Friends of God: distractions while praying

Translated from the original by Ana Giménez Burgos.

It has already been said, that the brain is constantly in a state of turmoil, its activity doesn´t stop, nor even while sleeping. It´s an ongoing soliloquy. Many of you often complain about its difficulties to tame it ,so as to be able to be in silence and in dialogue with God.

Teresa also had a hard time to understand and to prepare herself for it.For a long time, she believed that imagination and the strengths of the soul were the same things. They are not, indeed.

On the one hand  there is perception, memory and good-will, which are the three strengths of the soul .On the other hand, there is imagination itself..

The most important among these three strengths of soul is good-will, as love will come from it.

She tells us the most important thing:”Spiritual people have nothing to fear. There is no reason why he should be distressed who is already raised to so high a degree as this is of wishing to converse in solitude with God and to abandon the amusements of the world. The greater part of the work is done” (The Life,11,12)

That means that what matters are not distractions, but the desire to lead a spiritual life.

Once this has been accepted, don’t allow ourselves to be tormented: “and so It is not always right to omit prayer when the understanding is greatly distracted and disturbed , not to torment the soul to the doing of that which is out of its power” (The Life 11.16)

We should get used “to walking  joyfully and freely”, “to ensure solitude and silence” “Sweet is His yoke, and it is essential that we should not drag the soul along with us, so to say, but lead it gently, so that it may make the greater progress” (The Life 11.16)

In short, don´t be scared, don´t allow you to think that it is impossible to train your brain. For the moment, let´s do what we can, because if we really want to be for a while within ourselves and with God, and we take this strong determination, God knows better than anybody our intention, and it has a great value for Him, no matter the distractions that may come.

On Monday I will explain the solutions that Teresa and modern sciences offer. 

We will be learning them, up to the Third Mansion.

Come on, friends of God!