Thursday, February 03, 2005

Distractions

I know nothing about this man, but his name. I read this excerpt from the Christian Century magazine dated January 25, 2005. It resonates with me. Maybe it connected with me because I sometimes am distracted in prayer and I have often heard other's complaints about being distracted in prayer.

Herbert McCabe on prayer (from God, Christ & Us)

"People often complain of distractions during prayer. Their mind goes wandering off on to other things. This is nearly always due to praying for something you do not really much want; you just think it would be proper and respectable and “religious” to want it. So you pray high-mindedly for big but distant things like peace in Northern Ireland or you pray that your aunt will get better from the flu—when in fact you do not much care about these things; perhaps you ought to, but you don’t. And so your prayer is rapidly invaded by distractions arising from what you really do want—promotion at work, let us say. Distractions are nearly always your real wants breaking in on your prayer for edifying but bogus wants. If you are distracted, trace your distraction back to the real desires it comes from and pray about these. When you are praying for what you really want you will not be distracted. People on sinking ships do not complain of distractions during their prayer."

May God be your focus. May staying in His presence be irresistible for you today.