Mind wandering during Mass

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My mind does wander as well. I find it helps me to close my eyes. I don’t know why – I think that looking around causes my train of thought to derail… for example, the stained glass window with Mary visiting Elizabeth reminds me of my cousin who is expecting, which leads me to think about inviting her family for Easter, which makes me think about what I am serving at dinner, which makes me think about shopping for candy for the kids’ baskets…you get the idea!

I find when I close my eyes, I listen better and in my mind, I try to imagine the “story” of the readings. I imagine the last supper and try to see Jesus in my minds’ eye, etc. (I always open my eyes to look at the Body and Blood of Christ at the moment when they are consecrated, though.)
 
I think another thing we have to acknowledge is that we do realize that we are wandering off during Mass, and we try to stop it. It’s not like we realize it, but don’t try and stop it from happening again. I think, as the above poster said, God cares for the “effort” of trying to stop wandering off, not if we stop completely. We are only human.
 
My mind use to wander until I really concentrated on the liturgy of the Mass and how I could apply it to my life. I would pretend that each passage read, was read for me so I listened intently to the message. This has given me a deeper understanding and a feeling that I’m being led by the Holy Spirit to go deeper into my faith.
 
While I am an (almost) daily communicant, my mind wanders constantly to the things that are troubling me and the things I plan to do during the day. This used to bother me, but it really doesn’t any more. What I have discovered is that these inadvertent thoughts during mass somehow color them - the things I think about seem to be somehow affected by God in ways that they weren’t before. I’m beginning to wonder if many of these wanderings of my mind aren’t triggered by the Spirit, to add a sacred context to what would otherwise be trivial, everyday things.

I’m not suggesting that I should intentionally allow myself to be distracted, and I try my best to concentrate. But some surprisingly fruitful insights have come from these seemingly random musings while I was at mass, or saying the rosary. I’m no longer sure they are as random as they appear, and I’ve stopped worrying about them.
 
Being aware your mind has wandered from Mass is paradoxically a sign your mind is focused on the Mass.
You see the opposition. The place where your mind has been.
Your mind is on the Mass and you note “wandering”

Gently let the mind rest - if you fight against it you’ll stir up problems.
The mind needs to be disciplined and cannot be disciplined by force.
If you feed energy into the wandering state you’re taking over where the Spirit should be, blocking out the work of God. Surrender to Him and see what happens.
Your mind wanders, label it “wandering” and let go. Be patient with yourself.
Let go & let God. Trust in Him.

Prayer - It’s an ongoing battle for control.
 
materialist said:
While I am an (almost) daily communicant, my mind wanders constantly to the things that are troubling me and the things I plan to do during the day. This used to bother me, but it really doesn’t any more. What I have discovered is that these inadvertent thoughts during mass somehow color them - the things I think about seem to be somehow affected by God in ways that they weren’t before. I’m beginning to wonder if many of these wanderings of my mind aren’t triggered by the Spirit, to add a sacred context to what would otherwise be trivial, everyday things.

I’m not suggesting that I should intentionally allow myself to be distracted, and I try my best to concentrate. But some surprisingly fruitful insights have come from these seemingly random musings while I was at mass, or saying the rosary. I’m no longer sure they are as random as they appear, and I’ve stopped worrying about them.
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I agree with this. As someone who spends in time in meditation, I can tell you that sometimes it clicks and sometimes it doesn’t.

The first thing is not to beat yourself up about it. Don’t obsess over it or overly dwell on it, or you’ll find yourself going crazy with worry. We are all human, and our minds do wander from time to time.

As @materialist says, perhaps this is something that you were meant to think about. Or, maybe this is something so important in your life that you should resolve it before trying to pray.

Remember, God is infinite and lacks nothing. God doesn’t need you to pray. The Mass and prayer are for you, not God. If this is not the right time for you because of overwhelming concerns, resolve them and then go to Mass. If you’re not getting anything out of it this time, perhaps you will the next time. Relax and enjoy your time with God.
 
jimcintosh in part I agree with your comments but question: “sometimes it clicks and sometimes it doesn’t”

I think this depends a great deal upon our attachment to results. Should we be “goal focused”? I don’t think so.
Relationship-minded, watchful but not grasping for results: Open to the interplay of God upon the soul.
Blessed are the poor…(I think you know the rest.)
 
My greatest aggravation is when when a thought that I’d really like to write down and flesh out occurs to me at the beginning of Mass and by the time I get to my car it is not quite the same, nearly gone and I spend all week trying to remember that certain phrase that made so much sense at the time just to have it come back again during Mass.

It happens the most when I have a serious matter, such as the long over due letter to my estranged sister, on my mind that I’ve prayed and prayed about.

I can’t very well whip out my grocery list and start scribbling maddly but if I wait til a more appropriate time, the thought is lost. I’ve asked my guardian angel to help me with this but…it must not be time yet.
 
St. Teresa of Avila often battled distractions, as did many of our saints. She said that it is the intention of the will that is important and that God accepts. The will itself is praying, but the understanding (imagination, memory) flits about like annoying flies. She said to pay no attention to these wanderings, and gently bring the mind back into focus when we are aware of it. St. Therese and St. Faustina also gave similar advice.

I doubt that distractions will ever complete leave us while we are in the body.
 
I’m also having a lot of the same difficulty. Praying has become very tedious, my mind wanders when I’m supposed to be concentrating on my words to God, most likely rendering my prayers useless. I can’t concentrate on the Mass anymore, I begin thinking of other things and fantasizing things I’d like to do after the mass is over with [conversations I’d like to have with friends, jokes I’d like to play on the others, things I’d like to ask Fr…]. When I realize how poorly I’m doing I try to fix it, but it’s very temporary.

I think this week to mass I’m going to bring a book called, “Introduction to the Devout Life” by St. Frances DeSales. It’s full of different things to meditate on. Hopefully this will work for me.

Prayers,
-Gess
 
I have terrible ADD, but looking at the crucifix does help a lot. And while God obviously doesn’t want us to not pay attention during mass, he also understands our distractable nature.
 
Our everyday lives are full of distractions - we have several things on the go at the same time . It’s survival.
Those who have been on retreat find it takes several days before things settle and our mind focuses on any one thing for very long.
It doesn’t surprise me people come from a world of chaos to Mass hoping their mind will be automatically calm - having spent hours every day in “survival mode” - assuming the mind will automatically stop racing around and be focused.
Thoughts in our mind will keep happening - that’s our nature, but we don’t have to follow where it takes us. That’s mind-training.
 
KEVIN_WILCOX said:
It doesn’t surprise me people come from a world of chaos to Mass hoping their mind will be automatically calm - having spent hours every day in “survival mode” - assuming the mind will automatically stop racing around and be focused.
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It is a matter of training, but it can be done anywhere one has a moment to focus – while waiting at a bus stop, say, or while sitting on the metro. Just close your eyes and focus on the divine.
 
jimcintosh said:
It is a matter of training, but it can be done anywhere one has a moment to focus – while waiting at a bus stop, say, or while sitting on the metro. Just close your eyes and focus on the divine.
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I find closing my eyes induces sleep.
Then I try to focus on what I’m doing without grasping. (Or should I say on what’s going on?)
 
jimcintosh said:
It is a matter of training, but it can be done anywhere one has a moment to focus – while waiting at a bus stop, say, or while sitting on the metro. Just close your eyes and focus on the divine.
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For some people, its not a matter of training. There is no amount of training that will fix ADD/ADHD.
 
ConstantineTG said:
For some people, its not a matter of training. There is no amount of training that will fix ADD/ADHD.
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Possibly no amount of training that will fix ADD/ADHD but prayer/our relationship with God is not about fixing things - it’s about relationship.
Sitting at Mass like a statue, mind blank as if dead, I fail to see as of any benefit. To sit and generate a mind of loving kindness and generosity is something that benefits ourselves and those around us - we can take it with us into the desert of society.
Soak it up, and pour it out.
God initiates, and sustains our prayer. Having ADD/ADHD is not the Heart of the matter.
Be careful you’re not making ADD/ADHD into an idol - sure it’s at the centre, but it is not the centre. In fact the sick are closer to Christ than the healthy - Who did he come to heal? Our wounds unite us, and bring us to Christ. Our wounds can be a source of generosity - an instrument for generating gratitude.
 
KEVIN_WILCOX said:
Possibly no amount of training that will fix ADD/ADHD but prayer/our relationship with God is not about fixing things - it’s about relationship.
Sitting at Mass like a statue, mind blank as if dead, I fail to see as of any benefit. To sit and generate a mind of loving kindness and generosity is something that benefits ourselves and those around us - we can take it with us into the desert of society.
Soak it up, and pour it out.
God initiates, and sustains our prayer. Having ADD/ADHD is not the Heart of the matter.
Be careful you’re not making ADD/ADHD into an idol - sure it’s at the centre, but it is not the centre. In fact the sick are closer to Christ than the healthy - Who did he come to heal? Our wounds unite us, and bring us to Christ. Our wounds can be a source of generosity - an instrument for generating gratitude.
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No, I’m just making people understand that having ADD means you can’t focus as much as you want to no matter how hard you try. Of course there’s meds that will help but you’d have to talk to your physician and/or psychiatrist about it.

To learn that one has ADD and to accept it, the one can live better with that knowledge. The problem is if people feel they are being irreverent because of distractions, but in fact they have ADD, then they just start feeling bad about themselves when in fact there is nothing they can do with their condition. Knowing you have it means you can manage yourself and you can manage your expectations and instead of beating yourself up over something you can do nothing with, you can concentrate your energies on just continuing to pray and give what you can to the Lord.
 
I heard a sermon a few years ago by Fr. Roy J. Oggero, C.S.B., St. Basil Novitiate, on this very topic, he provided some of the best, and just as importantly, simple advice I’d ever heard. He said when your mind is wandering, take a second, close your eyes and say the name of Jesus a few times and miraculously, your mind is back in focus. I’ve tried it many times, it works. This also applies to everyday life.
 
We tend to beat ourselves up a lot, unnecessarily.

Distractions are not sinful.
To be tempted by sin is not sinful.
The mind is like a blue sky, clouds float across it. We can scream at the sky, demand the clouds stop whatever they’re doing or patiently wait for them to run their coarse, they’ll only be there until the energy they have is used up. Why feed them? Patience and humility.
The mind is like a still, forest pool. Ripples form on the surface. Will making more ripples help?
When we call upon the Name of Jesus, our distractions have already passed. Rather than call for help we should be thanking him - He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Our troubles for the moment have passed. But were they troubles? Our moments of spiritual growth and grace bringing us to Christ.
We have learned without Him, Nothing. Our world was chaos, and darkness moved over the face of the deep.

Our spiritual life needs conversion - everything needs to be turned upside down. We have ourselves as the centre, we are at the centre. We are not The Centre.
 
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