Reflection on Ceaseless Prayer

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, St. Paul commands us to "pray constantly".  This does not mean we have to live like hermits who say vocal prayers all day long.  It does mean we have to have an awareness of God's presence and a readiness to respond to him at all times.  One way we can cultivate this "God consciousness" is by praying the Morning Offering below and by renewing it several times throughout the day.  (We can renew the Morning Offering by simply reminding ourselves of the commitment we made through it.  We do not need to pray the entire prayer after we have prayed it in the morning, although it would not hurt if we did.)

O Jesus,
through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer You my prayers, works,
joys and sufferings
of this day for all the intentions
of Your Sacred Heart,
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
throughout the world,
in reparation for my sins,
for the intentions of all my relatives and friends,
and in particular
for the intentions of the Holy Father.Amen.