Echo prayer

 That community living and life is one of the most challenging components of religious life is a known fact.  For someone living it, knows this fact more tangibly.  

Even a simple and uncontroversial act of praying together, the moments of community prayer, can become a source of conflict or disagreement.  It is said that during the life of St Theresa of Child Jesus, she loved to pray in silence while in the Chapel.  But there seems to have been a companion of hers in the convent who sat close to her and invariably made odd noises or chewed her finger nails.  This irritated St Theresa very much; yet she smiled at her without any grudge or anger every time this companion distracted her. Taking that smile as a positive sign, the companion continued her mannerism thinking that Theresa liked it!!  

Our community speed of reciting the prayers can also be one great source of distraction and at times be irritating as well.  No matter how slow you recite the prayers, there is someone who always 'echoes' the prayer, meaning he is reciting it slower than you!!! So there is this perpetual echo during common prayers!  

At first I thought it is because of his poor eyesight that he is unable to read fast and is therefore repeating after all of us, but I soon realised that the 'echoing' is also for common prayers like the 'Our Father' as well!! So it is not about eyesight but a common sight! 

Nonetheless, at times I also find asking myself this question: If I'm so distracted by this 'echo prayer', how invested is my prayer in the person with and for whom I am praying?