Hello. Today we are continuing to look at how to deal with distractions when we try to pray, or assist at Mass, etc.

In my last letter, I told you that the very first, and most important, thing to do was to pray to Heaven for help. This is always the first step in doing anything - pray for the grace to accomplish whatever it is in a manner that is pleasing to God and according to His Most Holy Will.

Now that we have prayed for the help, what else can to do to limit the distractions that come to us when we are trying to do spiritual things?

What is a distraction? How do I know I am distracted?

You are distracted if your thoughts turn from holy things to secular (or everyday) things.

For example, if you are saying your Rosary and start to think about work you have to do or some fun thing you are looking forward to, then you are distracted.

It also happens that, in the middle of praying, we are suddenly faced with thoughts or ideas that are sinful or could lead us to sin. This is certainly the most serious type of distraction and must be avoided with all of our strength. We should always offer up more prayers in this situation, because this is far more serious than simply thinking about everyday things which are not sinful.

Sometimes, it may take a little while to realize that we are not thinking about something holy. Our mouths are still saying the prayers, even out loud, but our minds have slowly wandered off to think about other things in our life. It is kind of like a day-dream. We need to be aware of our thoughts when we pray, but it can happen that - all of a sudden - we realize that we are thinking about some person, event or activity that has nothing to do with God or the things of God.

So now, what should we do when we get distracted during our prayers?

Let us look at some different situations.

If you were praying for the repose of the soul of your deceased grandmother, who might be in Purgatory, you could easily find yourself thinking about her. This type of distraction is easy to handle. When you realize that you are thinking about the person you are praying for, simply turn your mind to Jesus or Mary and beg them to help the person you are thinking about.

A parent, while praying, may suddenly think about one of their children that they are having trouble with. Gently, they should turn their minds and hearts to Almighty God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, some favorite Saint or Holy Angel, and beg for heavenly help to solve the problem. A child might suddenly start to think of some fun thing that is coming up, or that they have already enjoyed. The child should gently turn their thoughts to God and that Him for the fun that they did, or will, enjoy. Then they should try to think about something holy.

What do I mean when I say that we should think about something holy when we pray?

I mean that we should think about God, or something related to God. It might be holy people like the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Guardian Angel, our favorite Saint, etc. Or it might be about holy places like Heaven, or holy things like practicing some virtue.

When we pray (or attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, etc.), we can think about anything that would help us to know, love, serve, obey and please the Most Holy Trinity.

We could also think about who or what we are praying for. When, for instance, we pray for Catholic priests or the Poor Souls in Purgatory, it is certainly fine to think about these people while we pray for them.

Usually, the best thing to think about is Jesus - Our God, and the Redeemer of the world. You can think about Him either now in Heaven or during His life on earth. All of the Saints agree that prayerfully thinking about the Passion and Death of Jesus is the best and fastest way to grow in holiness. This type of prayer is called 'mental prayer'. I will discuss mental prayer in another letter. But everyone can benefit by placing an image of Jesus in their mind when they pray.

Alright, we know that we should think about holy things when we pray, but what will help us do this?

To turn our minds back to something good or holy, we need help. There are different ways for you to get help. It is good to have some holy image near us when we pray. This could be a holy statue, picture or object.

Some parents purchase inexpensive photo albums for their children. Then, the parents give them holy cards as a reward or treat and the child stores them in the small photo album (instead of photos). The child then has the holycard album with them when they pray and when they get distracted they can easily look at a holy image and place it in their minds. Many adults also use such holycard albums.

If you do not have a small photo album, perhaps you could at least have a few holycards with you when you pray. Or perhaps you have a book with one or more holy images that you like. Have the pages set with a bookmark so that you can find the pictures quickly. Then, when you have trouble with distractions, simply get the book, open up to the page where there is an image you like, and then study the image until it has replaced the distracting thought(s).

Another source of a holy image can be something that you do not have, but have seen in a book, or a Church. Perhaps you have seen some old beautiful stained-glass windows, or lifelike Stations of the Cross, or a stunningly realistic Crucifix or statue. Maybe you have seen a beautiful image in the Catholic Kingdom. We are very blessed to have many of them.

When you see a beautiful holy image that you like, try to take a 'photograph' of it in your mind. When looking at it, remind yourself that this is appealing to you and that you can and want to use this when you pray to help get rid of distractions.

If you have no pictures, try to find a statue, Crucifix, or some other holy object to have near you when you pray. When your mind starts to wander, look at the holy object and try to fill your mind with it. Let the object help get you started thinking about Jesus, or Mary, or whatever holy person is portrayed by the object.

For example, if the statue is of Saint Theresa the Little Flower or Padre Pio, then use the statue to help you think about the Saint. If you do not know much about them, you can always just quickly ask them to help you get rid of your distractions and to pray better.

The point is: when you are trying to rid your mind of everyday thoughts, it helps to have an image ready in our minds to think about instead.

The next time we meet, I will finish talking about distractions, at least for most people. I hope to soon have material available for those who are thinking about growing closer to God and maybe even becoming Saints one day. These men, women and children are the greatest heroes the world will ever produce and they are also the dearest to God. They will love Him and be loved by Him infinitely more - for all eternity - than all the others who just make it to Heaven by God's mercy and the intercession of the Mother of God.

Remember that God wants our whole mind, heart, body and soul given to Him with all of our strength. Jesus said that we must be perfect, even as our Heavenly Father is perfect.

It was not a suggestion. It was a command. Throughout the history of mankind, very, very few people have obeyed this command.

Will you be one? That is my most fervent prayer for you.

We will finish discussing distractions and being better prepared for our prayers and spiritual exercises the next time.

Yours in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary,