Referring to Matthew 14:22-33, Fr. Jonas talks about distracting thoughts and feelings during a period of prayer at the 4 p.m. Mass at the St. Francis Chapel in the Prudential Center in Boston on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026.

Text of the homily

“Prayer is a battle,” the Catechism (2725) teaches us. A perennial battle in prayer is the fight against distractions.

The first reading and the Gospel highlight this problem. Elijah the prophet awaits the Lord at Mount Horeb and encounters wind, earthquake and fire. The text repeats, “But the Lord is not in [that phenomenon].” Do we likewise realize with the help of divine grace that not every thought is from God? It can be our own or from the enemy.

In the Gospel, Peter participated with Jesus in the miracle of walking on water. “But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened.” How many times in prayer have we allowed thoughts and feelings to overpower us?

Jesus loves us and knows that we struggle with distractions. His response is to remain present to us. We like Peter forget that fact. How can Jesus stretch out his hand to a sinking Peter unless he is right there with Peter? That question “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” is a gentle reminder that God is always present to us.

Reinforcing that, St. Ignatius of Loyola teaches us at the start of our mental prayer to consider that God looks at us with love. This prayer is not just being alone with a Bible, but also an interaction with a personal, loving God.

Whenever distracting thoughts come to mind, we acknowledge them with Jesus and let them float away because like Elijah, we know that God is not in them. If such distractions have negative content, at their first inkling we immediately and calmly turn to Jesus and say, “Jesus, I submit/surrender this thought, this feeling and this judgment to you. You take care of it.”

But what if we like Peter get caught up in the storm and are sinking, what do we do? We pull out a prayer reserved for emergencies like those boxes in trains and buildings labeled “break in case of emergency.” What is this prayer? “Jesus, put your hand on this.” There are many biblical references to God putting his hand on something.

I cannot tell you how often after I said this prayer, I noticed the difference between the moment of a raging thought and the moment of quiet afterward.  

With these tips on distractions, we can share with Jesus with what troubles us as Paul writes, “I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart.” In the end, Jesus wants to help us, but we have to admit the problem and seek his help. Then, we like Peter can say to Jesus, “Lord, save me.”

In the end, distractions are invitations to talk to Jesus about them for the essence of prayer is to share everything with him.