Feb 9 Mon
Does the desire for purity of heart improve my prayer?
If you’ve ever sat down to pray and felt distracted, restless, or “somewhere else,” you’re not unusual. Many of us know what it’s like to want to pray but struggle to bring our full attention to it. We show up physically—but our minds are racing, half-present, half-elsewhere.
What’s often missing isn’t technique but attitude. And one of the most transformative attitudes of prayer—yet one of the most overlooked—is purity of heart.
But what does “Purity of Heart” even mean?
At first glance, “purity of heart” might sound like a lofty biblical phrase, or something reserved for saints. But it isn’t about moral perfection, nor is it restricted to a select few. It means wanting what God wants in the everyday choices of life.
It’s the difference between:
- praying because you should, and praying because you desire communion with God
- offering a quick formula of words, and offering your entire heart
- seeking prayer as a task, and seeking prayer as a relationship.
Purity of heart isn’t a prerequisite we must earn before God will listen; it’s an attitude that transforms prayer from “something I do” into “a meeting with the One I love.”
When we let go of interior clutter—anxiety, pride, distraction—prayer becomes a doorway instead of a duty.
Here are some practical ways to achieve it:
1. Say, “Here I am—open to You, even if I’m distracted.”
Offer what you have. This honest start softens resistance and invites God into the real state of your heart.
2. Purity of heart isn’t about ignoring life’s responsibilities—it’s about noticing what pulls your heart away from God. This awareness will lead you to the right choice.
3. Purity of heart is built by simple, repeated choices—not grand gestures. This might include:
- Pausing briefly to offer your day to God.
- Making the sign of the cross with intention.
- Praying for someone who irritates you.
- Offering a moment of frustration to Christ.
Prayer isn’t perfect. It’s present tense.
Purity of heart isn’t an achievement—it’s an attitude you cooperate with, one moment at a time.
So, if your prayer life feels cluttered, distracting, or distant this year, start with where you are. A heart open to God—even imperfectly—is a heart God can heal, guide, and transform.
Heaven doesn’t wait for perfection.
He joins you in your real journey toward purity—one humble step at a time.
“My secret is a very simple one: I pray. To pray to Christ is to love him.
Thus, you will be able to bring others close to Jesus because it is not possible to engage in direct apostolate without being a soul of prayer.
We must be aware of our oneness with Christ, as He was aware of his oneness with His Father. Our activity is truly apostolic only insofar as we permit him to work in us, and through us, with his power, with his desire, with his love." (Mo. Teresa)