We all struggle with distractions in our prayer life, during Mass and in our spiritual reading. The great Fulton Sheen told this story of St. Bernard and distractions in prayer. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A friend boasted to St. Bernard that he had no distractions. St. Bernard admitted to having trouble with distractions. One day the two were out riding and Saint Bernard said he would give his horse to his friend if he would get off and be able to pray the Lord's Prayer without distractions. His friend got to the point: “Give us this day our daily bread” when he looked at Saint Bernard and asked: “Can I have a saddle too?”. If Saint Bernard admitted that he had difficulty staying focused then we would surely find ourselves in the same boat. Have you found yourself distracted during prayers or during Mass? Of course yes, we have all experienced it. The Catechism states that “The usual difficulty in prayer is distraction.” We can easily find our thoughts drifting away from our prayers. How can we become more focused, more disciplined in our prayer life, Scripture reading, and Mass? We can improve our prayer life by protecting our senses. God gave us the senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. Our senses can easily distract us. Remember that Jesus said, “Whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father privately” (Matthew 6:6). We need to find a quiet place where we can pray alone. Let us remember that it is in silence that the Lord speaks to us: "Elijah found the Lord, not in a strong wind, nor in an earthquake, nor in a fire, but in a low whisper" (1 Kings 19.9). we need to focus on our prayers. While memorizing prayers or having a regimen of favorite prayers is good discipline, we must guard against becoming careless in reciting them. We could easily recite the words but not focus on the meaning. Most of us have probably said a decade of the Rosary, or an Our Father, and finished the prayer by asking ourselves, “What did I just say?” These formal, memorized prayers are essential to a good prayer life. However, we need to slow down while saying them and focus on the meaning of the words we are saying. We need to open ourselves to God's grace through the sacraments. We must return to the sacrament of Penance to purify our soul so that the union between us and the Lord is in the best possible spiritual condition. The Blessed Sacrament unites us intimately with the Lord through the reception of Holy Communion and envelops us in His presence when we pray before the tabernacle. St. Thomas More (died 1535) stated: "If I am distracted, Holy Communion helps me to collect myself." Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay The great prayer figures of the Old Testament, as well as the Mother of God, the saints and Christ himself, teach us that prayer is a battle against ourselves and against the snares of the tempter who does everything to distance man from prayer. Yes, we all face distractions, but we must be vigilant and become stronger in the discipline of our prayer life.