725–2745) calls the soul not to measure prayer merely by visible results . Blessed Maria of Jesus Crucified, Mariam Baouardy, reveals a spirituality of profound humility and abandonment amid extraordinary interior experiences, suffering, and trials . Yet the mystery of persevering prayer is also illuminated by lesser-known witnesses. St. André Bessette spent his life receiving the burdens of ordinary people and quietly carrying them into prayer before God, while Blessed Solanus Casey transformed countless conversations and disappointments into trusting intercession . Their lives remind us that prayer does not always produce dramatic feelings, immediate answers, or visible consolation. Often, its deepest fruit is the quiet transformation of a heart that continues to return to God . Sometimes it produces something more hidden: a soul that refuses to stop turning toward God. The holy habit of praying is therefore not a prison of religious routine. It is the gradual formation of the heart into a place that instinctively returns to the Father. Eventually, disappointment itself begins to pray, work begins to pray, suffering begins to pray, and even silence becomes prayer (cf. Rom 8:26–27). The soul that repeatedly returns to God discovers that perseverance is not first the strength to hold onto prayer; it is the grace of allowing prayer to hold onto the soul. (cf. Phil 1:6).

Prayer becomes especially deep when we understand Christ's example of the dawn finding Him at prayer. Before crowds gathered, before demands multiplied, before healing and preaching began, Jesus withdrew toward the Father (cf. Mk 1:35; Lk 4:42). This reveals a mystical law: the first movement of the day should belong, as far as possible, to the One from whom the entire day receives its existence. Dawn carries a deep spiritual significance because it offers the soul a brief freedom before the noise of the world begins to claim the heart . The mind has not yet been drawn into worries, conversations, financial concerns, meetings, traffic, messages, news, or social media. In that quiet beginning, the soul can first turn toward God, allowing His Presence to become the centre from which the day unfolds . Consider Jacob rising early and marking the place where he had encountered God, recognising that ordinary ground had become sacred through divine presence (cf. Gen 28:18–22). Consider Job,(cf. Job 1:4–5) who regularly interceded for his family rather than waiting for disaster before turning toward God . Consider King Hezekiah, who spread a threatening message before God when human circumstances became overwhelming (cf. 2 Kgs 19:14–19). Morning prayer can similarly become the place where tomorrow's fears are placed before God before they become the day's master. A hospital doctor may spend five minutes before leaving home, quietly entrusting unknown patients to Christ. A bus driver may begin the engine only after briefly asking God to protect every passenger. A mother with an infant who wakes repeatedly during the night may offer her exhaustion before she begins another demanding day. A farmer may stand outside before sunrise and entrust the uncertain weather to the Creator (cf. Ps 65:9–13). A student may place books before God before beginning revision. A priest may enter the sacristy early—not merely to arrange liturgical objects—but to become interiorly recollected before offering the Holy Sacrifice. A businessperson may resist beginning the day with emails and instead spend a few minutes asking whether ambition is directing decisions more than conscience. 

St. Macrina the Younger shows how family life, suffering, and contemplation can become a single path toward God, while St. Gregory of Narek demonstrates how deep repentance can gather the brokenness of the human heart and place it before Divine Mercy (cf. Ps 51:17; CCC 2567). Their witness reveals that dawn prayer is not an escape from reality;(cf. Ps 5:1–3; CCC 2697–2698) it is entering reality after first remembering Who holds it . The person who begins the day with God may still encounter disorder, difficult people, unexpected news, disappointments, or demanding responsibilities, but these things meet a heart that has already been entrusted to Christ (cf. Ps. 5:3; Prov. 3:5–6). When possible, morning Mass is one of the most beautiful devotions with which to begin the day, placing the whole of our coming hours upon the altar and receiving Our Adorable Jesus in the Eucharist before entering the demands of ordinary life (cf. Lk. 24:30–35; CCC 1324–1327). A morning Rosary can likewise gather the mind from its scattered concerns and place the day beneath the maternal gaze of Our Lady, teaching us to walk through each responsibility with Christ at the centre (cf. Lk. 2:19, 51; CCC 2678). Thus, the first moments of the morning can quietly determine the day's deepest direction: before the world speaks, the soul listens; before demands arise, the heart offers itself; and before we face the world, we place ourselves in the presence of God . What follows may still be difficult, but the soul does not enter the day alone.

Yet Christ's example reaches further: His communion with the Father did not end when prayer ended. Even amid labour, preaching, travelling, healing, opposition, and encounters with suffering, His entire human life remained oriented toward the Father (cf. Jn 5:19–20; 8:28–29). Here lies one of the deepest mysteries of the holy habit of praying: prayer is meant eventually to become a way of existing. This is not the same as constantly reciting words. It means developing an interior direction toward God that can survive activity. Nehemiah provides a remarkable biblical example. While standing before the king in a politically dangerous moment, he makes an immediate interior appeal to God before answering (cf. Neh 2:1–5). His prayer occurs inside responsibility. Eleazar, one of David's warriors, remains steadfast in battle when others retreat,(cf. 2 Sam 23:9–10) showing the hidden perseverance required when duty becomes exhausting . Likewise, the Christian learns to lift the heart toward God in the middle of ordinary labour. A cashier silently asks for patience before serving a difficult customer. A police officer quietly asks for wisdom before entering a tense situation. A teacher pauses internally before responding to a disruptive student rather than humiliating the child. A mechanic offers the day's work to God while repairing a vehicle honestly.  A farmer working alone in the field turns physical labour into gratitude. A person washing clothes, preparing food, cleaning a house, typing a report, changing a baby's clothes, or standing in a queue can whisper the name of Jesus. Brother Lawrence, in his spirituality of practising the presence of God, discovered that ordinary work could become a continual turning of the heart toward God. St Isidore the Farmer similarly became a powerful symbol of holiness within humble labour. The Catechism(cf. CCC 2565; 2697–2699) teaches that prayer is the relationship of God's children with their Father and should extend into the whole of Christian life . This does not remove concentration from work; authentic prayer often makes work more attentive, honest, and charitable. We do not leave our daily work to find God; we learn to work while remaining with Him. The office can become a sanctuary, the kitchen an altar, the road a path of intercession, and even a hospital corridor a place of silent prayer .

The command to strive with diligence reveals that prayer requires more than occasional religious emotion. A habit is formed through repeated return. This is particularly important because prayer has seasons. There are days when the soul desires prayer and days when prayer feels dry. There are moments of light and long periods of apparent darkness. The prophet Daniel continued his established pattern of prayer even when faithfulness became personally dangerous (cf. Dan 6:10–11). His example reveals that holy habits protect the soul when emotions become unreliable. Judith (cf. Jdt 8:4–8; 9:1–14) prepared herself through prayer and fasting before entering a situation filled with danger and uncertainty . Prayer was not an emergency technique invented at the last moment; it was part of her spiritual identity. This becomes intensely practical. A priest who waits for inspiration before praying may slowly discover that fatigue has crowded out intimacy with Christ. A husband and wife who pray only when problems arise may awaken one day to find that unspoken wounds have created a distance between them (cf. Eph. 4:26–27; Col. 3:12–15). A religious soul who depends upon spiritual consolation may mistake dryness for God's absence (cf. Jn. 15:4–5; 2 Cor. 5:7). A student who remembers God only during examinations may unknowingly treat prayer as an emergency measure rather than a relationship with the Father (cf. Mt. 6:31–33). A young person can spend hours before a screen and yet feel that a few minutes with God are impossible (cf. Eph. 5:15–16). Holy perseverance therefore needs concrete habits: a regular time for prayer, Sacred Scripture, silence, examination of conscience, the Rosary, the Divine Office, Holy Mass, Eucharistic adoration, and brief acts of prayer throughout the day . Yet prayer is more than a schedule. Repeated fidelity makes the heart available to God.  True diligence is simply returning—again and again—to allow Our Adorable Jesus to love, purify, strengthen, correct, and send us (cf. Jn. 15:9–10; Phil. 2:13). Gradually, prayer reaches places we scarcely notice: it changes our desires, softens our reactions, purifies our choices, and teaches us to love differently, often long before we recognize any outward answer .

Finally, the call not to grow faint reveals the apostolic power of a praying soul. Prayer is not withdrawal from the world; it is one of the ways through which the world is secretly carried before God (cf. 1 Tim 2:1–4). Consider Epaphras, whose hidden labour for Christian communities is described as intense spiritual striving for others (cf. Col 4:12–13). Consider Moses, who interceded for a rebellious people rather than simply abandoning them in disappointment (cf. Ex 32:30–32). Consider Samuel,(cf. 1 Sam 12:23) who regarded neglect of intercession as a serious failure of responsibility toward God's people . These biblical personalities reveal that mature prayer eventually becomes apostolic. A grandmother praying quietly for grandchildren may be participating in a battle she cannot see. A sick person confined to bed may carry missionaries, prisoners, victims of war, priests, families, and dying souls before God. A young professional can pray for the colleague who constantly irritates him instead of merely complaining about that person. A priest can place the name of a difficult parishioner before the Eucharist before preparing a response. A religious community divided by misunderstanding can begin praying for one another before attempting difficult conversations. A business owner can pray before deciding whether to dismiss workers. A politician or public servant can ask God for freedom from corruption before entering an environment of pressure. A person caring for a relative with dementia can transform repetitive acts of care into repeated acts of prayer . St Lidwina of Schiedam, confined by prolonged illness, became a hidden centre of intercession. St Josephine Bakhita, after terrible human suffering, allowed grace to prevent bitterness from becoming the final language of her life. Their witness shows that prayer does not require an impressive external life. A person may appear powerless while becoming spiritually fruitful in ways known only to God. The person who does not grow faint may never see the results of intercession on earth. A child may return to faith twenty years after a parent's death. A person forgiven silently may later remember the mercy that prevented despair. A stranger may be protected by a prayer offered without knowing his name. The holy habit of praying creates invisible histories of grace. (cf. Gal 6:9; Jas 5:16). The dawn prayer of one ordinary person, the whispered prayer during work, the prayer offered in exhaustion, and the final prayer before sleep may appear insignificant. Yet Christ teaches that a life continually lifted toward the Father becomes gradually transformed into communion with the Father's will (cf. Mt 6:9–13; Jn 17:20–26). The highest mystical secret is therefore simple: we begin by setting aside moments for prayer, but if we persevere, prayer eventually begins setting aside the whole person for God. (cf. Rom 12:1–2; CCC 2565).

Prayer 

O Adorable Jesus, teach us never to grow faint in prayer. Form within us the holy habit of returning to the Father at dawn, in labour, suffering, silence, and joy. Transform our ordinary duties into prayer and our prayer into love. Make us persevering intercessors, contemplative workers, and faithful witnesses of Your Presence. Amen.

Sr. Anna Ali of the Most Holy Eucharist, intercede for us.