How to Pray Article Series: What Do I Do When I Get Distracted While Praying? (Part I)
Posted: Friday, January 08, 2010
by Babes Tan-Magkalas
http://www.stjosephsite.com
A lot of people have numerous questions about prayer and how to pray effectively. One of the frequently asked questions about prayer is: what do I do when I get distracted while praying?
This is part one of a two-part article that discusses the things to do when you get distracted while praying.
First and foremost, what is a distraction? How do you get distracted while praying? Well, there are basically two types of distraction the external and the internal. How many times has it happened that while you're praying, the baby starts crying, or the dog starts barking and wouldn't stop or you hear two people in the house arguing with voices so loud you can hear them even if your bedroom door is closed or even if you're down in the basement.
The internal distractions seem to be harder to control. So here you are praying and then all of a sudden, you start to think of some grocery items you need to buy or people you have to call or you or some corporate strategies your company just announced, and all other sort of things.
Oh, I've been there. Do you know what I did and still do to minimize or stop internal distractions? I play a certain kind of music on the background and this type of music is called the Gregorian Chant.
Now what is a Gregorian Chant? According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, a Gregorian Chant is synonymous with plain chant, comprising not only of the
Church music of the early Middle Ages, but also later compositions written in a similar style down to the sixteenth century and even in modern times.
This is how I discovered it. I prayed to God to help me get rid of all these internal distractions. A few days later, I got my answer. I was at home listening to the radio when the radio announcer talked about the Gregorian Chant, particularly the one sung by the Benedictine monks of the small monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos in central Spain . Apparently, he was amazed that it has made it to number one on Billboard's classical chart and number three on its pop chart as well. And then he played the first track of the recording.
As soon as I heard it, I felt a certain peace came over me and that's when I knew that the Gregorian Chant will be part of my prayer life. I bought the CD as well as the accompanying book entitled "Chant -The Origins, Form, Practice and Healing Power of Gregorian Chant" by Katharine Le Mee. I bought the book because it has the lyrics of the Chant in Latin and the English translation.
Since I started listening to the Gregorian Chant, it has never failed to quiet my mind. It is my background music during my quiet time with God. I also put it in my mp3 player so I can listen to it whenever I want to.
I'm not saying that it will work for you just as it works for me. It may or it may not work for you.
Have you been praying for something for a very long time and still your prayer hasn't been granted? Go to www.how-to-pray-effectively.com and learn how to pray & develop a close relationship with God. Please also visit my blog for the answers to your biggest questions about prayer .
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