#catholi

(for someone who’s struggling with prayer)

One of the promises you make at Ordination is to pray the Divine Office. Morning prayer and evening prayer. Every day.

If you’ve tried to do it, you know that some days are easier than others. Some days it just flows. Other times, not so much.

There are distractions. Intrusive thoughts. All kinds of things can turn quiet time with God into anything but.

The best part? Even when it’s not easy, or even particularly coherent, God is listening, taking it all in. None of it is ever lost or unheard.

Just as important? What God is not doing.

God’s not evaluating our prayers, figuring out whether they’re worth His time. God doesn’t grade our prayers. God has never said to anyone after prayer,

“That was a mess. Truly one of your worst. You were all over the map. Half the time, you were distracted.

When you weren’t, it was all about you. And all the stuff you’ve got going on.

Really, it doesn’t even deserve a response.

But, because I’m Me, I’ll meet you halfway. I’ll give you 50% of my love, some of my grace, part of what you need.

Next time, pray better.”

God isn’t looking for perfection. Because prayer isn’t a performance.

Prayer is all about talking with God. Drawing closer to God. Being with God.

What God really wants is for us to persevere in prayer.

Even if we’re distracted. Or if we don’t feel God’s presence right now. For us to keep trying.

Even when it’s not easy. For us to keep coming back to God.

To persevere in prayer. Until our hearts rest in Him.

Until we are able to receive 100% of His love. All of His grace. And everything we need.

With all of the things we have going on – everything we have to do, everything we need to do, everything we want to do – it can be hard to fit it all into one day.

So many things, pulling us in so many directions. Making it easy to lose ourselves in all of the busyness. To the point that you and I can easily end up as a human doing.

Instead of human being.

The cure? A little de-thinging never hurt.

If we’re honest, very few things in our lives need 100% of our time every day. Some of it really doesn’t deserve our time at all.

But even more important than getting rid of this and dialing down that? Is the move back.

Back from being a human doing. Back to being a human being.

And it begins with first things. How we start our day. Do we start our day being consumed by the whirlwind of doings? Or do we start quietly, grounding ourselves in God?

If we begin with God, we’ll find ourselves on that road back. God will give us both the strength to do what needs to be done. And the wisdom to know what we can let go.

As St. Francis de Sales said, “Every one of us needs a half hour of prayer a day, except when we are busy – then we need an hour.”

Groupthink. Herd mentality. Peer pressure.

Whatever label we use, however we articulate it, we can’t ignore the impact that other people have on us.

To make it specific, even personal, you can’t do better than Jim Rohn’s practical summary,

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

Your five are the group that shapes you. The ones that have the greatest influence on you. Theirs are the attitudes and behaviors that you are regularly exposed to.

Without even trying, you will start to think and behave like your five. Eventually, you won’t be able to do anything that clashes with how they do things.

Need proof? Today’s Gospel. With a horrifying display of the power that the five people we spend the most time with have over us.

King Herod had imprisoned John the Baptist for speaking out against him.

But even though John was his prisoner, Herod knew John was a holy man. And he liked to listen to what John had to say.

But Herod made a stupid promise. And even though Herod knew it was wrong, and was deeply distressed by it. To keep from embarrassing himself in front of his five, Herod had John executed.

To avoid conflict with his five, Herod violated his own conscience. And killed an innocent man.

While most of us won’t end up killing a prophet because of our five. All of us are just as easily driven to avoid conflict with our five.

Today, take a hard look at your five. At where they’re leading you. At how they’re shaping you.

If it’s not closer to God. If it’s not into who God made you to be.

Then you need a new five.