While we have been examining different ways to overcome unnecessary distractions during prayer, from time-to-time there do exist “good” distractions. Our mind can wander during prayer and sometimes God uses that to His advantage. Instead of taking us away from God and His plan, these distractions are designed to help us focus on something or someone and are inspirations of the Holy Spirit.
[featured-image single_newwindow=”false”]
But how do we know the difference between a distraction that takes us away from prayer and a “distraction” sent by God.
In order to do that we must practice the delicate art of discernment.
Before we begin, let us remember the rules of discernment that St. Ignatius of Loyola laid out for us. St. Ignatius instructs us that God and His angels desire to give us peace of heart,
It is proper to God and to His Angels in their movements to give true spiritual gladness and joy, taking away all sadness and disturbance which the enemy brings on.
However, when we are far from God His movements can seem harsh. This is because our soul is going the wrong way and God’s inspirations are not always welcome. St. Ignatius describes it this way:
In those who go on from good to better, the good Angel touches such soul sweetly, lightly and gently, like a drop of water which enters into a sponge; and the evil touches it sharply and with noise and disquiet, as when the drop of water falls on the stone.
And the above-said spirits touch in a contrary way those who go on from bad to worse.
The reason of this is that the disposition of the soul is contrary or like to the said Angels. Because, when it is contrary, they enter perceptibly with clatter and noise; and when it is like, they enter with silence as into their own home, through the open door. (emphasis added)
As a result, before we can properly discern God’s movements in our heart we must reflect on the state of our soul. If we are moving from good to better, God brings us peace and Satan disturbs us. If we are moving from bad to worse, God’s voice can seem bitter while Satan’s actions try to lure us further into sin.
With that framework in mind, we begin to understand if a particular wandering thought is a distraction (taking us away from God) or an inspiration (drawing us closer to God).
Often when I pray I find myself thinking about a particular person. Sometimes, I have not seen this person or talked to them in years. Then the memory bank starts to work and I dwell on the good (and bad) memories. After that, I sense I must pray for that person. I do not know why, nor do I ever find out.
What started out as a “distraction” from praying my prayers, results in a new prayer for the people who pop into my mind. I try to imitate Saint Thérèse of Lisieux who explained her approach to “distractions” while talking with a fellow sister,
“I also have many [distractions],” she said, “but as soon as I am aware of them, I pray for those people the thought of whom is diverting my attention, and in this way they reap benefit from my distractions” (Story of a Soul).
Sometimes God wants to divert our attention and shed light on a struggling friend or family member. They may need our prayers or our charity.
On other occasions God could be trying to focus our attention on a decision that we must make or an event that He wants us to attend. The key is to open up our heart. Saint Josemaria Escriva instructs us that,
“The closer an apostle is to God, the more universal his desires. His heart expands and takes in everybody and everything in its longing to lay the universe at the feet of Jesus” (764, The Way).
We must be open to the different ways that God wants to move us and realize that He may be giving us a distraction to wake us up from our slumber.
On the other hand, a distraction could simply be a “distraction” that has its origin either in the promptings of the devil, or our own human nature. Those distractions take us away from our conversation with God and do not inspire in us a call to prayer.
For me I am often tempted to think about the many activities of the day, and they do not draw me closer to God. Instead, I find myself focusing on the acts themselves and not on God’s action, which disrupts the peace in my soul.
Summary
Before we can understand if a distraction is from God, we must first reflect on the state of our soul. Then we can discern God’s movements in our heart and see where He is leading us. As in all things, we must bring the distraction to God and let Him guide our prayer.
As the Catechism states, prayer is a “battle” and does not come easily (cf. 2726). In the last article of our series on distractions, we will conclude with a reflection on the discipline required for a fruitful prayer life.
Read the Entire Series
- How to Stay Focused During Prayer and Reduce Unnecessary Distractions
- The Secret to Praying Without Looking at the Clock
- 4 Distractions During Prayer and How to Overcome Them
- Are You Distracted During Prayer?