Desperately need advice and prayers

[Monica4316]

Hi,

It seems I’ve reached a very low point in my faith and I don’t really know who to ask about this… I’ll try to talk to a priest tomorrow… but can you please pray for me and share any thoughts?

I said before that I was being tempted with blasphemous thoughts… for a few days, things have been going very well and I either wasn’t tempted at all, or could resist it very easily. On Monday, I felt very close to God. Then yesterday, as I went to Mass, I was suddenly attacked with the thoughts again but in a really major way… I don’t think it’s ever been like this. The temptation was VERY strong, and not just to think the words, but to actually mean them. I tried very hard to resist them. but sometimes my attention would slip (as when I was listening to the readings), and it would happen. In those moments, I thought the words, AND felt them very strongly and felt like I meant them. It was like I was constantly meaning them except when I was trying not to (and I did try a lot, and very hard, cause even though I felt like I meant the words, I didn’t WANT to mean them.) Just so you know, the thoughts are against the Holy Spirit… which makes it so much more difficult because of the “unforgiveable sin”.

At the Mass, I was really unsure if I should receive the Eucharist or not… I decided that maybe it would help (because it did before), and received… but I did so with a lot of fear and distrust, and afterwards I felt so much anxiety inside… this really broke my heart because Communion is what’s most special to me and I’ve always been devoted to Jesus in the Eucharist since i became Catholic. The highlight of my week was to receive the Eucharist. And now, all I felt is that I’m hurting Jesus by receiving Him unworthily, and instead of that union with Him that I experienced before, there’s only pain and anxiety. I was so upset and asked to talk to the priest… he listened to me and gave me advice and absolution and then prayed for me. As he was praying for me, suddenly I felt much better and the anxiety and temptation lifted. Later on, I began to feel scared and distrustful of God’s mercy, but He helped me to trust Him and for approximately and hour yesterday I just felt this amazing peace and the more I trusted in God’s mercy, the greater this peace got.

Well today… today has been very difficult. I realized two things that scare me: 1. I am not as contrite/repentant for these thoughts as I should be… for several hours I didn’t feel any contrition at all and only this weird numbness inside. Eventually I kind of broke down and started crying and asking God to give me contrition. I still don’t know how repentant I am… is it dependent on feelings, or the will?
and 2. the thoughts started out in my mind, but I fear they got into my heart too. Many times, I felt tempted to mean them, or I did mean them (in my feelings) but didn’t want to… since these thoughts are blasphemies against the Holy Spirit, this scares me a lot… the more these thoughts get in my heart, the less I’m able to respond to God’s grace or feel contrition or love for Him… at points during the day, all I felt was rejection/hatred, and felt like I mean it too - but at the same time don’t want to mean it and trying to change it.

I really don’t understand what’s going on… I realized one thing: these thougths come when I feel distrustful of God or afraid. So I’ve been trying to trust Him. But it’s difficult when I feel so far from Him and so confused. After praying I feel kind of better now…

but I was wondering, could you please pray for me… I really need God’s help. I don’t want this thread to be a discussion on why this is happening and whether this is from demons or OCD or whatever. Right now, I don’t care where’s it’s coming from, I’m just trying to fight it by loving God as much as I can and trusting Him. This has been the only thing that’s worked… the problem is that I keep on drifting away from that too and going back to fear/all those temptations.

Sorry this is so long I don’t know who to talk to about this cause I don’t want to worry my family and friends… this forum is probably the only place I feel like I can talk about this apart from the confessional. I’m so afraid of having lost God forever… I keep on remembering how it was before, and that makes me so sad and I don’t know how to get back. I’m afraid that there’s no hope for me anymore and God won’t help me, but I won’t get out of this without His help… but deep inside I’m still hoping/trusting in His help

Thank you!

 

[OutoftheDepths]

I’ll be praying for you.

It can be so hard to trust Him, can’t it? I’m always getting caught up in worries that I’m not contrite or passionate or loving or whatever enough to be a Proper Catholic. Our feelings, though, they don’t matter so much. They come and go, and can be rooted in just about anything.

It seems to me that what matters so much more is our will; it’s the one thing we always have, really, that we can always offer to God, and it’s even more of a treasure when we don’t feel like it. Anyway, it seems to me, too, that if you were brought to tears by your longing for contrition, then you’re likely far more repentant than I’ve been in a long time.

Pax!

 

[Saint_wannabe]

I think that your in a good place, even though it may not feel that way at times. You did the correct thing by receiving the Eucharist & I would continue to do so as often as you can. don’t fear receiving Jesus in the Eucharist if you are not doing these things on purpose, you need Jesus in the Eucharist now more than ever. it sounds like you are handling this as well as you possibly can, and I would think that the devil is mad at you for doing so, but who cares about him, its God that we give glory & honor to. I have days like these, but in different ways than you do. keep this in mind. Do you know how many times it says be not afraid, fear not, etc in Sacred Scripture? 365 times, once for every day of the year, do you think that God is trying to tell us something? “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil.” also remember that Jesus tells us that “Fear is useless.” a couple things that I would like to suggest are 1.talk to a priest, go to Confession, frequent Confession if at all possible. 2. Pray the Rosary every day. Satan hates Mary and being under her protection is a great thing. Padre Pio used to call the Rosary his weapon. I hope all or any of this helps, and please know that I and many others will be praying for you. I hope that you can remember me in your prayers as well. God bless you friend.

 

[HickmanJosh]

Our Father Who art In Heaven Hallowed be Thy Name
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven
give us this day our daily bread and forgive us of our trespasses as we forgive thouse who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
AMEN

 

[Lief_Erikson]

Lord, please grant Monica strength and trust. Please build within her faith, hope and love and help her not to listen to any of the lies of the enemy. Through and in your Sacred Heart, give her peace.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

I really don’t understand what’s going on… I realized one thing: these thougths come when I feel distrustful of God or afraid. So I’ve been trying to trust Him.

Good!
"Monica:

But it’s difficult when I feel so far from Him and so confused. After praying I feel kind of better now…

I’ll tell you exactly what’s going on.

Hi,

It seems I’ve reached a very low point in my faith and I don’t really know who to ask about this… I’ll try to talk to a priest tomorrow… but can you please pray for me and share any thoughts?

I said before that I was being tempted with blasphemous thoughts… for a few days, things have been going very well and I either wasn’t tempted at all, or could resist it very easily. On Monday, I felt very close to God. Then yesterday, as I went to Mass, I was suddenly attacked with the thoughts again but in a really major way… I don’t think it’s ever been like this. The temptation was VERY strong, and not just to think the words, but to actually mean them. I tried very hard to resist them. but sometimes my attention would slip (as when I was listening to the readings), and it would happen. In those moments, I thought the words, AND felt them very strongly and felt like I meant them. It was like I was constantly meaning them except when I was trying not to (and I did try a lot, and very hard, cause even though I felt like I meant the words, I didn’t WANT to mean them.) Just so you know, the thoughts are against the Holy Spirit… which makes it so much more difficult because of the “unforgiveable sin”.

If I were you, I would pray to trust the Church’s infallible teaching of what the unforgivable sin is, rather than your feelings and fears, which are treacherous right now. I believe the Lord will help you with this if you ask Him.

I can also tell you immediately that the devil cannot make you mean these thoughts, even if he can dump a bucketload of them on your head and trick you into thinking you mean them. You do NOT mean them. You never wanted any of them and you still do not want them, and you know that in your heart you don’t mean any of those things. It only felt like you meant it at the time.

The best the devil can do is make you feel like you meant those words in order to make you more fearful and less trusting of God. But your heart loves the Holy Spirit, hence you never meant any of those words no matter how it felt like you did. As the Scripture says, (Rom. 8:16) “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” The Spirit inside your heart, manifested in your love for God, makes known that you are God’s child. You could not love God if you were not God’s child.

The devil is beating you up with these fears and thoughts that are not sins. You are not sinning when you are attacked, even if it feels like you meant the thoughts. I doubt you’ve committed one mortal sin in the course of this entire trial. No sin you’ve described online has sounded anything like a mortal one to me, and when you feel you “meant” the thoughts, it’s not true. That is simply your feelings lying to you for you love the Spirit in your heart and you do not mean any of these evil things about Him, even if you feel like you do at the time. You are being abused, but you are not guilty.

At the Mass, I was really unsure if I should receive the Eucharist or not… I decided that maybe it would help (because it did before), and received… but I did so with a lot of fear and distrust, and afterwards I felt so much anxiety inside… this really broke my heart because Communion is what’s most special to me and I’ve always been devoted to Jesus in the Eucharist since i became Catholic.

You received Him worthily and you did the right thing. You need to keep trusting in His mercy no matter how things feel. That’s the lesson I think you’re going to come out of all this with.

 

[Lief_Erikson]

Well today… today has been very difficult. I realized two things that scare me: 1. I am not as contrite/repentant for these thoughts as I should be… for several hours I didn’t feel any contrition at all and only this weird numbness inside.

No, Monica . . . this is putting the emphasis on what you feel again. You should feel very contrite is the lie the enemy was hitting you with there. But it’s not about your feelings and the thoughts are not your own. None of them are, even if you felt you meant them when you succumbed to temptation and committed a venial sin here and there. This is a lie from the enemy that you need to “feel” particularly contrite for your Confession to work. It is one more attack on the depth of God’s Mercy. The enemy is using that to try to get you to think your Confessions are invalid. He is directly attacking the glorious Sacrament through these thoughts which are very similar to all the other attacks he’s made on you. He’s trying to put your faith in your feelings above your faith in God.

You have to reject your feelings. That’s very hard because I can see you’re a very emotional and sensory person, but that’s what you’ve got to do. The devil is a liar when he tells you that you need to feel very contrite in order to make a valid Confession and he is a liar when he tells you that you mean these thoughts when your own heart’s love for the Spirit proves to you that you don’t. He is the Father of Lies and he’s bringing a lot of cruel power against you to make you distrust God, as others on this forum have told you.

You have to join yourself to God in Confession through faith, not feelings, and you have to receive the Eucharist through faith, not feelings. If you break down and think and feel like you “mean” one of these evil thoughts, know that this is a venial sin and nothing more. Don’t be afraid. Pray for more faith and trust in God, for that is the power by which you will break this evil in the end.

Eventually I kind of broke down and started crying and asking God to give me contrition. I still don’t know how repentant I am… is it dependent on feelings, or the will?
and 2. the thoughts started out in my mind, but I fear they got into my heart too.

NO, Monica, that is a lie from the devil . These two “realizations” were both demonic. Neither of them has a bit of truth in them and both are intended to tear you away from living in faith and hope.

Many times, I felt tempted to mean them, or I did mean them (in my feelings) but didn’t want to… since these thoughts are blasphemies against the Holy Spirit, this scares me a lot… the more these thoughts get in my heart, the less I’m able to respond to God’s grace or feel contrition or love for Him… at points during the day, all I felt was rejection/hatred, and felt like I mean it too - but at the same time don’t want to mean it and trying to change it.

You don’t mean these things and your own heart proves that, so if you felt like you meant it, that is a lie from the devil designed to attack your faith and hope. Fear is the opposite of hope and distrust is the opposite of faith. Those are the enemies you need to be concentrating on battling. These evil thoughts that keep battering your brain are a smokescreen. They do not make you sin. The sin is when you respond to those thoughts by distrusting the Church’s teaching about the nature of the unforgivable sin, and an added bonus for the devil is if he can make you think these thoughts are mortal sins, so that he deprives you of the strength the Eucharist would have given you.

I’m so afraid of having lost God forever… I keep on remembering how it was before, and that makes me so sad and I don’t know how to get back.

What you need to be trying for is not regaining the good feelings but instead learning the lesson God is teaching you through this, which is fully trusting in God and His Church no matter what your feelings tell you. I believe you are already doing this, for as you said in your post, you are working on trusting Him more and that is what you most need to do.

The belief that you sin mortally when you think one of these thoughts and feel that you mean it, as well as the new load the devil dropped on your Confessions by insisting that you feel extremely contrite, and also the false interpretation of the unpardonable sin, need to all be rejected through faith. For none of them are godly or true. Faith is your answer, and I urge you to pray for greater faith, trust and hope each day of this trial.

But I think you have realized the correct things about this trial, that distrust and fear are the enemy and that faith is the ally and source of victory.

The Bible refers to faith as a “shield” with which we can deflect “all the flaming darts of the enemy” (Eph. 6:16). That is how it is with you. I think that with you, we can see this passage and the nature of the battle more visibly and powerfully realized than it often is in our lives.

 

[Lief_Erikson]

Sorry this is so long

Sorry for making a response that’s at least twice as long .

 

[revert_jen]

I will pray for you.

I still don’t know how repentant I am… is it dependent on feelings, or the will?

The will, every time.

You can be virtuous contrary to your feelings, but you cannot sin against your will.

There’s a place in one of C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy books that describes this very well. A man is taking an arduous journey up a mountain, in accordance with his conscience. He is assailed by temptation to go back constantly. The whole passage is very moving (but too long for me to type in!) but it all boils down to the following:
C.S. Lewis:

But all the time, the old resolution, taken when he could still think, was driving him up the road. Often he forgot where he was going, and why. The movement became a mechanical rhythm–from weariness to stillness, from stillness to unbearable cold, from cold to motion again.

He didn’t feel like going on, he wasn’t even really thinking about going on, he was just obeying the resolution that his will had taken when he was not being tempted in his body and his mind.

Obviously it’s better if you can follow God with your feelings, thoughts, and will all moving together in harmony. But sometimes it can’t be like that, and in that case, it’s the will that wins.

I also agree with pretty much everything Leif said, although I probably wouldn’t have put it exactly that way.

May God be with you in your time of trouble!

–Jen

 

[Southerncross]

Hi Monica - you are in my prayers each day - both the Rosary & the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Feelings are the very worst way to judge your handling of the temptation. Your confessor will give you every support & very sound advice. The one thing to do without hesitation is to receive Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament as often as you can - daily if possible - not the least ambition of Satan is to separate us from Our Lord. The real temptation may well be to lose trust & so separate ourselves from God. Persevere in your trust of Our Lord - He is worthy of all trust - He will never let you down. His grace is sufficient always.
Pax et bonum.:knight2:

 

[Bookcat]

Monica,

I post this again…cause it is helpful to repeat and remember these principles…

regarding thoughts in general …particularly temptations or thoughts against faith etc

1. This is a difficulty that has experienced by certain Christians…for centuries…it can be a real torture.
2. Relax. Do not worry.
3. Such thoughts can be scruples (those with scruples can be known to have a problem with them --and they really become scruples when one worries or fears sin). Which is why scrupulosity is often put together with OCD --but note too that this does not mean that Scrupulosity = OCD as some hold. Though a persons scruples can also be at the same time OCD. Hope I do not confuse you here… It all depends on the person.
4. They can be internal but not willed. They can seem like ‘you are the one causing them’ --for it is the nature of such thoughts.
5. Now are they mortal sins? No. are they venial sins? No. Not very likely at all even little little venial sin. Why?

For a mortal sin one needs a grave matter …full knowledge AND deliberate consent!!! and it does not sound like you are giving them full consent…you do not want them at all!

for a venial sin …one has to consent …and when thoughts happen and you do not want them or hate them…they displease you…it is a sign of NO CONSENT

A. If you do not want the thought…it the thought displeases you: it is a sign actually that you did not give consent or do not give full consent. And actually one could say in your case from what you describe --no consent.

B. Even if you felt a temptation for the thought – and were drawn to it —but rejected it and maybe even turned to God : again a sign not full consent.
But these are not even temping for you! they bother you!

C. But what if one has a tempting thought --say of a sexual nature and even hesitated for a moment…but then rejected it for one did not want to sin? : it can be partial consent perhaps (and thus a venial sin)-- or it may be no sin at all but rather a strong temptation that drew you but then you saw what was happening and turned away.

D. A temptation can even be very strong or the thoughts very often – but this does NOT mean one has consented! so worry not…even it they go on for a long time…

BUT this is not what you are talking about – they are not even tempting thoughts – so what I just wrote here in C was for future reference

remember – for everyone --for it to be mortal there must be that deliberate consent!

What to do? on the spiritual side–relax first of all and remember the above.

Next – know that the more one fears the thoughts the more likely they are to come… or said another way --the more a person seeks to avoid the thoughts the more likely he will have a problem with them. (but do not worry about this either!)

for example: for the next 10 seconds try NOT to think of an apple.

tick tock …

Ok what did you think of? Most likely an apple.

So it is best to ignore them and just not consent and then turn your attention to some other good thing…for instance whatever you are doing. Simply do not consent and move on. and do not worry

These thoughts should be treated like a barking dog --and just ignored and passed by… one does not stop to argue with a barking dog one just keeps walking (this wisdom about the dog is from a Carthusian from the 15th century --Joannes Lanspergius)

another point – thoughts can just happen --they are the stuff with which we think…it is up to us to consent and take them further or not. **and just because they are REAL VIVID and almost “think themselves” does not mean per se that one has given ANY consent.
**
relax. use humor…laugh at them.

treat them like the little flys that bug you (we call them nats here --not sure what you have down under) --that fly about your head in the summer …and into your eyes…just try go about your business and do not worry…they can cause you no real harm…they just annoy you.

you may find this helpful too from the chief apologist of Catholic Anwsers: jimmyakin.typepad.com/defenso…?cid=118867622

now you may or may not have ocd …for scruples are not = OCD but some who have ocd have scruples etc.

also please know that you can trust my advice above. I have a degree in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville …**so do not worry. **

 

[Bookcat]

One need not ‘feel’ contrition. it is an act of the will.

but remember…if you are not sinning…which from your account…you do not consent…do not want such thoughts…they no need for contrition for them!

You can make an act of general contrition…at times of course…

 

[donanobis]

Monica, You will be in my prayers also. dona

 

[Monica4316]

Thank you so much everyone!!!

This morning I was able to go to Confession, and then Adoration… that went well, but afterwards I still had that fear (even though I was really fighting it and trying to trust in God’s mercy). Then, SO SADLY, I fell again and once again thought the words! That really upset me… I then said this prayer to reject the devil and all sin and that I believe in God and want to follow Him. For some reason, after I said this prayer, I had a strong impression that all the thoughts are “in the past”… and that I dont’ have to return to the past, I can just forget about it. Even the thought that I had after Confession, I felt like it’s just something from the past and it’s over now, and after I confess it, it will be forgotten.

This really gave me strength, for some reason… It’s been several hours and everything is going well so far, I finally feel more peace too

but my weakness really scares me. What Im praying for is just to stay in this place and remember that I need to not return to these thoughts, and they’re just something in the past, and now I’ve rejected them and it’s over.

thanks again for all your prayers God bless!!

 

[Bookcat]

It is the FEAR that is part of the source…

Remember…all sorts of thoughts can come…and they will prob. come again…but you do not want them! Nothing (as St. Catherine of Siena says) can force you to sin…not matter what thoughts come…

(I sent you the quote as a message)

So if you fear them as ‘sins’ that can be part of the problem.

Do not fear them.

Part of the nature of thoughts is that you think them! But there is a BIG difference between deliberately thinking and dwelling on something …and them coming when we do not want them…even vividly even repeatedly!

The FEAR of the thoughts…can make them worse…

Instead…laugh at them…just past them by…ignore them…

turn to something else…

do not try “not” to think them…

 

[crazzeto]

Perhaps a spiritual attack? Do you know the prayer to St. Michael?

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.

I find praying this silently when the enemy is making suggestions to you can be very helpful. God bless,

 

[Bookcat]

Monica…it has taken a bit of effort to type and edit the following…but it is important and I hope you will take it to heart (it goes with what i have already posted above)

This is advice …written as if Jesus was writing it …and it applies to the kind of thoughts you have been experiencing…unwanted ones…(he refers to those of Blaphemy or impure thoughts)

It is from the great Carthusian Monk Joannes Lanspergius in the 16th Century. He was a Spiritual writer…and can be very much trusted…and the Carthusians are one of the most strict Orders in the Catholic Church…

"If bad thoughts as it often happens, do at some time enter your mind against me and my saints or else that you be tempted with blasphemy and rebellious thoughts, **let it **never again trouble you, or make you faint-hearted.

Neither be perplexed (worried) in your mind how to confess any such thing as long as you do not with advised (knowledge) and deliberate consent yield to them.

…fear and faint-heartedness very quickly puts into a mans mind …what he fears…

…do not regard them, do not fear them, do not answer them, do not resist them, do not observe them but go forward in your Godly devotion and holy exercise as though you felt nothing and as though your mind was troubled with nothing and pass over them like a barking dog or a hissing goose, which a man will not answer or argue with but will only pass by and laugh at. In doing so you will avoid them and forget them.

But if you try to resist them, to argue with them, to fear them, to look at them, to try to remove them they will be more in your mind with more distress. For these tempations are not vanquished by fighting with them but by despising them." Epistle of Jesus Christ

 

[Southerncross]

Thank you so much everyone!!!

This morning I was able to go to Confession, and then Adoration… that went well, but afterwards I still had that fear (even though I was really fighting it and trying to trust in God’s mercy). Then, SO SADLY, I fell again and once again thought the words! That really upset me… I then said this prayer to reject the devil and all sin and that I believe in God and want to follow Him. For some reason, after I said this prayer, I had a strong impression that all the thoughts are “in the past”… and that I dont’ have to return to the past, I can just forget about it. Even the thought that I had after Confession, I felt like it’s just something from the past and it’s over now, and after I confess it, it will be forgotten.

This really gave me strength, for some reason… It’s been several hours and everything is going well so far, I finally feel more peace too

but my weakness really scares me. What Im praying for is just to stay in this place and remember that I need to not return to these thoughts, and they’re just something in the past, and now I’ve rejected them and it’s over.

thanks again for all your prayers God bless!!

Dear Monica - your weakness scares you ? that recognition of your own weakness is a large part of wisdom ! Rely on God . My own patron - the great St. Paul - asked God to remove " the thorn in my flesh " God very obviously knew what was best for him . God will give you the graces you need - all you have to do is ask. Everyone is supporting you with their prayers so you can have every confidence that all of this lies within the designs of Providence.
Pax et bonum.:knight2:

 

[donanobis]

Monica4316,

When Jesus was tempted in the desert by the devil, He did not face His accuser directly but put on the *whole armor of God *and addressed the devil with words of Scripture. That might be another approach you might wish to take. When you have a blasphemous or anxious thought, approach the temptation with scripture; ie;

Tim 4:18 (NIV) The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack

Choose some appropriate verses from the bible and say them when tempted. Some specific ones can be found here such as the ones for anxiety: Write them down on an index card and keep them with you so they will be readily available when you are tempted.

Matthew 6:25: "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Matthew 6:27:And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?
Matthew 6:28: And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin;
Matthew 6:31: Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat?' or What shall we drink?’ or `What shall we wear?’
Matthew 6:34: "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.

dona
*
Eph 6:10-17 (NIV) …Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God* so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 

[Lief_Erikson]

Really cool quotes in post 16, Bookcat! Those sound so, so good and so true. They are bold, and it takes some nerve to put evil thoughts aside so decisively rather than worrying about aftermath, but I think it’s bang on correct.

 

[Monica4316]

Thank you everyone!

Last night I went to Stations of the Cross and Mass. At first I really struggled with trusting God, but then before Communion He helped me and I was able to trust Him and have faith… and the temptations ceased! then I received Communion… I think you were all right in what you said. Communion was so wonderful! Jesus really showed me how much He loves me and I felt a lot of peace afterwards. A lot of what I was struggling with before went away. Now, I notice whenever I choose to trust God, He gives me peace…

thanks for all your help and prayers!!