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So spoke King Claudius as he tried to repent of the murder of his brother. He tried to kneel in prayer, but couldn't feel any sense of comfort or mercy from God. Claudius realized that because he had no intention of confessing to the crime or changing his life, his words were empty and meaningless. Consequently, the weight of his sin kept him bound to earth, with no hope of touching heaven.
We are not usually distracted over something so extreme as murder, but Claudius’ observation can still apply to us in other circumstances. We’ve all experienced how the distractions of life—both good and sinful—can get in the way of our prayer. As it happened with King Claudius, these distractions keep our thoughts earthbound, leaving us dry in prayer, frustrated, and unable to enjoy the heavenly fellowship that Jesus wants us to have with him.
While we want to be with God, these distractions can trip us up, sometimes without notice. First, they make their way into our prayer time on a peripheral tangent even though we hardly open the door. Then, before too long, like uninvited guests, they overshadow our minds and guide us away from the Lord.
But the good news is that we are not hopelessly bound to these invaders. God wants us to know that it is possible to win the battle against the distractions that come at us when we try to pray.
Do Begin Your Prayer by Setting Your Position. There is no greater joy than being in the presence of the Lord. We sense his love. We feel his awesome power and his peace. We find ourselves saying, “Jesus, I love you so much; I’ll do anything for you.”
St. Teresa of Avila, who has been called the doctor of prayer, has taught that if we want to experience the joy of God’s presence, it is essential that we establish our position in Christ as we begin each prayer time. Teresa believed that what we do at the very beginning has a great influence over not only our prayer time but the rest of our day as well. Consequently, she said that it is imperative that we settle down, let go of our responsibilities and tasks, and picture ourselves in a quiet place alone with Jesus.
Those in the practice of sports psychology have learned how athletes can use their minds to improve their performance by first calling to mind a picture of the task at hand. For example, before shooting a basket, a basketball player is taught to imagine his hand releasing the ball, then to “see” it arcing through the air and into the basket—all in his mind’s eye, a split second before taking a shot. Only after seeing this image of success is the player ready to shoot the basketball. Over the years, professional studies have shown that this kind of concentration and use of the imagination can significantly help players and whole teams improve their games.
Similarly, as we begin to pray, we can use our imagination to “see” the primary truths of our faith and “set our position” in Christ. St. Paul wrote, “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). The Nicene Creed, which we recite at Mass, is a modern-day version of these words. When we employ this twofold step—believing with all of our hearts that Jesus is Lord and confessing our faith in his resurrection—we are actually setting our position in Christ.
The Nicene Creed is not the only way, either. You may want to compose your own prayer or method. All you need to do is make sure that in some way you are proclaiming that Jesus is the Son of God who died to restore us to the Father, who rose to bring us salvation, and who will come again to lead us into heaven.
Brothers and sisters, it really is possible to “practice the presence” of Jesus. This is not just a mental game. Setting our position is a simple way we can begin our prayer by fixing our attention on Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to lift us up so that we might experience God’s presence and receive whatever gifts God wants to give to us. In a spiritual turnaround, when we enter God’s presence at the beginning of our prayer, we find that his presence actually distracts us from the normal distractions that tend to get in the way of our spiritual life.
Do “Seek First the Kingdom of God.” These words from the Gospel of Matthew highlight the ideal disposition toward God and the place he wants to hold in our lives. While they do describe the ideal, there is also a way that we can take them literally. The first thing we need to do when we wake up each day is to turn to Jesus and pray. We live in a fast-paced world that seems to have a mind of its own. If we’re not careful, its drive can get into our minds as soon as we wake up and dominate us for the rest of the day.
Some people are regimented enough to say, “I will pray each day at 1:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon” and never miss. For the rest of us, however, we either get sidetracked by the demands of life or we simply do not have the discipline to fit prayer in once the day gets underway.
Just as the beginning of our prayer sets the tone for the rest of our prayer time, the beginning of our day tends to set the tone for the rest of the day. Those who sit before the Lord the first thing tend to see the grace of prayer influence the rest of their day to a much greater degree than those who don’t.
If you want to walk with Jesus every day, you’ll do yourself a great favor by making your prayer time the first thing you do—even if it means waking up a few minutes earlier. If you do, you’ll be surprised at how lazy your distractions tend to be. It seems that they like to sleep in!
Don’t Let the “Insects” of Life Distract You. People who play golf have to battle pesky insects—flies, gnats, bees, and fire ants. Flies and gnats can be brushed away with the wave of a hand, but bees and ants need a different approach. They’re the ones that sting and bite. So while a golfer has only to brush away the flies and gnats, he has to be more concerned about the bees and ants.
Most of our distractions in prayer—like tiredness, hunger, and the everyday problems and priorities of life—can be brushed away with the wave of a hand, just as we would brush away an annoying fly. It’s a simple process of focusing and refocusing ourselves on being with Jesus. At first, it may feel as if we are doing nothing but brushing away distractions, but that will change over time. We need to remember that we are not alone when we pray. The Holy Spirit is right there with us, helping us (Romans 8:26). As we get into the habit of dismissing these minor distractions, he will bring us closer to Jesus. Eventually, the small irritants of life will simply fall away.
By contrast, it is quite difficult to dismiss major distractions like a serious family sickness, a financial crisis, or a troubled marriage. In cases like these, it may be best to try to take your concerns right into prayer. Ask Jesus to bring you his peace, his healing, and his wisdom. Intercede for a loved one who is hurting. Search the Scriptures for guidance. Jesus knows that these major distractions are real, and he wants to help us deal with them. Yet at the same time, it would be a mistake to let our burdens dominate our prayer. Our best bet is to open the door to Jesus and let him minister to us in our need. Then, rather than focusing entirely on our problems, we ourselves will experience the great promise described by the psalmist: “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing” (Psalm 145:15-16).
The Saints Are Praying for Us. If you still find your distractions dominating your mind, even after you have tried to fight them off, there is one last option. As she grew close to her death, Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906) began to sense that she would have a special mission in heaven to pray for those of us who are still on earth so that we will find the grace to move away from our distractions and enter God’s presence. And Elizabeth is not alone. She is joined by every saint in heaven, all of whom are praying for us right now. Isn’t it comforting to know that so many saints are concerned about us—to the point of offering unending prayer for our well-being?
do you think these saints that pray for us could be family members…like an 18 year old grandson who died?
Yes, we are all called upon by the Lord to be saints. An 18 year old grandson who lived an holy life and is in the bossom of the Lord can pray for the loved ones left behind
So often, I’ve lacked the concentration to pray ...thus, feeling inadequate in offering my thanks and praise to God.
This article has helped me tremendously.
Talk about ‘divine intervention’!
Thank You ...and God Bless ...
Terry.
Each morning I devote 10 minutes to praying. I do the same in the evening. I either close my eyes or stare at something that has no meaning in my house, such as molding, a button or the ceiling. I talk to God all day long, asking for nothing of myself but to bring happiness and good health to all. I also praise God all day for the good things that seem to happen to me.
I am distracted this morning and I find it difficult to pray. Yesterday, at mass the priest directed us who we should vote for on Nov. 4, in the guise of forming our conscience. There are many issues that I am considering:
health care, economy, wars, education, the environment, social security,
medicare,etc.,as well as abortion. Since the church is a non-profit institution, how can a priest tell us we should not vote democratic? Couldn’t that affect the IRS non-profit status?
I am a 74 year age senior citizen who believes abortion is wrong, but it should not be the sole issue to determine my vote. There are 45 million in this country without health insurance, our economy is on the rocks, and we are mired down in two wars
I need prayer,
thanks,
Vince
This has given me a new out look on distraction in prayer. It has clearified some issues that I have been struggling with. Thank you. Pray for me so that I listen to Jesus first thing in the morning and heed his nudge. I love him so.
I like this—first thing, focusing on the power and magnatude of our God raising his son from the dead. This is who I am about to focus my attention on and pray to— that helps so much! I can feel so overwhelmed or “is anyone listening?” or even “is this doing any good?” when life is getting me down. To first focus on the power and LOVE of God and he lives—in me. What a way to begin. What a way to fill me with hope. Thank you for this article. Thank you for the WORD among us.
I begin every day with the liturgy of the day as found in your extended issue and the meditation that accompanies it. If I forget to do it,I am lost. I find this very helpful in getting through my day. While it is good to pray for others, we shouldn’t forget to pray for ourselves. After all, we are all God’s children.
I begin each day with the rosary and I find myself or should say my thoughts of daily life things tend to enter my thoughts during prayer.
I read an article a while back in the word among us that suggested placing myself in the scene for which mystery i was at during the rosary. Or a sometimes say the rosary with a love one i lost. i find quiting my mind comes more with time. i found this article helpful and also to know that I am a work in progress.
god bless
I really enjoy all your comments and am looking at pray in a different way. I used to find it very difficult to pray as I felt that I was saying the same thing over and over and somehow even to my ears it becomes monotonous. But I shared my feelings once with someone who is not a friend just a passing acquaintance and he said the same way you are talking to me you speak to God in prayer. And you know I found out that this is so true.. Just reading the testimonials above have made me feel a lot better about myself.
Thanks and God bless
Many years ago in our Catholic grade school, a prayer was taught to help dispel immediate impure thoughts while praying. Does anyone remember the prayer.
This was a good and focused article that helped me rethink the way that I pray. I often ask St. Teresa of Avila to help me pray and focus… I get distracted so easily. Thank you for the article, suggestions, and insight. I have used many different prayers to begin praying, but I think that the committment to Jesus and the Nicene Creed truly does say it all.
I sometimes wonder if I might be one with attention deficit disorder, I can be so easily distracted!! You have truly bolstered my comfort level in my thought process during my prayer time—THANK YOU, for your honesty and suggestions in this article.
Mary K.
This article is very wonderful and also helpful. I have always been distracted in my prayers and i know that this is going to be the end.
Please how do i make WAU my homepage?
When I pray well, it is from my heart. Praying with the heart for me is about feeling. Just like when someone reads out loud well, they read with feeling. I feel like I pray best when I’m feeling what I say. When I meditate, I like to say, “Thank you,” over and over again in my mind with feeling. What comes next is usually pictures of what I’m grateful for while my head is still saying thank you over and over again. When I meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary, I like to see in my mind what Jesus and Mary are doing. Sometimes, I put myself in the scene watching. When I can’t focus on the picture well enough, I focus on the fruit of the mystery (what that mystery says to me, such as humility). Some days are better than others. We don’t get to be perfect. I also pray in a conversational way throughout the day. I also like to meditate by just petting my cat. When I pet my cat and only think about how much I love my cat, that’s a meditation. There are all kinds of prayer and meditation. I think I do best when my heart is feeling love for God and all His creatures.
There was a time that I started my day with the rosary. I went downstairs when it was still dark outside and prayed while the sun was rising. Somehow along the way I stopped putting this special time for prayer aside and now my life and my days feel scrambled. I enjoyed this article because it has reminded me of the importance of morning prayer. I can’t wait tomorrow to start saying the rosary with the rising sun. What a wonderful way to spend with God and to jump start my day!
It is indeed comforting to know that the saints are praying for us (me). I talk to God daily. My prayer time is mostly when I am in the car going to work in the morning and again coming home. Often I’d get distracted with my conversation with the Lord because of the traffic or something that would pop in my head. Other times, I was surprised to find myself already at work or at home because I was intent in telling Jesus, our Lord, what was in my heart.
i still find it difficult to concentrate when i close my eyes to pray,how do i deal with this problem.
It is actually touching to know that one can get some advice on how to combat distraction when praying, but my greatest problem when praying is when i close my eyes, so may things pop into my mind so much so that at the end of prayer session i like i haven’t done anything - i don’t feel like the Lord is close to me. So how do i really deal with this?
It is important to keep God first and seek Him earnestly so I begin my day with prayer and have set aside a fixed time for prayer in the mornings, afternoon, and evenings. I start my prayer by humbly confessing my sins, sins of my family, sins of my forefathers and sins of the church (all Christians). Immediately after that I seek refuge in the sacred heart of Jesus, where I know I will be safe from all thoughts that the enemy seeks to use to distract me. (Initially thoughts used to bother me, but I used to invite Jesus into those thoughts and ask His opinion on the thoughts….the distratcing thoughts vanished)
Once in the safety of the sanctuary, continue in thanking and praising God in complete surrender, with Allelluias and hymns. It is especially wonderful to worship God in communion with the saints in heaven.
Most important of all is to pray in unity, agreement, and oneness with your spouses and children, because where two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus, there He is in the midst.