Peace be with you! Often people come to me as ask how to deal with the many distractions they experience while trying to pray. Whether the “noise” is external like road traffic or a barking dog or “internal” such as work/home pressures or something as mundane as a grocery list, these distractions are real and can be very frustrating when we go to spend some time with our God. It is like trying to carry on a conversation with someone while standing in the middle of a major freeway during rush hour! Fear not, there are ways to silence these annoyances and very calmly and prayfully return to your peaceful meditation.

Some feel that a “mantra” helps them regain their center. Among other definitions, a “mantra” is a word or a phrase that is used as a spiritual conduit, that instills one-pointed or centered concentration in the pray-er, e.g., “Jesus” or “Jesus my Lord and Savior.” When one finds oneself distracted in prayer, calmly and peacefully begin repeating your mantra quietly to yourself, which will bring you back to the center of your prayer. Often people begin their prayertime with the mantra to quiet themselves and center their meditation.

What do you do to calm the distractions in your prayer?

(Next issue - The “mantra” as a place in time - very effective)