Attend to the words
A Remedy for Distractions
A priest whom I know well shared with me an experience that has brought him much peace after suffering for many years from the plague of distractions during Holy Mass. Father X. had very nearly abandoned all hope of being able to get through the Canon of the Mass without being assailed with a sandstorm of distractions. Then, quite unexpectedly, one day in the middle of the Canon of the Mass, he heard a voice saying to him inwardly, “Attend to the words.” How simple. How utterly obvious. Instantly, he began attending to the sacred words of the Canon, giving himself to each word with a gentle application of his mind and heart.
The Words of the Missal
As a result of his obedience to this mysterious inspiration, Father X. now celebrates Holy Mass in peace of mind. His soul, in some way, enters the words of the Missal, and the words of the Missal enter his soul. So impressed was I by his experience that I thought it worth sharing with the readers of Vultus Christi, especially with my brother priests.
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Thank you for this Dom Mark. This is something I have struggled with at times. Now I will try to apply this, word by word attentiveness. Very helpful. Please pray for me.
Something similar once happened to me at Mass. When I was able to go to Mass after work in the summer some years ago, I’d generally get drowzy and almost doze off during Mass. One day I actually did doze off. At that moment I heard a voice interiorly saying “The Lord passed yet you did not see Him.” I arose with a fright. Needless to say I never dozed off at Mass again!