George Matulaitis Journal

We should try to get into the habit of a constant spirit of prayer: while walking, during working hours, especially if what we are doing does not tax the mind too much—or whenever we have a free moment, while passing from one job to another or even while conversing with people—in a word, everywhere and at all times. Such brief aspirations, such momentary elevations of the spirit toward heaven, such stirrings of love for God and man, such quick glances at all things in the light of eternity do not require that we set aside any special time and do not interfere with our work but, on the contrary, are a source of refreshment. We ought to acquire this habit of constant prayer. In our active life it is absolutely necessary that we acquire this habit of prayer. We must seize those moments which can so easily slip away and elude us, those freer moments, and turn them into prayer. When a person has practiced this for some time, almost before he knows it, his spirit seems to rise up to God spontaneously, it rushes heavenward almost effortlessly. And then what light it receives, what holy desires it experiences, what strength fills the will. If we do not learn to convert those fleeting moments into prayer, they will flash by like lightning. And what is worse, we will lose those free moments completely. The mind is constantly at work, and our thoughts are always busy about something or other. If they do not rise toward God, if we do not direct them toward holy things, they will rove about somewhere else, often aimlessly—chasing the wind, as it were. Then we tend to ponder some unpleasant incident, think about ourselves, and feed our self-love. As a result, we become more fatigued than if the mind were concentrating on some intellectual task, the nerves are agitated, and our inner peace is dis- turbed. Happy is the person who learns to take these short breaks from his work to rise up to God and rest in Him. Since our way of life does not allow us to devote long hours to prayer, we need to acquire this habit of interior prayer, of constantly lifting up mind and heart to God. How much time is lost in useless and empty thoughts! A person is aware that he is thinking about something, but he hardly knows about what. The mind continues to work and even becomes weary, but there is no productive result, only wool-gathering. Would it not be more worthwhile in every respect to direct our mind and our spir- it toward God and toward holy things? Let us learn to remain and to walk 55