Good Distractions in Prayer

I’m halfway back down the aisle, the host of Jesus’s body still lingering in my mouth, wrangling an actively melting down baby, and simultaneously trying to guide my toddler with my free foot to stay in line in front of me, when I realized I haven’t even prayed at all. 

Here I am, the most important moment of the Mass, the most intimate precious minutes with Jesus, and all I’m thinking of is how to survive this moment and make it back to the cry room without one more horrified stare from a parishioner.

In past seasons of my life, this would’ve totally turned in to a self-deprecating internal, “get your life together, Gracie,” conversation. “I really need to learn to focus better.” “I am terrible at ‘taking every thought captive.’” Or even, “You are doing a terrible job at being a Christian if you can’t even get through a Mass/Rosary/Holy Hour with out thinking about everything else under the sun!”

But instead, recently, broken moments like these have given me a fresh perspective on my prayer. 

Here’s the deal. We all are going to experience distractions in prayer. We are all human, and broken, and some of us have better attention spans than others, but none of us can ever completely escape distractions for good. We can make efforts to grow in this way. We can turn off our phones in prayer, and set aside quiet time that we know will be more distraction-free. But we all have broken intellects, and we will inevitably return to distraction at some point. 

And these distractions will take different forms. Sometimes it’s literal interruptions from our surroundings. Frequently it’s our own wandering thoughts. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been mid-decade to realize I’ve been contemplating my weekly to-do list instead of the Mysteries of Jesus’s life and death. 

But, what if, instead of beating ourselves up for our wanderings thoughts, or criticizing ourselves for being preoccupied with our worries and tasks, or getting frustrated because a baby starts to cry or a phone rings, we actually turned these things in to our prayer?

“I realize, Jesus, I haven’t even said hello to you after Communion because I’m stressed about my kid’s behavior. So, in this moment, Jesus be with me in my parenting. Give me patience.”

“I’m sorry, Jesus, I have been thinking about cleaning the house instead of meditating on Your Word. Help me create a warm and welcoming home and help me serve you by serving my family.”

“I’m frustrated because I can’t finish this rosary because something came up, so Jesus help me be Your hands and feet to this person in front of me.”

“I understand my mind has been on that pair of shoes I want to buy instead of resting in Your presence in this time of Adoration. Free me, Jesus, from attachment to material things and help me attach myself to You!”

It feels silly sometimes, and clunky and awkward. But I am not joking when I say that this has both revolutionized my own prayer and my own attitude toward myself in prayer. 

In fact, I would go so far to say that it has convicted me that not all distractions in prayer are bad. I think, if faced correctly, distractions in prayer can bring about a greater good. 

I say this because facing my distractions in prayer in this manner has helped me in three ways. 

1. It has helped me genuinely face and name those things with are on my heart and mind, those things which I am probably for good reason struggling to put aside. 

2. It has helped me earnestly ask for the Lord’s presence and help in these areas, because if it is something that is preoccupying my mind, it is frequently something that needs His grace and assistance! 

3. And it has then helped me gently re-orient my heart and mind back toward Him acknowledging the distracting thoughts but moving past them. 

Jesus Christ was a man, and He understands how our minds work. He also is an all-knowing God, who knows our thoughts before we think them, and yet simultaneously wants to hear about them from us. Distractions are not disappointments to Him. They can be avenues to deeper intimacy with Him.

So next time a distraction arrives, which I’m sure it will, I challenge you to see how it can be used for good and deeper conversation with Our Lord who loves you.