Bonus: Attention as Prayer – Finding God in Every Moment with Kathy Lorentz

Quick Summary

In this bonus episode of Religion to Reality, hosts Dave Plisky and Father John Gribowich sit down with Catholic educator and mindfulness teacher, Kathy Lorentz, to explore how prayer is far more than just words. It’s about cultivating awareness of God’s presence throughout every moment of our lives.

Kathy shares her journey from playing the Blessed Mother in a touring play at age 16 to becoming a theology teacher who works with students from preschool through adulthood. Her approach to prayer challenges traditional notions, revealing how attention, gratitude, and presence can transform mundane moments into sacred encounters.

Listen now to discover how you can develop a deeper prayer life without adding more to your to-do list.

In This Bonus Episode, We Explore:

The Nature of Prayer and Attention (03:00-09:00)

• Why prayer isn’t just an activity but an awareness of God’s presence
• The profound connection between attention and prayer: “Attention taken to its highest degree is the same thing as prayer” (Simone Weil)
• How attention works like a spotlight—you can only focus on one thing at a time
• Understanding that “attention is a muscle” that strengthens with practice

Navigating the Digital Age Mindfully (09:00-12:00)

• Practical strategies for teaching high school students to manage digital distractions
• The importance of turning off notifications and using “do not disturb” mode intentionally
• Helping students recognize the preciousness of time through journaling their digital habits
• How to be fully present whether in prayer or conversation

Prayer Practices for Everyday Life (12:00-19:00)

• Using gratitude as a form of prayer—finding three or four meaningful moments each day
• The comfort and power of repetitive prayers like the Hail Mary (Kathy prays it up to 50 times daily)
• Creating “mindfulness bells” throughout your day—doorways, meals, car rides as prayer opportunities
• Prayer while driving past struggling communities: holding people in compassionate love

The Importance of Intentional Prayer Time (20:00-23:00)

• Why setting aside dedicated time for prayer matters, even when we know life itself is prayer
• The transformative power of beginning your day with five minutes of prayer
• How communal and structured prayer (like in monasteries) can form us
• The blessing of working in theology education, where prayer is built into the day

Praying for Others (23:00-26:00)

• What it means to hold people in prayer without imposing our will
• Why Kathy rarely prays for specific outcomes: “I don’t have the wisdom to know what a suffering someone needs.”
• The sacredness of simply blessing others: “God bless you. May God bless you.”
• Understanding your presence itself as prayer when you carry the Holy Spirit with you

Misconceptions About Prayer (26:00-29:00)

• How gratitude, acts of service, and caring attention are all forms of prayer
• Meister Eckhart’s wisdom: “If all you said was thank you, that would be prayer enough.”
• Why telling young people “You don’t get to choose” whether you’re spiritual—it’s part of being human
• Moving beyond seeing prayer as separate from the rest of life toward integration

Cultivating Awe and Wonder (29:00-34:00)

• How science and spirit aren’t opposites—the experience of awe bridges both
• Dacher Keltner’s research: we need 50 experiences of awe per day, not just 2-3
• Using “awe workshops” to help students recognize sacred moments
• Einstein’s wisdom: “Never lose a holy curiosity. Don’t stop to marvel.”
• Recognizing all of life as holy, including ourselves

The Power of the Rosary (35:00-37:00)

• Why the rosary was the most cited prayer practice for impacting faith in DeSales Media’s discipleship study
• The rosary as a grounding, multisensory prayer experience
• Kathy’s advice: “Just say it, and let it be revealed to you” rather than overthinking the meaning

Generational Changes and COVID’s Impact (37:00-41:00)

• How some generations chose not to pass on faith traditions to their children
• The primary reason families choose Catholic schools today: quality education (faith formation is 4th or 5th)
• How the COVID pandemic awakened people to the importance of gathering in community
• Hope that the Holy Spirit is calling us to new ways of praying and being church together

The Practice of Listening (41:00-42:00)

• Why listening keeps emerging as the key spiritual practice
• How listening and attention are completely tied together
• Setting aside time to be still and listen as essential prayer

Meet Our Guest

Kathy Lorentz is a Catholic educator with extensive experience teaching from preschool through adult education. She currently teaches theology at a Catholic high school, where she also serves as a counselor specializing in mindfulness and contemplative practices.

Kathy’s faith journey began at age 16 when she was invited to play the Blessed Mother in a touring production across California and Nevada, an experience that deeply shaped her devotion to Mary. Kathy also has a background in marriage and family counseling, compassion work, and inter-religious dialogue.

As a mother of five adult sons, Kathy teaches a class called “Mindfulness in the Contemplative Tradition” and has taught “Prayer and Spirituality” to thousands of high school students over 15 years. She works with Sunday to Sunday and is passionate about helping people discover prayer as an integrated way of being rather than just an activity.

Memorable Quotes

“Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God—for me, that is everything. It’s not as if words need to be said, it’s more a sense of being, of being aware of the presence that we exist in.” — Kathy Lorentz

“Attention taken to its highest degree is the same thing as prayer.” — Simone Weil (quoted by Kathy)

“Attention is a muscle, and the more we practice—with prayer, beginning with taking a deep breath and just taking time to focus on the fact that you are breathing—is a way of practicing to increase your muscle of attention.” — Kathy Lorentz

“I believe that what we began with—remembering that we are in the holy presence of God—the awareness of the presence of God will help us know that we are not alone.” — Kathy Lorentz

“One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day. Never lose a holy curiosity. Don’t stop to marvel.” — Albert Einstein

“Even if all you said was thank you, that would be prayer enough.” — Meister Eckhart

Resources Mentioned

Books & Authors:

• Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh
• Works by Simone Weil
• Works by Meister Eckhart
• Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by Dacher Keltner (UC Berkeley)
• Writings of Albert Einstein

Organizations & Movements:

• Sunday to Sunday ministry
• De La Salle Christian Brothers (Lasallian schools)
• Thich Nhat Hanh’s community/sangha
• Lourdes pilgrimage site

Concepts & Practices:

• Mindfulness in the Contemplative Tradition
• Self-compassion practices
• Gratitude journaling
• The Rosary and Hail Mary prayer
• Mindfulness bells
• Awe workshops
• Digital wellness and attention management

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Learn more about our work: Religion to Reality is an initiative of DeSales Media, dedicated to helping people bridge the gap between religious practice and lived spiritual reality.