Mind wandering during prayer

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I try to pray The Rosary every day, but I often find my mind wandering during the prayer. I’ve heard people say that they say a Rosary while driving but don’t understand how attentive prayer is possible while focusing on the road.
I understand prayer isn’t us doing anything for God, but rather what God is doing in and for us, but I’m always disappointed in myself for my failure to remain focused and attentive during protracted prayer.
I’d be interested in advice or guidance or hearing about people with similar experiences so I know it’s not just me.
Thanks and God Bless,
Steve
 
I don’t think I’ve ever prayed a rosary without my wandering off. In fact sometimes I end up thinking about all sorts of things. But you know what? I keep at it no matter what, and I gain a great sense of peace, and things seem to go better…
 
I’ve spoken with my priest about this before and his view on it is, if your mind wanders when you’re praying try paying attention to where it’s going.
It could be something God wants you to focus on. I kind of like that perspective. 🙂
 
Some great advice from St. Louis Marie De Montfort:

motherofallpeoples.com/2011/10/prayer-from-the-heart-praying-the-rosary-well/

**"I beg of you to temper the speed which comes all too easily to you and pause briefly several times as you say the Our Father and Hail Mary. I have placed a cross at each pause, as you will see:

Our Father Who art in Heaven, + hallowed be Thy name, + Thy kingdom come, + Thy will be done + on earth as it is in Heaven. + Give us this day + our daily bread + and forgive us our trespasses + as we forgive those who trespass against us, + and lead us not into temptation + but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, + the Lord is with Thee, + blessed art thou among women + and blessed is the Fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. +

Holy Mary, Mother of God, + pray for us sinners, now + and at the hour of our death. Amen.

At first, you may find it difficult to make these pauses because of your bad habit of saying prayers in a hurry; but a decade that you say recollectedly in this way will be worth more than thousands of Rosaries said all in a rush—without any pauses or reflection. "**
 
Steve, in her autobiography written in obedience to her superiors, St Therese of Lisieux admitted to distractions in prayer…which she tried to make up later during the day…so if a Saint, and Doctor of the Church suffered distractions…!

Maybe you can’t say the rosary while driving, and I know some who can, which doesn’t mean everyone can easily concentrate on several things at once…you can at least have an attitude of prayer, giving your heart and mind to God while you concentrate on driving safely.

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness: for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8:26).

Perhaps sometime this thought can help?:
If someone comes into your mind, distracting you, offer a prayer for them,
if a situation distracts, pray about it,
and then let the thoughts go.

“This…is what I pray before the Father from whom every family, whether spiritual or natural, takes its name: Out of His infinite glory, may He give you the power through His Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God.”

“Glory be to Him whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine;
glory be to Him from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.” [Ephesians 3: 14-21]
 
When I studied meditation a lot of folks had the same problem, we were advised not to fret about it but to quietly refocus our thoughts on where we wanted them to be.

With the rosary meditating on the Mysteries is a way to do a dual focus, I’m not sure about who originally came up with that idea but it seemed like a good one to me and it certainly addressed the fact that most of us have so much on our minds that other thoughts might creep in uninvited.

The Hail Mary is a comforting prayer, you don’t even have to be a Catholic to be happy to have something to say when words fail you…I"m thinking of when I first heard of Sept 11th and when I’ve experienced a personal tragedy and I’ve gone for walks.

I thought the suggestion that maybe we should see if we’re getting a message to think about something else was most interesting.
 
I think what is important is that we be faithful to them every day and not make exceptions.

It may well be that we seem to pray easier at times with less distractions.
Other times prayer is harder with more distractions.

Which takes the most effort, the times which are easier or harder?
I’ve always heard that God looks at the effort and not the results.

Just a thought.
 
One thing that helps me is a book with pictures associated with the mysteries, so that I look at the picture while meditating on that particular mystery. A set of cards could work well, too.

St Louis de Montfort’s “shorter way” might be helpful, too. I haven’t used that myself and I’m not aware of anything along those lines for the Luminous mysteries (I do use the first method from The Secret of the Rosary).
 
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