Am I scrupulously praying? Help!

[Whalljim]

Howdy everyone,

Its been a long couple of months for me with stress at work, and health problems here and in my family. I have been praying pretty regularly, but I have fallen into a bit of an issue. While I am praying alot of times I can get distracted in my thoughts (as anyone can). But as the distractions have mounted I have found myself starting over (starting over a decade, for example) because I chastise myself for ‘not giving God his due attention’. Well, This can be a problem if you start doing it more often!

My gut feeling is that I am being a bit silly, but just wanted some (name removed by moderator)ut.

Thanks!

Jimbo

 

[mercygate]

Whalljim:

Howdy everyone,

Its been a long couple of months for me with stress at work, and health problems here and in my family. I have been praying pretty regularly, but I have fallen into a bit of an issue. While I am praying alot of times I can get distracted in my thoughts (as anyone can). But as the distractions have mounted I have found myself starting over (starting over a decade, for example) because I chastise myself for ‘not giving God his due attention’. Well, This can be a problem if you start doing it more often!

My gut feeling is that I am being a bit silly, but just wanted some (name removed by moderator)ut.

Thanks!

Jimbo

One man’s care is another man’s scrupulosity.

When I am distracted or “praying in my sleep” after a ghastly day, I just pick up where I left off. Or if I really fall asleep, say, over Compline, I remember the words of the Psalmist: “God gives to his beloved in sleep.”

The point isn’t to “get through your drill” but to give yourself to God, and to allow him to be with you. Have you ever stopped in the middle of a rosary, just to savor the mystery on a level that is not possible when reciting the beads? Things like a rosary are remote means to and end, not a cookbook. Be at peace, my Brother.

 

[Teresa9]

Dear friend

There is no person alive on this earth that can pray without other thoughts creeping in, they would have to be in some ways mindless to not have the mind active whilst praying and if a person can achieve this, then dear friend, their mind is not engaged at all.

The thing is to retain your peace in Christ whilst praying, so that anything outside, like noise or people chatting or indeed the background ‘chatter’ of your own mind, cannot distract you. Just think to yourself ok so I have to ‘remember to pick up little fred from school’ etc etc all those thoughts that creep in, even if they are not thoughts you want to think, you know those weird odd thoughts that are not what we want to think, we all have them. That’s satan’s way of hoping we give up praying when those thoughts pop into the mind.

Stay in the peace of Christ Jesus and pray and don’t go back to the beginning. It’s good to have discipline, but you mustn’t be too hard on yourself. It is your intent that God loves and He knows before you even pray what you want to say to Him. Spend a little time listening to Him also, prayer is a conversation, where we speak and then we listen.

Don’t let anything take away your peace in Christ Jesus, especially in prayer times! No you are not scrupulous, you just want to please God, but you should know that the Holy Spirit prays with you, no prayer is offered without Him, infact we cannot pray without Him, trust Him. Don’t re-do your prayers, offer them and say to Jesus in all honesty that you would like Him to help you at prayer times to realise that what you say, you say the best you can and to know it is good enough for Jesus. The only perfect prayer is the Eucharist!

Dear friend, relax and be in the peace of Christ Jesus

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

[wannabee]

As said above - relax - it will get better.

At one stage I was so tired that I would fall asleep during prayer and when I Confessed this was told to take comfort in an old saying - that the angels would complete our prayers

 

[jrabs]

hmmm - I tend to have the same problem lately as you do with the strong distractions. I don’t always start over - but often I feel the Holy Spirit urging me to pay more attention.

Like this morning for example, I was saying some prayers to Our Lady but terribly distracted. Then that small voice popped into my heart and told me I could do better and give better attention. I did not start over but repeated the last 2 Hail Mary’s, with more fervor and love.

In my opinion, no need to start over but vow to really focus on your remaining prayers.

God loves you!

 

[Augustine]

wannabee:

At one stage I was so tired that I would fall asleep during prayer and when I Confessed this was told to take comfort in an old saying - that the angels would complete our prayers

The same happened to me last night.

Hey, even saints as St. Therese got distracted saying prayers. In her case, she discovered that trying to say the words as she meant them helped her keeping focused.

I tried this and it really works, if only I were a better aprentice… That’s why she and othe saints wrote, so others could follow her example.

 

[puzzleannie]

dont start over every time your mind wanders, just pick up where you left off, otherwise you are just adding stress and working against the prayer impulse by letting the rote exercise dominate the actual prayer. when the stray thought enters your mind, acknowledge it, and then put your mind back where it belongs. just keep praying, a decade of the rosary prayed faithfully every day in spite of distractions is better than 15 decades recited perfectly without gift of self to God.