Forgetting what I just prayed

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MarkMcClendon

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I pray the Liturgy of the Hours every day. One issue I’ve been having is that, no matter how attentive I am to the psalms, readings, and prayers, no matter how serene the environment in which I pray, no matter how “into” it I am at the moment, if you ask me five minutes after I close the book what is it that I just read, oftentimes I have no earthly idea! Is this some sign of early onset dementia, or do others have this issue too?
 
This sometimes happens to me also, but I have confirmed memory issues so knowing that I experience the same thing may not reassure you 😬
 
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I could have typed your message almost exactly word for word. Except I don’t think it stays in my cranium for even five minutes. Maybe it’s age related. I am 57. I’m almost discouraged to the point of giving up. I’ve only been doing it since November. All parts including the Office of Readings. I’m thinking maybe of scaling back. I find some of the Psalms depressing.
 
I’ve had this crs (can’t remember sh#$) syndrome since I was in grade school and I’m 55 years old without dementia.
 
Lol. I’m 23 and I have this. Reading books instead of watching TV helps.
 
I think maybe the most optimistic interpretation might be that I am praying the office in a frame of mind which opens up the spirit at a deep level for subliminal retention, but which goes “underground” once the prayer session is over, hence the lack of conscious recall. At least I hope this is the case, and not just that I’m getting feeble-minded!
 
In my case I know my mind wanders a lot. Especially when I pray silently, so I pray aloud. Then I realize I’ve been listening to myself, but haven’t retained a lick of what I said prior to the last few seconds. So I’ve been basically reciting from a book, and not paying attention to myself. I do pray the rosary a lot, and have gotten used to paying attention more to meditating on the mysteries, than reciting the prayers, which kind of pray themselves on auto-pilot. Maybe this habit is subconsciously spilling over into when I pray the office.
 
@ The OP:
Do you try to pray with devotion? Then I don’t think it matters much if you forget the words afterward. You still tried to pray with devotion.
 
No, this happens sometimes. It also happens when you hear the readings at church and are paying attention and everything, but by the time you walk out of the church you have forgotten what the reading was.

We have a lot of stuff on our minds and we aren’t going to remember everything. You might consider perhaps just trying to remember one short bit each day so you have something to refer back to. Pick like a couple lines, really focus on that, and let the rest go.
 
It does happen sometimes and then I am reminded of this: ‘if we allowed no distractions to enter our minds, we could appreciate divine things and experience something of heavenly contemplation.’ - The Imitation of Christ
So I ask for forgiveness and determine to do better next prayer time.
 
OP, I find this to be true for myself, too, but then I’ll read or hear something later (maybe even days later), and it’ll come back to me — wait, oh wait! I just know there’s a verse in Scripture somewhere about this. And the “this” I’m thinking of is usually from my daily LOTH. Much more ‘sticks’ than we may realize simply through the daily and weekly and yearly repetitions.
 
Come to think of it, I have had the experience of reading or hearing something, and it having the ring of familiarity, only to realize that it goes back to something I read in the LOTH, so maybe my idea that it gets into the mind at some subconscious level has some merit.

Thanks all for the helpful responses.
 
I’m exactly the same way. Even if I’m paying close attention during the prayers, I just don’t retain it by the time I’m finished.

I wouldn’t be overly concerned with it though – if the prayer is genuine while you are reading, it doesn’t matter if you forget the details.
 
Try practicing your memory more. Like as a kid you learn “by heart” a lot of stuff and thus your brain is being used constantly in terms of memory and is trained to remember things. Try learning by heart some prayers or poetry, or something else you like and you will see how your capacity to concentrate will increase.
 
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