Cure for Monkey Brain

 I have an idea.  The next time you are trying to pray and your mind is bouncing from one image to another, try doing what He did.  When He was tempted by the devil, in the desert, Matt 4: 1-11; Luke 4:1, 13. He didn't converse with the devil. He quoted scripture:

If you are the son of God, tell                   Deuteronomy 8: 3.  Human beings do not
these stones to turn into loaves.                live on bread alone but on every word                                                                         that
                                                                  comes from the mouth of God.

If you are the son of God, throw               Matt 4: 7 & Deuteronomy 6:16 Do not                                                                         put
yourself down.                                           the Lord your God to the test.

Remembering a scripture to fit the moment may not come to you, so some people just say "Lord Jesus." Scripture says that we can even say "Lord Jesus," unless the Holy Spirit allows it.  1 Cor 12:3.  Notice it's not about having no thoughts; it's about not chasing after them.   Try it.

The Wilderness

Our environment is the wilderness that is spoken of in Luke 4: 1.  I think of this especially during the upcoming Lent.  Jesus' temptations in this desert/wilderness are similar to mine and probably yours.  All the temptations the devil offer are material stuff, i.e., possessions, power, and status.  Of course, being old, I know better than when I was young.  Experience has taught me that people who have acquired much, aren't any happier than I am and maybe pretty sad and miserable.  What they lack is God.  Our relationship with God not only guides us through the wilderness but shelters us from assaults.  We are "led by the spirit," through life, just as Jesus was led out of the desert wilderness.

Meditation upon this Sunday's Gospel: Luke 4: 1-13.