I named this blog The 24/7 Catholic because it expresses a desire that I had tugging at my heart. I want to live my Catholic faith every day, every hour, every minute. All the time. Not just on Sundays, not just at Mass, not just when I’m feeling inspired - but 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That’s what it means to follow Christ, right?
At least, that’s what I aspire to do...
... and yet, more often than not, I fall short...
This blog is for people like me - those of us who want to be saints, but who find ourselves slipping, stumbling, and sometimes just plain giving up. 
It’s for people who want to live the faith 24/7 but don’t always know how. People who go to Confession and mean it - but then snap at someone ten minutes later. People who say their Rosary while mentally ticking off their to-do list. People who love Jesus with all their hearts - but still struggle with doubt, distraction, despair, and daily demands.
This is The 24/7 Catholic - not because I’ve mastered it, but because I need to be reminded of it every single day...
“Pray Without Ceasing”
The inspiration for this title is rooted in Scripture - and particularly in one of my favourite verses from Saint Paul:
“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (RSV-CE)
Other translations say “pray without ceasing,” which is a phrase that used to intimidate me. Without ceasing? I can barely stay focused through one Hail Mary. But over time, I’ve come to see this not as an impossible task, but as a gentle invitation.
Saint Paul isn’t saying we have to be on our knees all day, or in church every hour. He’s calling us to live in continual relationship with God - to carry Him with us into everything we do. Driving to work. Washing the dishes. Changing nappies. Visiting a neighbour. Enduring illness. Facing grief. Laughing with friends. Watching the news. Resting. Even sleeping. All of it can be prayer, if we offer it to Him.
Being a 24/7 Catholic means that our faith is not an accessory to wear on Sundays - it’s our very identity, our heartbeat, the air we breathe. Or at least, that’s the goal.
Why I Started This Blog
I started this blog not because I’ve figured it all out, but because I haven’t. I need structure. I need reminders. I need grace. And I thought - maybe others do too.
There are already many brilliant Catholic blogs out there - ones that unpack theology, break open Scripture, and analyse Church teaching with precision. I love those. But I wanted to write something a bit messier. A bit more human. A bit more like the awkward daily attempts to live out holiness in a noisy, distracted world.
The 24/7 Catholic is my journal of trying - and trying again - to live the Catholic life, with honesty, hope, humour, and humility. And if it can help someone else do the same, then praise God.
✦ Devotional: Christ At The Centre ✦
Let’s pause for a brief reflection.
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”
- John 15:4 (RSV-CE)
Being a 24/7 Catholic doesn’t start with doing more. It starts with being with Christ. Abiding in Him. That’s a relational word - it means living with, remaining in, dwelling near.
We’re not just called to work for God; we’re called to live with Him.
When we keep Christ at the centre of everything - our work, our family, our fears, our rest - then even the ordinary things become sacred. Even our failures become fruitful, if we return to Him in trust.
Jesus doesn’t expect perfection from us. He expects surrender. If we can offer Him our broken selves every day, that is a true 24/7 kind of love.
✦ A Prayer: Lord, I Keep Failing… ✦
Lord JesusI want to live for You - not just on Sundays,
Not just when I feel strong,
But every day. Every moment.
And yet I keep failing.
I forget You. I get distracted.
I let my moods and my sins take over.
But I know You are patient.
I know You wait for me.
Teach me how to live with You -
To walk with You in the little things,
To turn to You in weakness,
To rejoice in You always.
Help me to be a 24/7 Catholic -
Not by my own strength,
But by Your grace.
And when I fall,
Help me to rise again.
I offer You this day, this hour, this breath.
Make it Yours.
Amen.
✦ A Poem: "All Day Long" ✦
All Day LongI want to pray with every breath
And walk with God through life and death.
But I am clumsy, slow, and weak -
I lose the words I mean to speak.
Yet still He waits with love so wide,
A Shepherd walking by my side.
Not just at Mass, not just in prayer,
But in the dishes, traffic, care.
He’s in the silence of the dawn,
And in the pain that lingers on.
He’s in the tears I cry at night,
And in the spark of morning light.
To live for Christ is not a task -
It’s love. It’s hope. It’s all He asks.
To offer Him the whole day long -
My halting steps, my broken song.
And when I fail - because I will -
He draws me closer, closer still.
He never leaves. He leads me on.
To love anew - all day long.
✦ A 24/7 Catholic Checklist ✦
Here’s a humble, practical list I try to return to. Not to become “perfect,” but to stay in the presence of God. Pick just a few - or all - and let them guide your day.
✅ Daily Reminders to Live the Faith 24/7:
Start the day with a prayer - even a short “Jesus, I trust in You.”Read or listen to Scripture daily - even just one verse (try the daily readings).Offer your work to God - whatever you do, do it for Him.Make space for silence - no phone, no noise, just sit with God.Speak to Our Lady - a decade of the Rosary, or a “Hail Mary” on the go.Pray before meals - even snacks!Say sorry quickly - to God and to others.Choose kindness, especially when it’s hard.Visit a church or chapel during the week, even for 5 minutes.End your day with an Act of Contrition.Smile and greet people - you never know who needs it.Say a prayer when you hear a siren.Forgive someone, even if just in your heart.Thank God for three things each evening.Read a saint quote or Catholic blog... there are far better blogs than this one.You don’t need to do everything, every day. But keep the flame alive. A 24/7 Catholic isn’t perfect - just persistent.
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It's Not About Perfection
Living as a 24/7 Catholic is a journey - not a status. It’s not about being the holiest person in the pew. It’s about saying “yes” to God today. And again tomorrow. And again after we fall flat on our face.
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux put it beautifully:
“I will seek out a means of getting to Heaven by a little way - very short and very straight, a little way that is wholly new.”
She didn’t try to do big things. She tried to do small things with big love.
That’s what this blog is about. Trying. Trying to bring our faith into every crevice of our lives - the mundane, the painful, the joyful, the messy. Trying to love God more, one moment at a time. Trying to live the Gospel not just at church, but in traffic, in queues, in conversations, in suffering, and in rest.
So whether you’re a lifelong Catholic or a returning soul, whether you’re fervent or lukewarm, whether you feel strong or like a spiritual failure - welcome. This blog might be for you.
Let’s walk this road together. Let’s remind each other to keep praying, keep going, and keep trusting. Not perfectly. But faithfully.
That’s what it means to me, at least, to be a 24/7 Catholic.
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Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, New Milton
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the247catholic.blogspot.com
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Let's stay prayerful, let's stay faithful,
and let's stay Catholic
– 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.