Guard Over our Thoughs and Words

A quote from Catherine:

How can we expect to be recollected in prayer if we keep no guard over our thoughts and words?

"Grace builds on nature." That is often quoted, but I do not know the source. How can we grow in our spiritual life if we do not also discipline the rest of our life. If we have all sorts of distractions in the work we do, the conversations we have and the intentions that never get done, how do we expect to have this pure and simple prayer life?

We live in a world of noise and busyness. Do we ever just have quiet? One night I was home alone and I did not turn on the TV or play music. When I was ready for bed, I fell asleep quite peacefully. I realized the next morning that my good night's sleep was partly due to having such hours of peacefulness beforehand.

Having those moments also help when we go to prayer. Surrounding yourself with quiet, having a space that is not too distracting and having a constant regular schedule for prayer will help us to be more "recollected".

"Recollected"-a word to ponder. It looks like collecting again. What are we collecting, and what are we recollecting? Hopefully we are collecting those moments of peace, of quiet, so that our hearts can be centered on God, for whom we alone go forward or back.

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