Dark nights

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seanom

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Hello there,
I just want to share a dark night experience I had last Sunday. I was on my way to rosary and benediction in our local Dominican church when I was overcome by doubt. I found it very hard to say the rosary and I also found it hard to believe in the real presence. Then later that evening it got worse, I thought I had lost the faith completely and almost gave into temptations against the faith. I couldnt pray; I begged God, Our Blessed Mother and my guardian angel to give me faith. I thought I was going to become an atheist and all in the space of a few hours! Thanks be to God, my faith has returned and I myself believe God allowed me to be tempted to make me more humble and to detach me from myself, I definately rely on God more now than myself and really value the gift of faith. I was wondering if any of you have had similar experiences and any possible reasons for them? Thanks and God Bless!
 
seanom said:
Hello there,
I just want to share a dark night experience I had last Sunday. I was on my way to rosary and benediction in our local Dominican church when I was overcome by doubt. I found it very hard to say the rosary and I also found it hard to believe in the real presence. Then later that evening it got worse, I thought I had lost the faith completely and almost gave into temptations against the faith. I couldnt pray; I begged God, Our Blessed Mother and my guardian angel to give me faith. I thought I was going to become an atheist and all in the space of a few hours! Thanks be to God, my faith has returned and I myself believe God allowed me to be tempted to make me more humble and to detach me from myself, I definately rely on God more now than myself and really value the gift of faith. I was wondering if any of you have had similar experiences and any possible reasons for them? Thanks and God Bless!
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Of course I can’t judge your case but it could be that some demonic entity was trying to enter your heart but you succesfully fought that off. Doubt, darkness and confusion is a typical demonic tactic. I find that specifically praying for protection from and strength against these things helps. There have been occasionas that I was pretty sure that I saw dark things moving in the shadows, even inside my own appartment. But a prayer made them vanish.
 
seanom said:
Hello there,
I just want to share a dark night experience I had last Sunday. I was on my way to rosary and benediction in our local Dominican church when I was overcome by doubt. I found it very hard to say the rosary and I also found it hard to believe in the real presence. Then later that evening it got worse, I thought I had lost the faith completely and almost gave into temptations against the faith. I couldnt pray; I begged God, Our Blessed Mother and my guardian angel to give me faith. I thought I was going to become an atheist and all in the space of a few hours! Thanks be to God, my faith has returned and I myself believe God allowed me to be tempted to make me more humble and to detach me from myself, I definately rely on God more now than myself and really value the gift of faith. I was wondering if any of you have had similar experiences and any possible reasons for them? Thanks and God Bless!
Click to expand...
The devil never stops trying to win your soul. When you feel this darkness coming, and you realize what will follow, just say, “Jesus, I trust in you.” Then, if the situation allows, try to change whatever you were doing. Don’t dwell on the darkness. Put yourself in a completely different situation. Walk, watch TV, clean a closet – anything. The idea is to not let the devil make you nervous and let you think God has deserted you. He hasn’t!
 
Doubt is part of the journey; and feelings are not facts.

We live in a fallen world. Sometimes it is hard to see the forest for the trees. If our faith were perfect; if the world were perfect, we would have no need of the Church; no need for prayer.

When that happens to me, I try not to fight too hard. Usually it means that I am trying to substitute my will for God’s Will. What I do try to do is soldier-on with whatever work God has given me to do. If the feeling persists, I try to talk to somebody about it.
 
Of course, I think everyone struggles with those temptations, but not everyone can see they are just temptations, some people actually give into them. Your very strong in your faith, pray for those who are not! =)
 
One thing I can tell you is when God is working in your heart and leading you in a new direction, the Devil tries even harder to claim you soul. I know I have been there. It seems like when ever something good happens or I make a Change for the better he rears his ugly head at me and stares me down. The mind is his playground. The one thing I am working on is when I have these feelings and doubt I run quicker to the Lord than a Bottle of Alcohol. For me Alcohol has been the place he drives me to, it is the Thorn in my Flesh but one day I know God will remove it completely when I find total Comfort in him. Keep up the Good Fight , the Lord knows we all need to.😃
 
There is a 10 part program being reaired on EWTN called “Living the Discerning Life” which might be of help to you.

Fr. Gallagher talks about our internal spiritual conversations - that involve us either in consolation or desolation.

ewtn.com/series/shows/living-the-discerning-life/index.asp

Fr. Gallagher explains how to use the 14 rules of St. Ignatius of Loyola to identify periods of desolation (and how to get out of them easily) and of consolation (and how to remain in God’s grace for longer intervals of time and to experience Him in a deeper reality).

Another term used for this exercise (or exorcise :p) is the discernment of spirits.

P.S. Upon my return to the Catholic Church, I was driving home one day from work.

In the space of two seconds, I was suddenly hit with a ‘spiritual darkness’ that was as if I’d been hit by another car.

It came out of nowhere, had nothing to do with anything that I’d been thinking about or that I’d spiritually experienced before. Personally, I think it was a glimpse of what a soul experiences in hell.

I quickly prayed, “Jesus I believe in you, help my unbelief.” Immediately the darkness left me.
 
Every time I make a decision that I will start to pray the rosary again, something happens that makes me so angry and frustrated so that I cannot start praying. I wait for a few days until I find my peace again and then I start with the prayer.
 
RosaryCancer said:
Every time I make a decision that I will start to pray the rosary again, something happens that makes me so angry and frustrated so that I cannot start praying. I wait for a few days until I find my peace again and then I start with the prayer.
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The Key here is to never give up. Your doing great, and im sure that you make Satan furious everytime you pray that rosary. I know how horrible the dark night is. The Key here is that your will wants God more then anything so your actually growing in faith. Just remember to never stop grasping for our Lord:)👍
 
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