My blogger friend, Brian of Visual Victuals, commented on yesterday's post about the possibility of being distracted from prayer by the beautiful scenery. Yes, this is more than a possibility, it's a fact. Pray-ers are constantly plagued with distractions; it's part of the human condition (also know as original sin). However, as faithful pray-ers, we can learn to overcome distractions or even use them to enhance our prayer. We can even use a beautiful location to lead us to prayer, for it's easy to see God's glory in His own creation.
The Carmelite way of prayer does not necessarily teach to clear one's mind in order to pray. St. Teresa of Avila taught us to bring all our sins, concerns, and worries - our very humanness - to God in our prayer. This is necessary because if we were to wait for a distraction free place or state of mind, we would never pray.
