Talk to Jesus All Day: The Simple Practice That Can Turn Your Whole Day Into Prayer
Recently, my son shared with me something that one of his professors at his Catholic university taught him:
Whenever you see an image of Jesus, the Blessed Mother, or one of the saints—talk to them.
I found that advice so simple, yet so profound.
We Catholics are surrounded by reminders of Heaven: a crucifix on the wall, an image of the Sacred Heart in our home, a statue of the Blessed Mother on our prayer altar, perhaps an image of a favorite saint beside our desk.
Many times, we simply pass by them without giving them much thought. But what if every one of these images became an invitation to prayer?
What if every time we saw the crucifix, we said:
“Jesus, I love You.”
Every time we passed an image of Our Lady:
“Mama Mary, stay close to me.”
Every time we became worried:
“Jesus, I trust in You.”
Every time we needed help:
“Lord, help me.”
Perhaps this very simple habit can help us do something that can otherwise seem difficult: to live our entire day in a spirit of prayer.
Carrying Our Prayer Into the Rest of the Day
For me, there are certain prayers that should anchor our spiritual life. Above all is the Holy Mass, the highest prayer of the Church and the source and summit of the Christian life.
Then there is the Holy Rosary, through which we contemplate the mysteries of the life of Jesus together with His Mother. And whenever possible, there is that precious time spent before Our Lord in the Adoration Chapel, simply being with Him in the Blessed Sacrament.
These moments of deeper and more sustained prayer are irreplaceable.
But eventually we leave the church. The Rosary ends. We leave the Adoration Chapel. Then the rest of the day begins.
We have work to do, children to care for, meetings to attend, meals to prepare, problems to solve, and responsibilities that demand our attention.
The question is:
How do we carry Jesus with us into all of that?
This, I think, is where these little conversational prayers become so beautiful. They do not replace our deeper prayer.
They extend it.
They allow the conversation with God that began at Mass, during the Rosary, or before the Blessed Sacrament to continue quietly throughout the ordinary moments of the day.
St. Paul tells us:
“Pray without ceasing.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:17
At first this can sound almost impossible. How can we pray without ceasing while still fulfilling all of our responsibilities?
The Catechism gives a beautiful answer:
“It is always possible to pray.”
It then quotes St. John Chrysostom, who taught that we can pray while walking, working, buying and selling, and even while cooking.
Our dedicated times of prayer form us. Then, throughout the rest of the day, we keep returning our hearts to God.
Just Talk to Jesus
I think sometimes we can forget that prayer is also a conversation. Prayer is a relationship, and relationships grow when we speak to one another.
We can begin the day with our prayers, attend Mass, pray our Rosary, spend time before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament—and then continue speaking to Him throughout the day.
Before an important meeting:
“Holy Spirit, give me wisdom.”
“Mary, Seat of Wisdom, help me.”
When something goes wrong:
“Lord, help me handle this well.”
When something beautiful happens:
“Thank You, Jesus!”
When we are tired:
“Jesus, give me strength.”
When temptation comes:
“Jesus, help me.”
When we encounter someone who is suffering:
“Lord, please help this person.”
When we become frustrated:
“Jesus, give me patience.”
When we are uncertain:
“Lord, show me what You want me to do.”
Even the smallest concerns can be brought to Him. A child does not approach his father only during moments of crisis; he speaks to his father about everything, big and small.
Perhaps this is part of learning to approach God with the simplicity and trust of a child.
St. Francis de Sales Recommended This Practice
I was fascinated to discover that this practice has very deep roots in Catholic spirituality.
St. Francis de Sales devoted an entire section of his classic Introduction to the Devout Life to what he called “Aspirations, Ejaculatory Prayer and Holy Thoughts.”
His advice was wonderfully practical: “Aspire continually to God, by brief, ardent upliftings of heart.”
He encourages the Christian to invoke God's help, adore His goodness, turn one's interior gaze toward Him, and repeatedly offer one's heart to Him throughout the day.
He also gives this beautiful image: we should reach toward God like a little child reaching toward his father.
That is exactly the spirit of this practice. In between our more sustained times of prayer, the heart keeps returning to God:
“Jesus, I love You.”
“Jesus, help me.”
“Thank You, Lord.”
“Jesus, I trust in You.”
These little prayers have traditionally been called ejaculatory prayers or aspirations—short movements of the heart toward God offered again and again throughout the day.
St. Thérèse Understood Prayer This Way
St. Thérèse of Lisieux gives us perhaps one of the most beautiful descriptions of prayer ever written: “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven.”
I love the simplicity of that: a simple look toward Heaven.
Imagine beginning your day with the Rosary or Holy Mass and then, hours later, while working at your desk, something suddenly causes you to think of God.
You simply look toward Him interiorly: “Jesus, I love You.”
Later, something worries you: “Jesus, I trust in You.”
A little later, you remember someone who needs prayers: “Lord, please help him.”
Your work continues and your responsibilities continue, but underneath everything, a quiet conversation with Heaven has begun.
Images Can Become Reminders of Heaven
This brings me back to what my son learned from his professor:
When you see an image of Jesus, Mary, or the saints, talk to them.
There is a beautiful parallel in the spirituality of St. Josemaría Escrivá, who taught so much about finding God in ordinary work.
Spiritual guidance based on his teachings recommends keeping a small crucifix, an image of Our Lady, or an image of a favorite saint near one's workplace as a reminder of God's presence.
St. Josemaría encouraged people to place an image of Our Lady near where they worked and to look at her during the day, allowing their work itself to become “a loving dialogue with God.”
Think about how easily we could apply this.
Put a crucifix beside your computer. Keep a small image of Our Lady on your desk. Place a Sacred Heart image somewhere you frequently pass at home. Keep an image of your patron saint somewhere you will regularly see it.
You can even use a Catholic image as the lock screen of your phone. Then form one simple habit:
Whenever you notice it, say something.
“Jesus, I love You.”
“Mary, pray for me.”
“St. Joseph, help me with my work.”
“My Guardian Angel, guide me.”
Then continue whatever you were doing.
The image becomes almost like a little bell calling your heart back to Heaven. Little by little, you begin learning how to live in the presence of God.
Bring Our Lady Into Your Day Too
And of course, we should continually turn toward our Blessed Mother. She is, after all, our Mother. So speak to her like a mother:
“Mama Mary, help me.”
“Mama Mary, keep my children safe.”
“Mary, Seat of Wisdom, help me.”
“Mother, help me make the right decision.”
“Mama Mary, bring me closer to Jesus.”
There is something wonderfully Catholic about living our ordinary day accompanied by the Blessed Mother.
Our Rosary does not have to be the last time we speak to Mary that day. After praying it in the morning, why not continue talking to our Mother throughout the afternoon?
A sentence here, a request there, a word of gratitude:
“Mama Mary, help me.”
And always, she leads us back to Jesus.
The Saints Lived in God's Presence
This desire to remain continually aware of God appears again and again in the lives and teachings of the saints.
St. John of the Cross advised: “Endeavour to remain always in the presence of God.”
Throughout the day, these little prayers continually reconnect us to the grace we received in those deeper encounters with God.
Every ordinary circumstance becomes another opportunity to whisper:
“Jesus, You are here.”
Try It for One Day
Perhaps tomorrow we can try this.
Begin the day as you normally would with your regular prayers. If you are able to attend Mass, attend Mass. Pray your Rosary. Spend time with Our Lord in Adoration whenever you have the opportunity.
But after those prayers are finished, don't allow the conversation to end.
Carry it with you.
Every time you see a crucifix or religious image, speak. Every time something worries you, something good happens, you need wisdom, you become irritated, or you simply remember Him—speak.
“Jesus, help me.”
Later: “Thank You, Jesus.”
Then: “Mama Mary, pray for me.”
Then: “Lord, I trust You.”
Again and again throughout the day.
By evening, perhaps we will discover something beautiful:
We began the day praying, but in a sense, we never really stopped.
Our Mass, our Rosary, our Adoration, our morning prayer—these gave our day its foundation. Then these little movements of the heart kept drawing us back to Jesus and Mary as the hours passed.
Isn't this what the Christian life should increasingly become?
Not merely praying at certain times, but living with Jesus—speaking to Him, depending upon Him, thanking Him, asking His help, and turning toward Him again and again.
So the next time you pass by an image of Jesus, the Blessed Mother, or one of your favorite saints, don't simply walk past.
Say something.
Talk to them.
Perhaps this is one simple way of learning what St. Paul meant when he told us:
“Pray without ceasing.”
Jesus, stay with me.
Mama Mary, lead me always to your Son.
And help me, Lord, to live this entire day in Your presence.
Amen.