
I’ve heard that when Rome sends a letter to the Bishops of the world, the letter often concludes with “Give this matter the attention it deserves.” Rome is assuming, I imagine, that all of its matters are deserving of serious and immediate attention. And I’m sure there are many bishops who will put that letter on top of their pile marked “things to do.” But I suspect, on more than one occasion, there’s a bishop somewhere who judges otherwise, and he slips that letter underneath the stack of the other urgent things he is currently devoting his attention to.
The directive “Give this thing the attention it deserves” can be something of a watchword for us. We can use that directive to make decisions regarding the allotment of our time and energy. Let’s say we’re really worried about something and we find ourselves thinking about it almost constantly. Worry can be a form of “attention-squandering.” Eventually, we might ask ourselves questions like: Is there something I can actually do about this situation? If so, then do it. (Someone has wisely said, “Worry can be a substitute for action.”) If I can’t do anything about the situation, then why am I wasting my valuable attention worrying about it? Instead, I can simply say a little prayer (again and again perhaps!) “Loving God, I entrust all my worries to you.” And then we can give our attention to things and people who need it and deserve it.

Or sometimes we may find ourselves devoting too much attention to something which, in the vast scope of things, doesn’t deserve that much attention. Periodically we can assess how much time and energy we are giving to things such as these: trying to have an immaculate house, checking the news every few minutes, fussing with our clothes, taking care of all the stuff we’ve amassed over the years, frequently playing games on our phone, endlessly scanning the sales online. On the other hand, there may be things or people who merit more attention than we are giving them. These activities can deserve our attention: volunteering for a worthy cause, carving out time for prayer every day, doing yard work that we enjoy with our spouse, playing with a grandchild, visiting a friend in rehab, watching a good movie or a PBS documentary, looking in on an elderly neighbor, and educating ourselves on a current social issue.
Our attention is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. And deciding how we allot this precious gift is one of the most important decisions we make in life. A grace to pray for is this: Gracious God, help me to give things and people the attention they deserve today. Amen.

For reflection:
What kind of things (or people) are you most tempted to give too much of your time and attention to?
What kind of things (or people) are you tempted to give too little of your time and attention to?
Looking back over your life are there things you regret giving so much attention to?
Looking ahead, what kind of things do you want to pay more attention to in your life?
Is the little girl in the picture above wasting her time and attention? Explain your answer.
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PS: Thank you for your prayers for the autumn retreat this past weekend at Villa Maria Spiritual Center in Villa Maria, PA. Over forty men and woman gathered to reflect on Autumn’s gifts of “Beauty, Letting Go, and Peace.” I enjoyed connecting with a few “old” friends as well as meeting many new beautiful people from places including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maine, Connecticut, Texas, New York, Missouri, Michigan–and others. Special thanks to Sr. Jane Marie and her staff for all they did to make the retreat run so smoothly!
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Maybe it all boils down to this: that we may have the eyes of Jesus as we walk through our days–to see the way Jesus sees things, situations, and people. Here is Brandon Heath’s beautiful song, “Give Me Your Eyes.”
I welcome your comments below!
10 Responses
Good morning Sister Melanie,
All I can say is that you made my day!
Needed the reminder to identify those things causing me anxiety, wasting time, and if there is nothing I can do…. take that attention and use it for others.
Beautiful song… a prayer really.
Thank you!🙏
I appreciate your Spiritual guidance in helping discerning where my attention needs to be upon returning to Texas. The weekend at Maria Villa helped provide a peace of mind to trust more fully in God by letting go of the past and moving forward more gracefully.
Brandon Heath’s “Give me Your Eyes” is on my play list 🤠. Thanks for improving my sight as a spouse, parent, friend and volunteer.
Giddy up and God Bless!
Thank you for a beautiful weekend, Sister Melanie. I’m now a subscriber to your blog so I can continue to appreciate all that you have to offer!
Good evening, Sr. Melannie…
Good evening, all…
“Attention squandering” Worry can be attention squandering. That really hits home! Right now I have about ten letters of recommendation to write by November 1st. These are college recommendations for my students, and I need to get them done. I need to give them the “attention they deserve.” Thanks for the reminder!
I’m still not receiving your blog to my email since you went on your retreat.
Would you check to see if my email was accidentally deleted.
Love your blog.
Sr. Ramona
Ramona, For some reason this week’s blog was not sent out–yet. You are not alone. I didn’t get the email notice either! If this happens, you have to do what you apparently did. Just search something like “Melannie Svoboda blog” or “Sunflower Seeds blog” and it should come up. Sorry for the inconvenience to all who didn’t get my blog this week! Melannie
“Loving God, I entrust all my worries to you.” This short prayer reminds me of the Surrender Novena given by Jesus to Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo: “O Jesus, I surrender myself to you. Take care of everything.”
I’m not the worrying type but I found myself in the third paragraph. So today I will begin praying, “ Gracious God, help me to give things and people the attention they deserve today. Amen.”
Thank you 😇
Hello Sister,
Your message this week is a perfect reflection of the gospel this past Sunday ( Mark 10:17-30). Our priest’s sermon was similar, what do we care about, think about, are attached to so much that it gets between us and God. Whether it is money or sports or social media or work or lesiure or anything else. All these things can be good, in the right time & place. It’s putting God first, centering all in and towards our Lord that puts everything in the right order. Thank you for your message sister, and for the beautiful thoughtful song!
Good morning, Sister. I just circled back to your blog to re-read it. It’s just as powerful the second time as the first. Thank you.
(I had to look for it again this week AND a new wrinkle-I sent a comment early Monday morning after I read the blog and it is not posted. Usually, the posts are there in real time. I have even checked off to re-enlist and that doesn’t seem to have helped. I pray the problems with your blog are fixed soon.)
Your blog is a “must” read for me every Monday. 😊
Good evening, Sr. Melannie! Your paragraph on worry. I have been upset with my mom giving me the name Martha because of having it quoted to me so many times growing up. Guess I bought into it too much. Worried about grades (were they good enough, high enough) worried about my siblings (I felt it was my job to worry about them because I was the big sister), worried about my career (should I accept a scholarship to Bell & Howell or go into education) and once I was in education worried about my student (are they learning what they should, what should I be doing differently)? I have learned that the worry was just spinning my wheels and not changing my worries. I have learned that praying about my worries is what makes the difference. As another said I pray “O Jesus, I surrender myself (and my worries) to you. Take care of everything. Everything is not fixed but I know more peace in my life.
Thank you for another thought provoking blog, Sr. Melannie. Blessings to you and your readers.