Praying and feeling ashamed

[uglygal]

My godmother passed away recently and I have prayed for her repose and release from sufferings - things like the Divine Mercy chaplet, Divine Wounds chaplet and Stations of the Cross.

Yet after doing so I am left feeling incredibly stupid and foolish. I feel embarrassed that I have been praying for her, ashamed that I have been offering to God the merits of Jesus for the benefit of her soul. I’m left feeling confused and ashamed, like an idiot for asking God to have mercy on her and grant her the remission of her sins.

Are feelings like this indicative that I have done / am doing something wrong? I have always believed that praying for the departed is fine and even encouraged, and why would I feel ashamed and embarrassed? I’m not sure if anyone can help or has any advice but I would appreciate some. Has anyone else felt the same?

Thanks

 

[MSParrott]

I am so sorry about the loss of your Godmother.

You have no reason to feel “stupid or foolish” for praying for her - or anyone else. It could just be that your prayers are working and satan is getting angry and trying to make you feel that way. Personally I don’t think you are doing anything wrong, in fact what you are doing is RIGHT. Just try not to give in to those horrible feelings, as they are not from God. I’m sure He is pleased that you are praying for your dear Godmother (and I’m positive she is pleased too).

Sometimes when we lose someone, especially someone so close to us we have all these feelings and emotions running at the same time (like making your mind race and things like that) and it causes us to feel worse. Just take a deep breath and KEEP PRAYING. It will get better, I promise.

God Bless you, and I’ll pray for your Godmother, too.

 

[Mintaka]

You may be feeling helpless or overwhelmed because you miss her so much, and that could be coming out as feeling stupid and embarrassed.

Personally, I often feel stupid and embarrassed when doing the right thing (or the neutral thing, or…). It’s uncomfortable, but it really doesn’t have any relationship to the rightness or wrongness of what I’m doing. It has more to do with me momentarily paying more attention to myself than what I’m doing. All of a sudden, I turn into the proverbial centipede trying to figure out how he manages to walk – and then I can’t do it right anymore.

Not without feeling stupid, anyway!

The good thing about prayer is that God helps us to pray. The least little effort on our part can be fruitful because God makes it so. Therefore, you don’t have to do prayer perfectly right or have all your thoughts perfectly in line. Do your best at the moment and keep praying anyway; that’s all God asks.

 

[fin]

I’ve experienced this too. Sometimes when I pray, I feel foolish, and I don’t know why. But most of the time it doesn’t stay on for long, so I can go back praying comfortably.

 

[uglygal]

Thanks. I wasn’t close with my godmother - in fact we hadn’t seen each other for some 20 years. She was my godmother at my christening and thats it. I’m praying for her because I feel I should cause I don’t think anyone else will and despite her distance to me I don’t want her to be in purgatory and forgotten. Maybe that’s why I feel foolish. But your right, feelings are fleeting. Thankyou very much ppl

 

[ed1000]

I’m praying for her because I feel I should cause I don’t think anyone else will

That makes this prayer very important and commendable. You could hardly have a better motivation.

 

[DJgang]

I’m praying for her because I feel I should cause I don’t think anyone else will

That makes this prayer very important and commendable. You could hardly have a better motivation.

I agree.