Strong aversion

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crystal_waters

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does anybody else experience this…where you plan to pray and maybe even feel excited over it but when you reach your “prayer time” that you planned to pray you get a strong aversion to prayer as thought you don’t want to…?
 
I haven’t experienced that but I do experience mental breakdowns when I pray! Haha. I’m serious. The moment I start I just start sobbing and I don’t stop until the prayer is over (sometimes, not every time).

My suggestion would be to push through that feeling. Pray anyway. I hesitate to say it but take this as a little test of your faith and determination. 🙂
 
nickybr38 said:
I haven’t experienced that but I do experience mental breakdowns when I pray! Haha. I’m serious. The moment I start I just start sobbing and I don’t stop until the prayer is over (sometimes, not every time).

is that the gift of tears that you have?

My suggestion would be to push through that feeling. Pray anyway. I hesitate to say it but take this as a little test of your faith and determination. 🙂
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i will pray…its for the holy souls in purgatory to help them and to ask help through their prayers and intercession…if i don’t pray then all those that could have received relief or been release through my prayers wont get that help…its hard to pray when you feel this way but i’ll keep plodding on lol
 
Crystal waters, I know what you’re talking about. I’ve also experienced this and I interpret it as a test of faith. Do I pray because it is enjoyable and makes me feel good about my relationship with God? Or do I pray because I love and worship God for Himself and not for the gifts He gives? Whether it is God directly testing my faith or if He is allowing the devil a free hand to tempt me away from prayer I can’t say with any certainty, but either way the effects are the same and the right course of action is the same too, which is to keep praying.

Although, in my particular experience, I do run into outright aversion to prayer as much as I find myself suddenly overcome by tiredness or distractions. For instance, I’ll have been wide awake and focused all day and suddenly as soon as I am about to begin praying I’ll be overcome by this and it’s a real struggle sometimes. I know it can’t be natural sleepiness because it doesn’t matter what time of day, afternoon, or night I devote to prayer nor does it matter how much sleep I’ve gotten or coffee I’ve drank. Thankfully this doesn’t happen to me every time I try to pray and most of the time I am able to get through it, and (interestingly) once I’ve finished my prayers I often feel wide awake and focused again.

Anyway, don’t let these moments of aversion interfere with your prayer life. If they get stronger just pray all the more. Eventually whether it’s a test or a temptation you’ll overcome it and have gained some merit along the way.
 
jtodisco said:
Crystal waters, I know what you’re talking about. I’ve also experienced this and I interpret it as a test of faith. Do I pray because it is enjoyable and makes me feel good about my relationship with God? Or do I pray because I love and worship God for Himself and not for the gifts He gives? Whether it is God directly testing my faith or if He is allowing the devil a free hand to tempt me away from prayer I can’t say with any certainty, but either way the effects are the same and the right course of action is the same too, which is to keep praying.

i agree…i intend to keep praying…if i gave in to the feeling then id never pray at all

Although, in my particular experience, I do run into outright aversion to prayer as much as I find myself suddenly overcome by tiredness or distractions. For instance, I’ll have been wide awake and focused all day and suddenly as soon as I am about to begin praying I’ll be overcome by this and it’s a real struggle sometimes.

thats EXACTLY what im experiencing!

I know it can’t be natural sleepiness because it doesn’t matter what time of day, afternoon, or night I devote to prayer nor does it matter how much sleep I’ve gotten or coffee I’ve drank.

i know what you mean… even with an energy drink id still doze

Thankfully this doesn’t happen to me every time I try to pray and most of the time I am able to get through it, and (interestingly) once I’ve finished my prayers I often feel wide awake and focused again.

Anyway, don’t let these moments of aversion interfere with your prayer life. If they get stronger just pray all the more. Eventually whether it’s a test or a temptation you’ll overcome it and have gained some merit along the way.
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I sure am glad this subject was brought up because now I know that I am not the only one that sometimes falls asleep at prayer time:o

I like to pray using my Magnificat magazine, and have this problem. I have discovered, though, that if I get on my knees in front of the Crucifix in my bedroom and prop my arms on the bed to hold the book, I don’t fall asleep, so I think that my posture during prayer has something to do with it. I cannot sit and pray without some distraction or falling asleep.

I know a priest who admits he cannot say the Rosary unless he is up and walking around or he falls asleep, which is a problem I have with it. So he says his Rosary every day walking around. That makes me feel a little better, knowing that a priest can have the same problem. I am going to try that, too.
 
What I like to do is when I ride around on my second job throwing papers is to drive around with no radio on and just talk to God. I ride by myself and its early in the morning so nothing but silence. I usually say a Hail Mary, Our Father, In the Name of the Father and then I just talk to God. Nothing formal, just a heart to heart.

I’m not saying get a second job or anything, but any amount of freetime you can get you can talk to God.
 
Yes! You could be describing me. Both the “aversion” and the sudden tiredness. I can also be really excited about the idea of, say, praying the Rosary or some other devotion, or just praying in general, reading Scripture, etc. But then when it comes to doing it, I’m sometimes like “In a minute” or “later, I have to _______ and then I’ll get right on it.”

I can only conclude that it’s the devil. :mad: And that I’m not fighting back enough. I confessed this again this past weekend, not for the first time in recent times. The counsel I received was that if I invest time to get to know Jesus, I will have an easier time doing His will. Which was spot on, excellent advice. And I want to follow it.

But I do get that feeling already that the evil one wants to divert me from this goal. I will not let him, but I do understand what you all are describing. I understand it way more than I’d wish.:o
 
3DOCTORS said:
Yes! You could be describing me. Both the “aversion” and the sudden tiredness. I can also be really excited about the idea of, say, praying the Rosary or some other devotion, or just praying in general, reading Scripture, etc. But then when it comes to doing it, I’m sometimes like “In a minute” or “later, I have to _______ and then I’ll get right on it.”

I can only conclude that it’s the devil. :mad: And that I’m not fighting back enough. I confessed this again this past weekend, not for the first time in recent times. The counsel I received was that if I invest time to get to know Jesus, I will have an easier time doing His will. Which was spot on, excellent advice. And I want to follow it.

But I do get that feeling already that the evil one wants to divert me from this goal. I will not let him, but I do understand what you all are describing. I understand it way more than I’d wish.:o
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that makes sense cos the devil wouldnt want us to progress through prayer and would try to divert us from doing that…

im glad im not the only one going through this
 
crystal_waters said:
that makes sense cos the devil wouldnt want us to progress through prayer and would try to divert us from doing that…

im glad im not the only one going through this
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I think I’m going through a time where some days I just have to force myself through sheer discipline to get started. I have a set of prayers I like to pray -

Apostles’ Creed
Our Father
Hail Mary
Memorare
Hail, Holy Queen
St. Michael Prayer
Guardian Angel Prayer
Serran Prayer for Vocations

then I pray from the Chaplet of Divine Mercy these (just once apiece)
“Eternal Father . . .” (the prayer at the beginning of the decade
“For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion . . .”
“Oh Blood and Water which gushed forth . . .”

then after that I pray like Mother Angelica, "May the Divine Assistance remain always with us . . . " and the “Eternal Rest” for the Souls in Purgatory.

Then I finish up with the “Glory Be.”

In terms of actual time, it takes maybe 10 minutes tops. So why do I sometimes get to where I want to avoid it? :confused: Again, it has to be the devil not wanting me to pray at all. That’s where the discipline comes in. :sad_yes:

And once I get started I feel the consolation or at least am glad that I did it. The devil can sure try to make me stupid, because resisting prayer doesn’t even make logical common sense. Such a small investment of time. And when I don’t pray I feel like “What’s wrong with me? I say I want to be close to God, so why didn’t I pray?” :doh2: Yet sometimes even then if I had any brains at all I could stop and pray but I don’t.

Bottom line, I have to do it first thing.

Next goal: Establish evening prayer routine :bowdown2: and praying entire Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet. :crossrc: And reading the Bible and Catechism and other spiritual books. :bible1:
 
Yep, trying to decided if I am just lazy or possessed :p. I just bought the word among us daily mass reading, I am really hoping that will help, and I’ve made promises to pray for people, thus holding myself accountable.

I probably need to go to confession.
 
I feel a bit better knowing that I’m not the only one who is challenged at prayer time. Thanks for some good advice, too.
 
mommyof4 said:
I feel a bit better knowing that I’m not the only one who is challenged at prayer time. Thanks for some good advice, too.
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Prayer-challenged! Good one! 😃 Don’t know what St. Peter would say about it at the Pearly Gates, though . . . so I guess we’d all better keep on with our self-discipline efforts. :getholy:
 
Oh I know what you feel. I thought I was the only one, honestly. And sometimes I feel even bad about it. But I just try to concentrate to my prayers.
 
crystal_waters said:
does anybody else experience this…where you plan to pray and maybe even feel excited over it but when you reach your “prayer time” that you planned to pray you get a strong aversion to prayer as thought you don’t want to…?
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I think what you describe many Catholics and Saints experienced during their Prayer Life.
As if you feel inside your heart feels Dried Up with little or almost no energy to pray.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta often said of her life that she felt Jesus wasn’t there and didn’t answer her prayer, though she never stopped being devout to her prayer life. Saint John of the Cross also speaks of this in his book Dark Night of the Soul

There is a book sold in some Catholic book stores entitled Contemplative Prayer (“When the Well Runs Dry”) amazon.com/Contemplative-Prayer-Praying-When-Well/dp/0806690658#reader_0806690658
 
crystal_waters said:
thats exactly how i feel…how do i overcome this?how do i get past this and make myself pray?
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Push through it. Only YOU decide how you act. Only YOU decide if you pray or not. 🙂 Keep on keeping on and it will get easier. I’m sure.
 
crystal_waters said:
does anybody else experience this…where you plan to pray and maybe even feel excited over it but when you reach your “prayer time” that you planned to pray you get a strong aversion to prayer as thought you don’t want to…?
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I do Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at my Church every Thursday evening. My practice is to say a Rosary while I’m there. Sometimes, I just cannot bring myself to do it. I wouldn’t say I feel an “aversion” exactly, but maybe mental exhaustion or boredom with the routine. Those are the days that I think Jesus is telling me to just sit with Him and keep Him company. So instead, I sit there and just adore and love Him! I offer up my feelings of adoration and humility to Him. As it turns out, they seem to be the most spiritually productive visits with Our Lord! Even Padre Pio said, “You must speak to Jesus also with the heart, besides the lips; indeed, in certain cases you must speak to Him only with your heart.”
 
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