Week Two: Be Human

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God is interested
in your life.

Prayer isn't about blocking out every distraction or care as if time with God and
"real life" have no relationship with each other. Talk to Him about everything,
including the things that distract you!
Introduction

Week One
Family Wisdom: Return to the Lord
- The saints are our extended family in faith, and we have the great gift of learning from both their experiences and their mistakes. This week, consider what St. Therese of Lisieux has to say about prayer and distraction.
  
  "I also have many [distractions], but as soon as I am aware of them, I pray for those people the thought of whom is diverting my attention, and in this way they reap benefit from my distractions. . . . I accept all for the love of God, even the wildest fancies that cross my mind."
  Sometimes, the person or problem on our mind is exactly what we need to bring to prayer. Failure does not come from wandering thoughts so long as those thoughts return to the Lord. Instead, it comes from giving in and losing awareness of God's presence and attention.
- Reflecting on her tendency to be distracted after receiving Holy Communion, St. Therese says,
  "I picture my soul as a piece of waste ground and beg Our Blessed Lady to take away my imperfections--which are as heaps of rubbish--and to build upon it a splendid tabernacle worthy of Heaven, and adorn it with her own adornments. Then I invite all the Angels and Saints to come and sing canticles of love, and it seems to me that Jesus is well pleased to see Himself received so grandly, and I share in His joy.
  But all this does not prevent distractions and drowsiness from troubling me, and not unfrequently I resolve to continue my thanksgiving throughout the day, since I made it so badly... You see, dear Mother, that my way is not the way of fear; I can always make myself happy, and profit by my imperfections, and Our Lord Himself encourages me in this path."
Pray
- Act of Spiritual Communion
  Even if you can receive the Eucharist, the desire expressed here is worth reflecting on and emulating every time you pray.
  My Jesus,
  I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul.
  Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
  I embrace You as if You were already there
  and unite myself wholly to You.
  Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
- Phrases to repeat from Sunday's Gospel.
  "It is good that I am here."
  "Listen to Him."
  "Holy Spirit, teach us to pray well."
- Psalm of the Week Psalm 73
  "Since my heart was embittered and my soul deeply wounded, I was stupid and could not understand; I was like a brute beast in your presence. Yet I am always with you; you take hold of my right hand. With your counsel you guide me, and at the end receive me with honor."
Read
- In Sinu Jesu: When Heart Speaks to Heart, the Journal of a Priest at Prayer.
  When you come to pray, it is not so much the words that matter; it is your loving attention to My presence that consoles My Heart. Give Me your attention, and I will work the wonders of My merciful love in your soul. Hold yourself facing Me. Abide in My presence gently, without forcing yourself to produce thoughts, feelings, or sensations. None of these things is necessary to a prayer that pleases Me and gives Me the freedom to act in a soul. All that is necessary is faith, and with faith, hope, and with hope, the love that binds the soul to Me and makes union with Me a reality.
- The Catechism #2729
  Did you know that Part IV of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is all about prayer? While it continues to convey essential teachings of the faith, like the first three parts, Part IV has the feeling of spiritual reading and is an incredibly fruitful way to enter into the Catechism.
  "The habitual difficulty in prayer is distraction. It can affect words and their meaning in vocal prayer; it can concern, more profoundly, him to whom we are praying, in vocal prayer (liturgical or personal), meditation, and contemplative prayer. To set about hunting down distractions would be to fall into their trap, when all that is necessary is to turn back to our heart: for a distraction reveals to us what we are attached to, and this humble awareness before the Lord should awaken our preferential love for him and lead us resolutely to offer him our heart to be purified. Therein lies the battle, the choice of which master to serve."
Act
- Consider Your Space
  Part of being human is attending to the body as well as the soul. If you're constantly distracted in your prayer, attend to your physical surroundings.
  1. Dedicate a room, closet, or even corner of your home for prayer. This will train your mind and your body to focus on reflection and meditation in this space.
  2. Don't have the time, space, or consistency for that? Find meditative music (like Gregorian chant, calm instrumental music, or even white noise) that you only use for prayer.
- Journal Your Prayers
  Sometimes, we need to slow down our thoughts to both be more present to our prayer and filter through our own heads. If you can't focus, try writing rather than just thinking your prayer.
  Two tips to make sure your journal is prayer and not just self-talk:
  1. Address it to God directly.
  2. Remember to pause and listen for His response as you go.
- Associate Specific Prayers with Specific Actions
  Traditionally, this looks like praying over our food, praying "Eternal Rest" when we pass a cemetery, or crossing ourselves when we pass a Church. But you can personalize these habits for your own needs, devotions, and aspirations.
  When you get in the car, turn on a light, brush your teeth, unload dishes...there's no end to the associations you can make. Pick a habitual action, attach a brief aspirational prayer, and train yourself to repeat it.
  For example--drive past a Church and pray "Blessed be God!" or brush your teeth and pray "Lord, give me the grace of patience today."

Family Wisdom: Return to the Lord

Sometimes, the person or problem on our mind is exactly what we need to bring to prayer. Failure does not come from wandering thoughts so long as those thoughts return to the Lord. Instead, it comes from giving in and losing awareness of God's presence and attention.

Reflecting on her tendency to be distracted after receiving Holy Communion, St. Therese says,

Pray

Act of Spiritual Communion

Even if you can receive the Eucharist, the desire expressed here is worth reflecting on and emulating every time you pray.

Phrases to repeat from Sunday's Gospel.

"It is good that I am here."

"Listen to Him."

"Holy Spirit, teach us to pray well."

Psalm of the Week Psalm 73

"Since my heart was embittered and my soul deeply wounded, I was stupid and could not understand; I was like a brute beast in your presence. Yet I am always with you; you take hold of my right hand. With your counsel you guide me, and at the end receive me with honor."

Read

In Sinu Jesu: When Heart Speaks to Heart, the Journal of a Priest at Prayer.

The Catechism #2729

Did you know that Part IV of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is all about prayer? While it continues to convey essential teachings of the faith, like the first three parts, Part IV has the feeling of spiritual reading and is an incredibly fruitful way to enter into the Catechism.

Act

Consider Your Space

Part of being human is attending to the body as well as the soul. If you're constantly distracted in your prayer, attend to your physical surroundings.

1. Dedicate a room, closet, or even corner of your home for prayer. This will train your mind and your body to focus on reflection and meditation in this space.

2. Don't have the time, space, or consistency for that? Find meditative music (like Gregorian chant, calm instrumental music, or even white noise) that you only use for prayer.

Journal Your Prayers

Sometimes, we need to slow down our thoughts to both be more present to our prayer and filter through our own heads. If you can't focus, try writing rather than just thinking your prayer.

Two tips to make sure your journal is prayer and not just self-talk:

1. Address it to God directly.

2. Remember to pause and listen for His response as you go.

Associate Specific Prayers with Specific Actions

Traditionally, this looks like praying over our food, praying "Eternal Rest" when we pass a cemetery, or crossing ourselves when we pass a Church. But you can personalize these habits for your own needs, devotions, and aspirations.

When you get in the car, turn on a light, brush your teeth, unload dishes...there's no end to the associations you can make. Pick a habitual action, attach a brief aspirational prayer, and train yourself to repeat it.

For example--drive past a Church and pray "Blessed be God!" or brush your teeth and pray "Lord, give me the grace of patience today."