Praying Well

   “If you want to see the face of Christ, stop and collect your thoughts in silence, and close the door of your soul to the noise of external things.”  (St. Anthony of Padua)

   I find it very difficult to transition from activity to prayer.  Unless I take some time to clear my mind and settle myself, whatever I had been doing before interferes with proper prayer.  My mind is still concerned with other things rather than on communing with God.

   It’s hard enough to keep distractions out of my prayers so anything I can do to help that situation is a blessing.  If I’ve been watching television I need to turn it off, stop the noise and just relax for a few minutes before entering prayer.  It’s the same with anything else, reading, yard work or whatever.  I need that few minutes of quiet to gain the inner peace necessary to prayer life.

   My desire is meaningful communication with the Lord, so taking the time to put myself truly in His presence by shutting out all distractions and focusing solely on Him is vital.  Though it’s sometimes difficult to find the silence, the benefits to my prayer time are worth any effort it may require.

Lord, the world is so busy.

We seem to always be occupied.

In prayer You are to be all we see and hear.

Help us to quiet our world and be alone with You.

Amen