Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
REFLECTION
Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.
There are days during my morning prayers when I find myself inundated with distractions—not necessarily from the events of the morning, but often from lingering thoughts of the night before.
From reading about the untimely death of a young stranger and feeling the grief of the family, to wanting to hear the latest album of one of my favorite musicians, or simply wanting to talk with my husband, I find myself unable to concentrate on my appointed morning prayers.
In today's Gospel, Jesus goes up the mountain and spends the entire night in prayer before choosing His twelve apostles. He teaches us that before making important decisions, responding to the needs of others, or undertaking our daily responsibilities, we must first turn to God in prayer.
My sincere desire to be alone with God struggles against my wandering and meandering mind. I find myself unable to concentrate, lacking the discipline to control my thoughts.
But God knows everything. He knows what is on my mind and what is stirring in my heart. Yet He allows these distractions to remain. Perhaps they are not always obstacles to prayer, but invitations to bring the very concerns of my heart into His presence.
I can lift up in prayer the young stranger who died and ask God to comfort the grieving family. I can thank Him for the musicians and artists who generously share their God-given talents with others. If an unfinished project occupies my thoughts, I can ask Him for guidance and wisdom. And when I long to talk with my husband, I can turn that thought into an expression of love, praying for him and asking God to bless his day.
I know what I need to do. Yet how faithful am I in making the effort to return to God when my mind wanders?
Perhaps the answer is not always to fight these distractions, but to place them gently into the hands of God and allow them to become encounters with Him.
I can turn my distractions into prayer, my worries into trust, my responsibilities into offerings, and my restless thoughts into opportunities to draw closer to God.
What begins as a distraction can become a conversation with Him. Instead of allowing my wandering thoughts to pull me away from prayer, I can invite God into them.
After all, prayer is not simply about completing a set of prayers or achieving perfect concentration. It is about being in communion with God, bringing before Him the realities of my everyday life—my joys, sorrows, concerns, responsibilities, and even my distractions.
Jesus went up the mountain to be alone with His Father. Perhaps my mountain is simply the quiet place where I sit each morning, learning to surrender whatever occupies my heart.
When I place these thoughts into God's hands, I have not wandered away from prayer but have found another way of praying.
God does not ask us to leave our lives behind when we come to Him in prayer. He invites us to bring our lives to Him.
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