In this Season of Advent we do our best to prepare spiritually for Christmas, striving to pay particular attention to prayer. For many people prayer does not come easily: in the busyness of life it’s the first thing to drop off our crowded “to do” list. Making time for God in prayer is never time wasted, it is in fact a sign that we are seeking the “one thing necessary”: Jesus Christ. Hopefully in the weeks ahead we can each make extra time for prayer as a way of preparing our hearts for Christ’s coming. Here are some timely and timeless words of advice from the popular spiritual writer, Fr Leo Trese:


Fr Leo Trese - ‘Learn to Pray Well’

“There are two things that determine the quality of our prayer: the attention and the intention with which we pray.

Pray attentively

We are familiar enough with the need for attention. This was pretty well drilled into us in our childhood catechism lessons. We know there is no magic in mere words. Jesus Himself warned us against this fallacy. “In praying,” He said, “do not multiply words, as the Gentiles do; for they think that by saying a great deal, they will be heard. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” (Matt 6:7-8). Our Lord is not condemning prayers of petition. Many times over, He made it plain that God is pleased to have us ask Him for help. Even though He knows our needs, God rejoices to have us acknowledge our dependence on Him. Every time we turn to God for a grace or favour, we are saluting Him as the source of all good and as the loving Father that He is.

What our Lord condemns is purely mechanical prayer: the repetition of words as though there were a value in the words themselves regardless of our state of mind. We find this view of prayer carried to a logical extreme among the Lamaists of Asia. They cover a wheel with prayers, then spin the wheel. They consider that the prayers have been said once with each turn of the wheel. Our very definition of prayer as "a raising of the mind and heart to God" exposes the absurdity of such a practice. Words, written or spoken, are only symbols. It is the sentiments of mind and heart that give them whatever meaning and value they may have.
Knowing this, we do not undertake to pray unless we are ready to give attention to what we are doing. Even then, we realize that it is attention to God, rather than attention to the words, that is the important thing. Words are but the track or road over which my spirit travels to God. Words are simply the means by which I include my body in my act of worship, so that it is the whole person — mind and body — who prays.

For example, I may pray the litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as an act of thanksgiving to our Lord for His innumerable goodnesses to me. Through the entire litany, my grateful heart may be thinking of nothing but His loving generosity. My mind may hardly advert to the actual meaning of the words I am saying, yet I am praying well. On the other hand, I might foolishly give such slavish attention to the literal meaning of the individual words as to have little attention left for Jesus Himself.

We know that the attention required in prayer is not nullified by the involuntary distractions that plague us all. The human mind is as unstable as a little child: restless, squirming, running from one thing to another, incapable of sustained effort. We may approach prayer with a firm determination to pray well and to keep our mind on what we are doing. Three minutes later we find that our mind has wandered off on some silly expedition of its own. If we are ill, tired, worried, or ex-cited, these distractions are likely to be thrice aggravated.  

Pray with a right intention

However, this does not discourage us. We know that our prayer is still acceptable to God, even if we spend the whole time doing nothing else but brushing away distractions. Indeed, this prayer may be especially pleasing to God, by the very fact that we are praying under such difficulties. As long as we have undertaken to pray with a right intention, and with an honest effort to give God the best attention we can, our prayer is most acceptable to Him.


Right intention is a key phrase here. In general, we pray because God wants us to pray. It is a duty we creatures owe to our Creator. If for no other reason, we pray from a sense of obedience and to discharge a grave obligation to God. From this basic reason for prayer, we can see how foolish it would be for anyone to excuse himself from prayer on the score that he does not feel like praying. Prayer is not a matter of mood, any more than it is a matter of convenience. We never can justify lack of prayer by pleading that we have no time for it. We must — absolutely must — find the time for prayer.


Even less can we justify lack of prayer by the absence of a feeling for prayer, or by the fact that we do not seem to "get anything out of prayer." We do not pray in order to get something out of it. We pray because God wants us to. Emotionally we may feel as cold as an iceberg. We may rise from prayer without any sense whatever of uplift or inspiration. It doesn't matter. Prayer is something we do primarily for God. What we may get out of it is very secondary. Our prayer may be dry and unrewarding to ourselves; it still has been pleasing to God.”


Excerpt taken from: “Seventeen Steps to Heaven” Fr Leo Trese (Sophia Institute Press, 2001)