I was at Daily Mass on Wednesday and when I arrived, I knelt down and prayed, like I always do, that God would calm my heart and my mind and help me to be fully present.

I sat down and Mass started, but just as it started a car alarm started going off. It wasn’t super loud but it was enough to be annoying.

Still, I tried to focus and tune it out, but when nobody was turning it off, I began to grumble like the Grinch and say, “Oh, the noise, noise, noise!”

The priest, who is the kindest most patient man, just carried on, but I found it increasingly hard to pay attention.

“Can no one hear this car alarm, but me?”

The weird thing was, was that it would go off, then stop, and I’d think it was over and breathe a sigh of relief, and then it would start up again. This went on through the WHOLE Mass.

As soon as it started up again, I’d shout in my head, “Nooooooo! Curse you car alarm!”

It got to the point where it was so ridiculous that it made me laugh a little.

And then I thought to myself…this is like life. There is so much noise all around us, how are we supposed to find and hear God through all of the noise?

Possibly a silly analogy, I know, but still…it fits.

Entertainment monopolizes huge amounts of our time. Fights on social media. News updates constantly playing off fears and distracting us. The world is a big noisy place and the devil is intent on drowning out God’s voice and we often assist him by giving into the noise.

There is a lot going on in the world right now, so much to draw our attention and make us fret, fight, and worry.

In those moments when the car alarm stopped, it was so refreshing not to have to push past that noise.

For much of the worldly noise, Catholic Pilgrims, we have the choice to turn it off and walk away and, instead, be with God. We do have that power and when we do distance ourselves from the noise, it will be refreshing and it will bring clarity.

Have a blessed weekend.