A Great Comfort for Those Who Are Troubled with Distractions at Prayer

OR the comfort of those who are troubled with this temptation, St. Basil observes that God is offended by these thoughts and distractions only when they are voluntary, when a man is distracted with advertence and seeing what he is about, with scant reverence and respect. He who at prayer sets himself on purpose to think of his studies, of the duties of his office, or of business, well deserves that God should not listen to him, but rather chastise him.

Here comes in well what St. Chrysostom says: “How can you expect God to hear you if you do not hear yourself?” But when a man honestly does what is in his power, and is distracted through weakness, and unable to keep up such attention as he would wish—his thought failing him and flying in other directions, as the prophet says, My heart hath abandoned me (Psalm xxxix. 13)—then the Lord is not offended at that, but rather is moved to compassion and commiseration, knowing well as He does our infirmity and weakness. As a father hath compassion on his children, so the Lord hath compassion on them that fear him, for he knoweth the clay of which we are formed (Psalm cii. 13- 14). As a father who has a son liable to fits of insanity, has compassion on him and feels it much when the boy begins to converse in his right mind and then comes out with some absurdity; so our most compassionate Father in heaven pities and compassionates us when He sees that such is the weakness and infirmity of our nature that at the nick of time, when we are conversing with Him in our right mind, we break out into a thousand incongruous thoughts. And thus, though one never feels any sap or moisture of devotion at meditation, but very great dryness, and is assailed by thoughts and temptations and passes all the time in this way, not for that does the meditation cease to be very pleasing to God our Lord and of great value and merit in His august divine presence, nay, often it is more pleasing and meritorious than if the time had passed in much devotion and consolation, because the person has suffered and borne more labor and difficulty in it for the love of God. And he does not fail, either, in gaining by that meditation grace and favors to enable him to serve the Lord better and grow in virtue and perfection, although he does not feel it. So it happens to a sick man when he eats some nourishing food; though he has no appetite and finds no relish in it, but only pain and torment, yet he gathers strength thereby and is kept up and becomes better.

From what has been said it will be seen what a great error it is to give up meditation because in it one finds oneself a prey to many thoughts and temptations. Only we need to be well warned and take care lest on this occasion, under the plea that we can do no more, we give entry to tepidity and remissness, getting into easy-going ways and letting things slide, carried away by every wind that blows, carelessly letting thought and imagination go where it will. No; we must do what is on our part; we must with great care and diligence have an eye to and drive away those thoughts as the holy patriarch Abraham drove away and kept an eye on the birds that were swooping down on the sacrifice (Gen. xv. 11). While in this matter we do honestly what is in our power, there is nothing to deserve punishment.

We read of St. Bridget that, when she was much wearied with many distractions at prayer, our Lady one day appeared to her and said to her: “The devil, envious of the good of men, does all in his power to put impediments and obstacles in their way when they are at prayer; but do thou, daughter, take care to persevere as best thou canst in thy good will and holy desires, whatever temptation may trouble thee, how evil soever it be, and unable as thou mayest feel to throw it off; and that will be a very good and profitable prayer, and of great merit before God.” We have mentioned above (Chapter 18) a very good means to recover what we think we have lost by distraction.