And I have been thinking about that today because I have remembered the words of Saint Therese of the Little Flower, Saint Therese of Lisieux…
Sometimes I am very distracted in Holy Mass.
Sometimes I am blessed to experience a profound calmness in the Church during Mass and my mind sits serenely and without worry or distraction, but those times are very rare. More often than not, I am as distracted as a mosquito. My eyes flitter from one member of the congregation to another, I get annoyed by a cough or a sniffle, the priest’s homily misses the mark for me and I judge his words rather than hearing his message. My children fidget and I distract myself with disciplining them rather than praying to my Blessed Lord.
Saint Therese of Lisieux adopted her “little way” for love of God. And that meant that she would work with those little distractions that just get in my way…
There was a nun in the convent with Saint Therese who caused her particular distress and irritation. This particular nun made noises (unconsciously) that bothered the Saint very much. So, Saint Therese decided that she would make a point of sitting very close to that nun and spending extra time with her. In other words, she used this opportunity for distraction to grow in discipline and to offer sacrifices and to be pleasing to God.
And Saint Therese was so successful in her endeavour that this nun truly believed that she was Saint Therese’s most preferred companion in the convent.
And I have been thinking about that today. You see, the other day during Mass, I was quite distracted, and as I received the Blessed Eucharist, in my haste, I almost dropped the Sacred Host…
And that near accident woke me up. That near accident reminded me to slow down for a moment and just concentrate on God. After all – that was the whole point of the Mass anyway. And it would have been a terrible accident to have dropped the Blessed Sacrament. It would have been a terrible accident to allow the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord to touch the floor. I once saw an image of the Blessed Sacrament having been accidentally dropped on the floor, being venerated by a group of nuns on their knees who knelt before Him until the priest was able to clean the area and consume the Host.
And I have been reflecting on that image today, because my near-accident reminded me of the holiness in that accident. And my distraction reminded me of the importance of paying attention. And I realised in that instant that God needs me to be present now – right now – concentrating on whatever it is that I have in hand in this moment.
And so I learned a valuable lesson that day when I almost had an accident…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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