Managing Distractions

I hear people talk about how they are distracted by worldly things at Mass.  The same can be true when praying at home.   I would like to offer three possible categories for these distractions.

First, is the “noisy child” at Mass or other “noise” when praying at home.  When you experience a noisy child at Mass, please do not become angry with the child.  Most likely, the child is either new at coming to Mass (so he doesn’t know how to behave) or he hasn’t been taught.  In either case, please pray for the child and his/her family.  The only way for the child to learn how to behave at Mass is for them to come and be taught.  We want to encourage, not discourage, the families to come to Mass.  Remember Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14, Mark 10:14, Luke 18:16). 

Second are the distractions that we simply need to learn to ignore at Mass.  For instance, if you find yourself at Mass wondering what you will have for dinner or what the score at the game is, these are distractions pure and simple.  We need to dismiss these distractions.  This is easier said than done.  Ask God to help you let go of the distractions.  You might also ask yourself if you understand what is going on at Mass well.  If we don’t understand and appreciate what is going on, it might be all the easier to be distracted.  (To learn more about the Mass, see “The Roman Catholic Mass Explained” for a short article on the Mass and links to presentations I have done on the Mass)

The third category of distractions would be real needs we have for God’s help.  Examples of these might include job loss or conflict issues, major illness for your family or you, and financial issues.  Here I invite you to ask God if He is trying to speak to you about your sufferings.  If He is, listen!  Otherwise, I would suggest you say a short prayer to hand the “distracting” thought over to God and God to help you focus on the grace He is offering you in the Mass.

Now, I would like to flip the discussion of distractions around.  So far, I have written about distractions from the world when we are at Mass or in prayer.

I put to you this question, “do you ever find yourself “distracted” by your faith when you are doing something else.  Is it really a distraction or is God trying to tell you something? 

Some people compartmentalize their faith.  This means they make their faith just one part of their lives.  Perhaps the only time they give to God in the course of a week is at Sunday Mass.  Others may add daily prayers to that.

God doesn’t want to be just one small part of your life.  God wants to be part of your whole life.

God is present with you everywhere and in every moment.  This is a grace, not a distraction.

When things are going well, He is present with you.  When things are going badly, He is still right there with you.  It doesn’t matter if you are at work, school, home, or anywhere else.  He is there with you.  The only question is are you aware of his presence and do you listen to what He has to say.

When you are facing a life decision like serious dating/marriage, career choices, or preparing for retirement and what you do in retirement, God wants to help guide you and aid you.

Do you give God a chance to speak or do you just give him your list of requests (or perhaps your demands depending on your attitude) and expect him to make things better?

Maybe you want to listen to God but find it hard.  Here, I point you to my article, “Techniques to Listen to God” for some possibilities.  Maybe you are hearing too many different voices from too many people or society.  For this, you might read my article, “Many Voices:  Who Should We Listen To.”  If you are looking for some videos on prayer, you can check out my three-part series, Giving Our Hearts to God:  What It Means to Pray.

Life is better when we let God be part of our whole lives. 

Peace,

Fr. Jeff