Real conversation form a few weeks ago.
Person 1: I think there is a problem in adoration chapel.
Fr. Somebody: Really? What’s that?
P1: The host is not consecrated.
Fr.: How do you know?
P1: I couldn’t feel anything.
As I have continued to learn how to pray, there are two common obstacles that I often bump into: 1) Not feeling like I did a good job and 2) being distracted from what I am suppose to be doing.
(1) There are moments on our faith journey in which we have profound moments, that there is great moments, when we make great strides, where the world just seems to slow down in to the eternal now. These are important moments. Great growth can happen in them, but often times they are few and far between. But these are not every moment, nor do I think they should be. As time passes, I am starting to understand that prayer is not a moment (something you do for a few moments), but a disposition. It is something we do regularly that helps ground us, focus us, and center us, so that we are better equipped (with the right disposition) to deal with what we are presented with in our daily lives.
We never think to ourselves “Boy that was a good brush!” after we brush our teeth. Instead it is something we do a couple of times a day, every day for a long term benefit. Sometimes we have something stuck in our teeth we need to get at, but most of the time it is just one small action for great heath.
Not to sound to crass, but my prayer life is not much different. There are times, when I have something very specific that I bring to prayer, but most of the time it is more about the process of keep returning to center. It is a constant reminder of my base, my foundation, before I take on this moment of life.
(2) I was once approached by a high school student after a talk with this question: “I try and pray, but because of the ADD I can’t sit still long enough to hear God. How do you do it?”
If we are in prayers and there is not this profound sky-opening angel-trumpeting moment it is hard to focus. All the needs of the moment (returning that call, doing laundry, what does she really think about me…) creep to fill the space we are trying to keep quiet.
It was an important moment for me when I realized stillness is a skill. We don’t just all of a sudden be still for an hour at a time. It is something that we must re-learn how to do.
For me the steps were: 1) Keep expectations realistic. There was no way I was going to be still for an hour the first time I did it. So I started with ten minutes. Then each week added one to three minutes to my time. 2) When ever a thought that was not about my prayer time entered my mind, I just let it go. I didn’t dwell on it. I didn’t curse myself for having the unfocused thought I just let it go. I simply returned to concentrating on my breathing and the phrase “thank you for the blessings I have received and the blessings I am receiving.”

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