Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
A Jesuit saint died on this date in 1641: Claude La Colombière. He is best known for giving spiritual direction. For example, he directed St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom Christ appeared in private revelations, calling for devotion to the Sacred Heart.
St. Claude’s spiritual direction remains relevant today, 400 years later. If, when you pray, you have a hard time focusing, remember these words of St. Claude: “we must be united to God in heart if we cannot be in mind.” Do try not to let your mind wander. Instead, stay focused on the prayer at hand. But, if your mind does wander, there’s no need to be hard on yourself. God sees what is in your heart, and that is sufficient. You want to be close to him, and you prove it by offering the best prayer that you can, imperfect as it may be.
In fact, having a consoling and joyful experience in prayer might not actually be best for you in every circumstance. St. Claude wrote that “there is nothing so dangerous and so much to be suspected as sweetness. Sometimes we attach ourselves to it, and when it is passed, we find we have less instead of more fervor in doing good.” Your desire must be for God alone. God’s gifts, as good as they are, must remain firmly in second place.