Focused Prayer

[Matt_Tiza]

As a Catholic it is important for me to pray each day. I pray the rosary each day before I eat anything as it’s my little thing that I do because I’ve read in Matthew 4:4 that

It is written, Not in bread alone does man live, but in every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

and in Leviticus 23:10 and elsewhere that

Speak to the children of Israel, and you shall say to them: When you shall have entered into the land which I will give you, and shall reap your corn, you shall bring sheaves of ears, the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. Who shall lift up the sheaf before the Lord, the next day after the sabbath, that it may be acceptable for you, and shall sanctify it.

That’s my interpretation so it is special to me to pray before eating or doing any other important activity each day.

My concern about my prayer life is focus. I find it very difficult at times to remain focused on my prayers with all of my other concerns in life swirling around in my head. This lengthens the amount of time that it takes me to pray the rosary, and I especially think that it takes away from my sincere focus on faithfully communicating with God and LISTENING to Him.

I’m not opposed to the idea that I may be ADHD to some extent, and that this may be a factor in my concentration.

Any advice on how to sharpen my focus during prayer?

Also, I’m new to this forum, and I’m having difficulty finding my posts as the forum is so active. I don’t know of a way to track my posts without looking up each one individually. I often don’t have access to outside E-mail while I’m online so E-mail notifications don’t work for me.

Is there any way within the forum, besides E-mail alerts, to see if your posts have been answered or if another thread that you posted in has been answered?

Lots of other forums have “show my updated posts” buttons or something like that.

 

[Matt_Tiza]

I’ve noticed that proper sleep is a big factor in concentration.

Ideally, I’d like a razor sharp focus on my prayer despite the concerns going on in my life.

Any advice?

 

[Bix]

To find recent replies to your post, you should see a link when you click on your profile that reads, subscribed threads. I believe it’s the easiest way to track the threads you have posted replies or questions.

Regarding focus and prayer, I believe we all wish or strive for razor sharp focus, but sometimes that is simply more difficult than others. . . Years ago, when I had difficulty staying focused or feeling as close as I would like to during prayer, an older woman in the church suggested visualizing a quiet, peaceful place with a bench and then envisioning Jesus sitting next to me. It may sound silly, but after the first few times, it became easier and easier for me to focus more quickly and stay focused.
Another thought would be a prayer area. One of my Grandmothers couldn’t find the “right” space, so she cleaned out a closet and placed a table and bench for kneeling inside the closet. She adorned the table with religious objects and when she wanted to pray- she opened the door and pulled out the bench sounds peculiar, but it was quite serene and seemed to work for her!

 

[Matt_Tiza]

To find recent replies to your post, you should see a link when you click on your profile that reads, subscribed threads. I believe it’s the easiest way to track the threads you have posted replies or questions.

Regarding focus and prayer, I believe we all wish or strive for razor sharp focus, but sometimes that is simply more difficult than others. . . Years ago, when I had difficulty staying focused or feeling as close as I would like to during prayer, an older woman in the church suggested visualizing a quiet, peaceful place with a bench and then envisioning Jesus sitting next to me. It may sound silly, but after the first few times, it became easier and easier for me to focus more quickly and stay focused.
Another thought would be a prayer area. One of my Grandmothers couldn’t find the “right” space, so she cleaned out a closet and placed a table and bench for kneeling inside the closet. She adorned the table with religious objects and when she wanted to pray- she opened the door and pulled out the bench sounds peculiar, but it was quite serene and seemed to work for her!

Thank you very much for the advice!

I like to think that in striving for joy in heaven that we would be like the angels continuously praising God in every moment. I’d love to be able to pray throughout the day and to give thanks while going about my daily tasks. Unfortunately for me, I have a very busy mind, and your idea about making a prayer space is probably the best thing for me.

May we praise His Name forever in every moment, good and bad, knowing that it is all a part of His Divine Will calling us closer to Him!