I could use some book recommendations. I’m thinking about reading Ascent of Mt Carmel next. Any thoughts? I had thought about reading Dark Night, because the title seems to relate to where I’m at right now, but I’ve seen people recommend Ascent first. I need some help making sense of my suffering -spiritual, not physical. I’ve been pretty devout since converting in '06. The world around me right now is a mess, and I’m struggling to hold on to hope.
I read the Dark Night before reading the Ascent. For someone who is struggling to maintain hope, I highly recommend reading the Dark Night first because, in my case at least, I was not emotionally ready to tackle the work required in the Ascent.
The Dark Night talks about the passive nights explaining what God is doing in the soul and the Ascent discusses the active nights explaining what the soul needs to do as he or she faces the passive nights. This is my take on it, at least.
I think one of the posters mentioned Fr. Timothy Gallagher’s books on the spiritual discernment rules by St. Ignatius of Loyola . These books are also good on how to face the passive nights in a practical way, e.g., “in times of desolation, make no changes”. Frequent desolation is characteristic of the passive night of spirits. So, having this one discernment rule handy is essential to surviving it. In this night, one often suffers great temptations to give up and withdraw from practicing true, self-giving charity toward one’s neighbor as well as reduce or drop one’s daily prayer schedule like the rosary, Mass, and other devotional practices.
Please remember that no one is perfectly holy and we are all on our individual journeys with God. Another poster also recommended Abandonment to the Divine Providence, which is also a great book. The three themes that I recall from this book are first, “things painful to nature are good for the soul.” So, thank God that you are undergoing the
mess in which you find yourself. Second, in whatever life situation one finds oneself is God’s will for that person. So, know that God is using this
mess for your good and it is God’s will (
see Rom 8:28 also).
And, third, one should serve God and neighbor in the “present moment” at all times. This is very difficult to do but is necessary to pull oneself out of the passive night of spirits. This concept is also heavily addressed in the Ascent. I am still working on this one.
However, I am finding that keeping my mind focused on things that need to be addressed in the present moment alleviates much of my suffering. This requires forgetting all the “what-ifs” and the constant wondering what the other person is thinking.
After all, Sacred Scripture does exhort us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and not on any other thing or person including the turmoil that is happening around us and most especially on ourselves (
see Mat. 14:28-30; Col. 3:2; and Heb. 12:2). This entails overcoming the tendency to calculate how things impacts one personally whether it is favorable or adverse. The focus, rather, is on how to serve God and neighbor in the present moment and keeping all thoughts there. Furthermore, since both God and neighbor are in the
here and
now, one can only serve them in the
here and
now . . . .
Although, I am not sure what your
mess entails, here is a quote from Mother Theresa that I find helpful to keep my focus on Jesus:
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
~Mother Teresa
I will pray for you. I really
know your pain. Don’t give up. God is with you and is the source of your hope. And, when all seems bleak remember that “hope does not disappoint” (Rm. 5:5). So, as long as you keep persevering and trusting in God, He will resolve this
mess that you now face in a way that it is undeniably He (
see Ps. 37:4; Sirach 2).
houston1
