Focusing and prayer life

[RileyG]

Does anyone have any helpful advice? I’ve searched the forums and cannot find any answers yet. I feel its hard to pray because my mind wanders, and I really need help. I also feel like its a monologue sometimes because I’m not sure what to pray about. (I’m also very sensitive to noise, and am very scrupulous because of ocd/anxiety etc).

Thanks
God bless +

 

[fred_conty]

There are several different ways to pray.

One of the more common ways is to take a prayer book, which has various prayers of faith, hope, love, contrition, hope, etc. St. Francis prayer is an example, or the prayer before the crucifix. You read them from the book but try to mean what you read in prayer and not just recite them. A hymnal would also work well for this, by reading a hymn and thinking of the words.

Then there is prayer where we just talk to Jesus in your soul where he abides all day long.
Just tell him everything going on in your life, and give him your love and gratitude from time to time. Just talk to him as a close friend. And you can do this anywhere you happen to be. The words are you own.

Another great prayer, and the best, is the Mass, since it is offering up the sacrifice of Jesus originaly made on Good Friday. Since you are baptised, you have the right as a person belonging to a priestly people, to offer with the priest Jesus to our Heavenly Father. There is no other prayer that pleases the Father more than his only beloved Son Jesus whom he has loved thruout all eternity. And in addition, the Father then gives to you his only Son in Holy Communon, the very body and blood of Jesus to increase the divine life within you. Just going to Mass and appreciating what you have and can do at Mass, is the epitomy of prayer. You can’t offer to the Father anything greater than the Lamb of God, his Son. It pleases him beyond our conception.

There is another prayer that Mary, your heavenly mother, asked to be prayed, and that is the most holy rosary. Try to learn more about it and ask Mary to help you with this knowledge. She will help you so much if you learn it and pray it.

I would also suggest you get a miraculous medal, have it blessed, and don’t take it off.
Mary promised great and abundant graces to those who wore it with confidence in her and if they asked for help and grace from her. Let’s say if you were tempted to anger, then just say to Mary, “Mary help me to handle this anger and calm me down please. Thank you.” Always ask for what you need. She won’t fail you if you trust her.

May God bless and keep you. May God’s face shine on you. May God be kind to you and give you peace.

 

[RileyG]

Thank You. I appreciate it. I do realize I need “quiet time” to pray, otherwise I become too distracted.

God Bless +

 

[Glacies]

Prayer life can be advanced through being more careful about the posture and gestures one makes as well as the place where one prays in. By gestures we praise God by our whole bodies, bring ourselves to and keep up the right mindset for conversing with Him. They are an integral part of prayers like the Sign of the Cross and the Confiteor, while there are other practices, such as making a bow at the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. For example Gabriel Garcia Moreno, the President of Ecuador who was assassinated in 1875, wrote in his rule of life that he would never pray sitting when he could do it kneeling or standing. St. Bonaventure tells in his life of St. Francis of Assisi, that despite physical infirmities, the Saint never used to lean on anything while saying the Divine Office, but “standing erect, without his hood, he kept his eyes fixed, and had the appearance of a person in a swoon.” As for the right surroundings, the distractions are minimized by choosing a quiet and devout place, such as before a religious image, at Eucharistic Adoration or in front of the Tabernacle in a church. Bl. Henry Suso says Christ hears our petitions the best in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Further, setting fixed prayer times is a way of making the process more organized and sanctify time itself.

 

[RoseMary131]

… its hard to pray because my mind wanders, and I really need help. I also feel like its a monologue sometimes because I’m not sure what to pray about. (I’m also very sensitive to noise, and am very scrupulous because of ocd/anxiety etc).

You might find good advice from your priest.

Its okay that your mind wanders in prayer. Most likely your mind wanders throughout the day as well. God understands your wandering mind.

What you might want to do is ask your doctor or a therapist for advice to be more focused or mindful throughout your day. Then apply that same idea to focus during prayer.

You may find self-help books on focusing or being mindful of what you are doing.

Its also okay not to know what to pray about.

You can speak to God like you would a friend next to you. You can ask God for guidance of X, Y, and Z that you are facing. You can tell God “thank you” for the events of the day and the people in your life. You can ask God for blessings for others. You can recite prayers from a prayer book and think about the prayer as you pray it.

Prayers can be short.

You can plan time for prayer just like you plan time for meals or shopping or walking. You can plan time in a quiet room - your bedroom - door closed - phone off - 5 minutes or 15 min or whatever time you wish to plan.

You can talk with God while you go for your daily walk, etc.

May God lead you to peace with your prayers, OCD, anxiety, and being scrupulous.

 

[Rusty168]

Thankyou for posting the question in the first place.

I really appreciated the advice that was offered.

I am chairing a Vinnies meeting tonight and will use the suggestions on how to pray as the “Spiritual reading” section of the meeting. A good focus for discussion.

God Bless,

Russell

 

[BCECookie]

I get distracted easily as well. I use imagery to help me focus. For example a picture of the Holy Spirit when I pray “Come Holy Spirit”. There are also great pieces of art for each of the mysteries of the rosary. I like to pull them up on my computer when I pray the rosary.

Sometimes I just place myself in the presence of God. There is a book called Practicing the Presence of God that was helpful to me. You don’t always have to be saying something, but you can also listen. God, however speaks to us heart to heart. Sitting and simply gazing at the presence can be a simple form of prayer. Try to stop the constant running dialogue in your head and clear away all thoughts. Think of the way you felt when you last saw a great piece of art and were just in awe of the beauty, there were no words. Sometimes prayer can be that simple. Gregorian chant can help with this also, especially when it is in Latin and you don’t know the words. You just focus on the melody/harmony.

I also use the bible a lot when in prayer. I read a small passage (usually the reading of the day) a couple of times slowly and meditatively. I try not to over think it or analyze but be receptive to what the gospel is saying to me. I ponder a word or a phrase that stood out or caught my interest, then I call it to mind throughout the day. This is a practice called lectio divina there are plenty of resources on the internet about it.

In general make prayer or silent time a consistent part of your routine. Mindfulness is very beneficial in helping to alleviate anxiety. The main key is to turn all our mental chatter off in order to be receptive to the voice of God.