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Do you ever feel your thoughts leaping from one worry to the next, like a restless monkey? Most of us have experienced periods when our mind is agitated, unsettled and wandering. I recently heard that in the Buddhist philosophy they call this “monkey mind.” This serves as a powerful metaphor for a state of mind we all know too well. In today’s message we will explore ways to calm our monkey mind. Please read more.

This “monkey mind” concept describes our thoughts swinging from branch to branch like a frantic monkey—jumping from a worry about work, to a memory from childhood, to a grocery list, to a snippet of a song, all without logic or rest. I have found that this internal chatter can leave me feeling anxious, distracted, and unable to focus on the present moment. Sometimes my mind becomes distracted when I am trying to write a new weekly message. Have you experienced “monkey mind?” The goal in the Buddhist tradition is to calm this monkey through mindfulness and concentration.

As Christians, we can find a deep resonance in monkey mind image. Christian tradition calls this scattered attention “distractions,” and urges us to practice vigilance through silence. While we may use different language, the struggle against a distracted and divided mind is central to our spiritual journey. The Scriptures are filled with exhortations to find our rest and focus in God. The Psalmist cries out, “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation” (Psalm 62:1). This waiting in silence is the very opposite of the monkey mind. It is a conscious act of turning our attention away from the thousand distractions of the world and toward the one source of our peace. Doing so is not easy!

As Christians we understand that God has given us a powerful faculty called the intellect. This is our capacity for thought, reflection, self-consciousness, and understanding truth. When our intellect is disordered by what St. Paul calls “the flesh,” in other words, our anxieties, disordered passions, and worldly concerns—it becomes the monkey mind. It is not that the intellect is bad, it is simply untamed and unfocused. Our challenge is not merely to silence the mind, but to redirect it. Our intellectual nature is perfected by wisdom, which “gently attracts the mind of man to a quest and a love for what is true and good.”

So how do we, as followers of Christ, calm this monkey? Our path is not just one of mental technique, but of relationship. We are invited to bring our restless minds to Jesus. In Matthew 11:28, He says to us, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” This is the foundational answer to our restless heart. The calming of our mind is a fruit of surrendering our burdens to the Lord.

Prayer is our primary means of doing this. It is in prayer that we practice turning the full attention of our intellect and our will toward God. This is rarely easy. Distractions are a near-universal experience in prayer. The great saints and spiritual writers all speak of it. But they tell us not to be discouraged. The act of gently turning our mind back to God, again and again, is itself a powerful prayer. It is an act of love that strengthens our spiritual muscles. Each time we notice our thoughts have swung to another branch, we can lovingly and patiently guide them back to the vine, which is Christ (John 15:5).

Our quest is more than just a quest for inner peace for its own sake. Our goal is communion with God. By calming the restless monkey of our minds, we create a space of interior silence where we can better hear the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit. We begin to develop a harmony with the things of God. We develop a spiritual instinct where our hearts and minds are attuned to His presence and His will. This allows our intellect to fulfill its highest purpose: the understanding of our faith. We move from simply knowing about God to knowing Him personally, allowing the truth of His love to transform us from the inside out.

Let’s not be discouraged by our own “monkey minds.” Instead, let’s learn to see this restlessness as a call to turn more deeply to Christ. Let us bring our distracted thoughts, our anxieties, and our wandering attention to Him in prayer. He does not demand a perfectly calm mind before we can approach Him; rather, He invites us to come as we are, so that in His presence, we may find the true peace and rest that the world cannot give.

Heavenly Father, St. Paul taught us to, “Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.” So often we find this hard to do. Worldly distractions constantly try to pull my thoughts away from you. Send Your Holy Spirit to calm my restless mind. I long to serve you with all of my heart and soul and mind. Amen!

AMDG 

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Brian Pusateri

Brian is a Christian author and speaker. Brian, a lifelong Catholic, felt his life was forever changed when God spoke to his heart while attending an eight day silent Christian retreat in November of 2011. Soon after that retreat Brian founded 4th Day Letters and Broken Door Ministries. With the God inspired message of mercy and unconditional love that was placed on his heart during that retreat, Brian has been impacting others all over the country and around the world with his weekly letters, his talks, and his all day Christian retreats. In June of 2014, Brian’s life was again impacted in a very dramatic way when his eyesight suddenly became permanently impaired. The initial diagnosis was Multiple Scleroses (MS) but in December of 2019 the diagnosis was corrected to MOG antibody disease, a rare neurological disease. This health challenge has only served to draw Brian closer to God and bolster the importance of this timely yet ageless message.

Latest posts by Brian Pusateri (see all)

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