Dear Parish Family,
Many people comment about how hard it can be to focus when they pray. A lot of us are embarrassed that their mind wanders so much while we are trying to say their prayers. When I spoke with a monk about this once when I was on retreat, he said: “Just make your prayers about your real troubles and worries and struggles. If you make your prayers like that, you won’t get distracted at all.”
My priest friend and mentor Fr. Austin Fleming from Boston recently wrote and shared this prayer that reminded me of that monk’s wise words. It was deeply honest and so articulately expressed a feeling I often have in my heart, I wanted to share it…
I hate it, Lord,
when bad things happen
to good people...
(I don't even like it
when bad things happen
to people who aren't so good...)
I especially hate
when the greatest of our hopes and dreams
come face to face
with loss and pain and grief...
So, when mountains rise too tall to climb,
when rivers run too deep to cross,
when pain feels more than we can bear
be with us, Lord, be with us
for without you we are helpless:
in you we find our only hope,
our way, our truth, our light,
our life...
Amen.
Gratefully yours,
Fr. Scott
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