Empathy makes a good companion to prayer, both helping us pray for others and deepening our sense of our own souls. Consider taking on an experiment of intentionally praying with empathy. Gather your attention and imagination and do your best to fully embody the perspective of another person.

While there is something within us that yearns for connection with God in prayer, there is another side that resists. While we develop the part of our heart that desires God, it may be worth naming the resistance.

Being able to sit still, in silence is a capacity that grows with practice. Like a muscle that must be trained with use, we become better able at quieting our hearts and minds as we do it over and over again.