Distractions are all around us in the modern world, and our mind often has difficulty filtering them out. This can lead to a barrage of thoughts that distract us from prayer or from our daily activities.
We simply struggle to focus.
Here is a short prayer to gain focus, from a 19th-century Retreat Manual by Madame Cecilia.
O God, I firmly believe that you are everywhere present and sees all things. You see my nothingness, my inconstancy, my sinfulness. You see me in all my actions and you see me in this my meditation. I bow down before you, and worship your divine majesty with my whole being. Cleanse my heart from all vain, wicked, and distracting thoughts. Enlighten my understanding, and inflame my will, that I may pray with reverence, attention, and devotion.
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