The Rosary Project · Distraction in Prayer, Part 3 · 4 min read

In the previous article, I introduced the concept of "chronic distraction" as a way of naming an experience I know well, and I suspect many of my readers experience as well. Human Formation is the antidote.

Dr. Peter Malinoski defines human formation as:

"The lifelong process of natural development, aided by grace, by which a person integrates all aspects of his interior emotional, cognitive, relational, and bodily life, all his natural faculties in an ordered way, conformed with right reason and natural law so that he is freed from natural impediments to trust God as His beloved child and to embrace God's love."

Ep. 63, Human Formation: The Critical Missing Element

What jumps out at me the most is interior integration. The opposite of integration is fragmentation. Fragmented is a perfect adjective to describe how I feel during my prayer time when I'm trying to ground myself and focus on God, but my mind is racing in a thousand directions.

I want you to imagine for a minute that the different roles you play in your life are members of a rowing team: son or daughter of God, employee, spouse, child, parent, sibling, aunt or uncle. Now, add your emotions: joy, hope, gratitude, sadness, and fear. When all of these are rowing in unison, it's beautiful. When everything is aligned, emotions are in check with strong self-leadership, you feel like you could slay a dragon.

But for most of us, most of the time, it feels more like catching crabs (an oar gets stuck and launches the rower out of the boat): crushing it as a dad while your boss hounds you about missed deadlines, beating your personal best at the gym after realizing you forgot your anniversary.

Interior integration is like the holy grail of rowing: all the parts moving as one in the same direction toward a singular goal.

The lifelong process of human formation addresses this by helping you integrate these dimensions under a single, unifying direction: rowing all the oars (work, family, body, emotion, intellect, will) toward the same horizon: union with Christ.

If these are new terms for you or you want to go deeper, I'd recommend the following resources:

• The 8 C's of IFS, written by Dr. Peter Malinoski
• Interior Freedom by Jacques Philippe. Philippe teaches that interior freedom isn't the absence of constraints; it's the liberation that comes from ordering your desires, emotions, and will toward God. You're fragmented when your will fights against God's. You're integrated when all your interior movements (your fears, desires, reactions, choices) flow in one direction: toward Him.
• Is "Therapy Culture" Toxic? (Dr. Gerry Crete) | Ep. 541. In this episode, Matt sits down with therapist Dr. Gerry Crete to unpack what therapy actually is, how it differs from spiritual direction, why so many people today are seeing therapists regularly, and if therapy is actually healthy or potentially toxic.
• Shame, the prayer killer by Dr. Peter Malinoski. In this short reflection, Dr. Peter writes about the impact of shame and perfectionism on our relationship with God, and the role human formation can play in healing those wounds.

To Jesus through Mary,
Jonathan

Adapted from Jonathan Conrad's Rosary Project email series, The Catholic Woodworker.

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