People often complain about being "distracted" during prayer. Their minds wander to various things. This is almost always caused by praying for something you don’t actually want that much; you just think it would be right, admirable, and "pious" to want it. So you earnestly pray for great but distant things, like peace in Northern Ireland or for your aunt to recover from the flu – while these things don’t really weigh heavily on your heart. They probably should, but they don’t. Your prayer is then quickly disrupted by the distractions stemming from what you really want – say, a promotion at work. Distraction is almost always your true desires breaking into your prayer instead of uplifting, but false wishes. If you are distracted, let your distraction lead you to your true wishes, from which they arise, and pray for them. When you pray for what you truly want, you will surely not be distracted. People on a sinking ship do not complain about distraction.
It doesn’t matter if your prayer seems “selfish” or childish. If you are honest in it and acknowledge that you are not very altruistic, that your own interests truly weigh on your heart, if you try to be who you are and admit it, I can promise you that the Holy Spirit will lead you to a deeper understanding of who you are and what you truly want.
(Herbert McCabe OP /1926–2001/, God, Christ and Us)
