Real Presence doesn't effect me the way it should

  • Thread starter Thread starter flyersfan1088
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
F

flyersfan1088

Guest
I believe in the Real Presence as much as my frail human mind will allow me to. Something that bothers me is my demeanor during the consecration and while receiving communion. I feel like I should be crying tears of joy and prostrating myself every Mass, the way I would if Jesus appeared walking through the door in human form. I know this sounds stupid, but it really bothers me. I enjoy going to Adoration, but half the time I feel the need to apologize to Jesus afterwards for not adoring him enough. Any suggestions on how to more completely immerse myself in Christ’s gift of the Eucharist? Thank you.

Steve
 
I often feel the same way: am I being a little too casual in the way I receive the Lord of the universe? There are some post-communion prayers on the back of the misallete that can help to focus my mind.

But in the end, keep in mind that even if you feel nothing, Jesus is truly present within you. Feelings are not paramount, his presence is.
 
I don’t usually worry if my feelings for the Eucharist are not as intense as I think they should be. To me, this is the way that Christ meant it to be, so that we can continue to be sustained by Him. In some ways, I see it as very ordinary - it’s how our Lord intended it. There are times, though, that the awe and reverence does hit me, especially during the consecration.

I would suggest doing Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Talk to our Lord, let Him know how you feel about this. He already knows what you think and feel; as long as you continue to come to Him in the Eucharist, our Lord can do nothing but be pleased by you.

God Bless.
 
don’t worry too much on the feelings 😉

Fr Corapi said that Love is not just merely feelings, it is a decision.
Feelings are just a taste of how sweet Jesus is; His way to encourage us to love Him. But we should love Him for Himself, not just the feelings.

I second the idea of Adoration. Just come and talk to Him.
Spend a few moments of total silence to listen to Him.

Tak
 
I’d agree with the previous posters - remember when Jesus DID walk the earth in human form not everyone prostrated themselves in front of Him or cried tears of joy to see Him - I’m sure there were some who weren’t moved in any way towards Him, not positive OR negative.
 
Feelings may be the wrong choice of words. I’m not looking to get warm and fuzzies, I think that what I am giving Him is what is lacking. I DO go to adoration, although I can’t as often as I’d like. Maybe I should make more of an effort to do this. Thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut.

Steve
 
You would “die” of joy, not just crying, for having an experience of His Physical Presence in your soul - This experience had happened to few Saints.
 
flyersfan1088 said:
Feelings may be the wrong choice of words. I’m not looking to get warm and fuzzies, I think that what I am giving Him is what is lacking. Steve
Click to expand...
None of us can give our Lord enough respect, reverence, piety, devotion, affection, love, etc.that our Lord Jesus deserves. No matter how we prostrate, kneel, cry, praise, worship, adore … what we are able to offer is limited. A limited creature just cannot return enough to the unlimited Creator.

What we can do is to follow Jesus more closely, to love him more and more. We can achieve this by doing what please Him, avoiding what displease Him, by being a faithful servant, a loyal disciple, a loving friend. When we pray more, love our neighbors more and sin less until sin no more, we know the Real Presence does have an effect on us.

The effect of the Real Presence reflects on the change of our life more than the posture we hold or the feeling and mentality we have in front of the tabernacle.
 
There is truth in the cliche “Let go and let God.” Adoration and Communion are not about what we do but what Jesus does for us. Try thinking less about whether you are doing enough and let Jesus do what He does-- change you from within.

I am having the same experience as you and my little breakthroughs are all directly related to the degree I can be passive and allow Jesus and the Holy Spirit to work on me. And remember, the Holy Spirit is the Master Surgeon but He generally works without anesthesia.

Sometimes the best (and most difficult) way to love Jesus is to simply let Him love you.

JSA
 
I was listening a little to Fr. Corapi. He said that the answer for any spiritual deficiencies is to pray for it. I’ve struggled with faith my adult life. I’m plagued by doubts. I decided years ago that when I have doubts, I would ignore them. The Catholic faith is so beautiful, the moral life so “right,” the lives of the saints so inspiring–I can sense its truth. So, I decided to live as if it were all true even when I doubt–sorta like, “if it isn’t true, then it should be, so I’ll go with the flow.”

But, after listening to Fr. Corapi talk, I realize I’ve become complacent about this fault. So, I’m going to pray that God gives me Faith.

So, if you don’t have fervent love for the Eucharist, pray that God gives it to you.

Fr. Corapi also said that silence is necessary for spiritual growth. In fact, he said if you don’t have it during your day, get up at 4 am to get it. So, maybe you need to go to adoration daily starting your day.

I like Fr. Corapi’s plain directives. 🙂
 
I go to Eucharistic Adoration, usually every week.

I often hear people saying ‘Listen to Jesus’… I try that, but I hear nothing!

Any tips on how to ‘tune in’?
 
“feeling” the presence of God is different for every person, and the way to achieve that feeling is different for every person.

My suggestion is to focus on the part of the mass, or church that you feel the most connection to. For example, I have trouble concentrating during Mass at times, but when I pray to the Holy Spirit it helps me focus and feel the presence of God.

Also, repetition might be causing you problems. If there is a new way to look at the Eucharistic prayer, that might help you - like siting down and translating it from a foreign language into english, or discussing it with a fellow Catholic.

Just ideas…I will keep you in my prayers.
 
#1 flyersfan1088 said:
I believe in the Real Presence as much as my frail human mind will allow me to. Something that bothers me is my demeanor during the consecration and while receiving communion. I feel like I should be crying tears of joy and prostrating myself every Mass, the way I would if Jesus appeared walking through the door in human form.

I know this sounds stupid, but it really bothers me. I enjoy going to Adoration, but half the time I feel the need to apologize to Jesus afterwards for not adoring him enough.

Any suggestions on how to more completely immerse myself in Christ’s gift of the Eucharist? Thank you.

Steve
Click to expand...
The simple fact that you realize that you’re NOT “weeping and prostrate” before the Presence is a major part of the “lesson” of Mass.

You KNOW that Jesus is right there before you, yet you aren’t “overwrought”…! WHY…?! 🙂

How could you possibly NOT be? What would explain your amazing ability to be a few feet away from GOD and not be utterly overwhelmed?

That is a GREAT question to ask God the next time you pray for your own betterment, don’tcha think…!?

Best to 'ya! 🙂

Mahalo ke Akua…!
E pili mau na pomaikai ia oe. Aloha nui.
 
I agree that your notice of this is definitely a good sign.

I too find myself sometimes yawning during Adoration and I wonder, “Why?” I thank him that we CAN be so casual in his Presence now, though, without fear of being struck dead, etc., even if it is not necessarily what he intended. I try to be reverent, but when I slack and am not, I remember all too well his grace and mercy and thank him for it.

I can’t sit during Adoration. I’ll be frank in saying that. I have to kneel and it makes me uncomfortable to read the books or whatever they have while in there. To me, it’s about more than the theological truths in transubstantiation, it’s about the Mystery and the intimacy of it all. You know? Very good to hear such honesty.
 
I remember hearing a story that described a young boy (who eventually became a priest) who was troubled and went to his priest for advice. Normally when he received communion, tears were streaming down his face and he really felt Christ’s Presence. He was upset because now he wasn’t really feeling anything. The priest told him that it really was a good thing that he wasn’t weeping while coming up to receive communion. Before he was a Catholic of emotion- one that is easily swayed by temperament and other transitory feelings. Now he was a Catholic of conviction: it didn’t *feel *extraordinary, but he *knew *it was miraculous anyway. So my advice is even if you don’t end up weeping and prostrating yourself before the Lord during the Eucharist, so long as you know in your heart that He is truly there and you desire to give yourself to Him completely, you will be OK.

I think its fair to remember that no matter what we do, we can’t do it perfectly (we are fallen creatures) and God knows this. That being said, there is nothing wrong with wanting to improve your adoration. We all have room for improvement in this regard.
 
As a side note…I recently heard something from someone that seemed to make sense to me. If I say something like…

Lord…
I do not love you as I should,
I do not appreciate everything as I should,
I do not forgive as I should,
I do not love my neighbor as I should,
I do not trust as I should,
I do not have the faith that I should,

“we shouldn’t “should” all over ourselves, how can God work with this attitude? What is should? A better statement would be “Help me/I desire/Show me how…. I can love you more”. The I should makes me the source of love, God is the only source of love"

Perhaps we can replace the word ‘should’ with ‘could’
Thus…
Real Presence doesn’t effect me the way it could

Sounds more positive, with a choice, leaving it open to turn to God for more gifts
🙂
 
flyersfan1088 said:
I believe in the Real Presence as much as my frail human mind will allow me to. Something that bothers me is my demeanor during the consecration and while receiving communion. I feel like I should be crying tears of joy and prostrating myself every Mass, the way I would if Jesus appeared walking through the door in human form. I know this sounds stupid, but it really bothers me. I enjoy going to Adoration, but half the time I feel the need to apologize to Jesus afterwards for not adoring him enough. Any suggestions on how to more completely immerse myself in Christ’s gift of the Eucharist? Thank you.

Steve
Click to expand...
I don’t experience much emotion duing Communion, either, and sometimes it bothers me also. But I do believe in the Real Presence. One thing I find myself doing, which may help you, is after I have made my Thanksgiving, I look at all the people in line and think “All these people are here because they want Jesus.” And then I think about all the people in the world who are receiving Jesus at the same time, and think how we are all the Mystical Body of Christ. And then I think of all the angels and saints in heaven gathered around the Heavenly throne, and it makes me feel so connected…

But for some reason I find myself crying at strange times. I always cry in Confession. Last year I went to a Women’s day, and the minute the musicians started playing, I started crying, like something was bottled up in me. I figured it was the Holy Spirit. I sure wasn’t expecting it.
 
flyersfan1088 said:
I feel like I should be crying tears of joy and prostrating myself every Mass, the way I would if Jesus appeared walking through the door in human form. I know this sounds stupid, but it really bothers me. I enjoy going to Adoration, but half the time I feel the need to apologize to Jesus afterwards for not adoring him enough.
Click to expand...
It sounds to me as if you’re going through a “dry” period in your prayer life, at least in this aspect of it. This is often a time of purification. The fact that you feel a little guilty by your lack of pious feelings suggests there is no fault on your part. Just keep going to Mass.

You might try a book on dryness in prayer, such as ‘When the Well Runs Dry: Prayer Beyond Beginnings,’ by Thomas H. Green.
 
flyersfan1088 said:
I believe in the Real Presence as much as my frail human mind will allow me to. Something that bothers me is my demeanor during the consecration and while receiving communion. I feel like I should be crying tears of joy and prostrating myself every Mass, the way I would if Jesus appeared walking through the door in human form. I know this sounds stupid, but it really bothers me. I enjoy going to Adoration, but half the time I feel the need to apologize to Jesus afterwards for not adoring him enough. Any suggestions on how to more completely immerse myself in Christ’s gift of the Eucharist? Thank you.

Steve
Click to expand...
Sometimes I feel like that too. But I try to remember that Faith is more than a feeling, just as Love is more than a feeling. I also remember that C.S Lewis, in the Screwtape Letters, said that it is a great blow to Satan when we obey God even when we don’t feel anything. So I just pray a little harder, if for no other reason but to make C.S. Lewis smile and Screwtape squirm a little more.
 
Feelings usually aren’t the barometer we give them credit for being. I can personally relate to your dilema. Our prayer life should include a daily request that we be strengthened in our faith. A note on Father John Corapi. As a Church, we’re Heaven blessed with many wonderful, inspirational, holy men of God. John Corapi has to be one of the best. He’s been on the other side of the earthly struggle we’re in. That gives him a wonderful perspective. I encourage you to listen to him. Pray for him too.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top