When I go to Eucharistic adoration I feel very restless to the point I do not want to be there and leave

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BlueKnight

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I have always looked forward to Eucharistic adoration. I pray the rosary daily. Go to confession. Go to communion once or twice a week. Lately when I take my little son to his religious teaching classes and go to adoration I am overcome with restlessness and leave. I cannot stay. It irks me because this hasn’t ever happened before. I can’t explain it and I do not know what it means, but it is an unpleasant feeling!

Normally when I go to adoration I feel peace or contentment. But now I dread it a little and couldn’t stay or concentrate after ten minutes.

I have a very restless spirit! What is happening? This has never happened to me before. I need spiritual direction. THe good priest is busy right
Now and I do not want to bother him… Does anyone here know what is going on and can explain this to me?

BlueKnight
 
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Don’t be too disheartened - you have a very strong sacramental life!

Maybe Our Lord is moving your heart to another devotion…?
 
First off, talking to your priest would be helpful. I always find it a little humorous when people say they have spiritual matters to discuss but they don’t want to bother Father, since he’s busy. I ask them what they think we’re busy doing. Talking to people about these kinds of things is part of the job.

Second, it could be any number of factors. It could be something temporary, it could be something deeper. It might not be anything to give too much weight to, and it might be an indication of something you need to work through. In any case, talking it out with your priest will help. And if I can be of any help, feel free to message me.

-Fr ACEGC
 
Thank you. I feel like a miserable dog whose master has kicked out of the house.
 
What about this prayer?

“Precious blood of Jesus wash over me and protect me from the wickness and snares of the devil.”

and the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel?
 
God is weaning you by giving you some dryness during adoration. Stay even though you don’t want to.

You see, think of it this way…

What if God gave everyone good feelings whenever they went to see him. Would that person be going to visit because it made them feel good? Or because they really did want to spend time with God in spite of not feeling some sort of consolation.

Persevere. Stay at adoration. Don’t give it up just because right now it’s not making you feel good. This happens to all souls God wants you to grow stronger in the spiritual life.

It won’t last forever.

Pax Christi
 
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I agree, stay at Adoration. Do some different prayer than you were doing before. If you were just sitting looking at Jesus, try reading some Scripture. If you were already reading Scripture, try saying the Rosary. Read a book about a saint (this is okay to do, many Adoration chapels i attend have a rack of such books). Anything to help you relax.
I will pray for you.
 
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BlueKnight said:
go to adoration I am overcome with restlessness
…
couldn’t stay or concentrate after ten minutes
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Who says you have to concentrate? Maybe it would be all right if you just let your mind rattle or wander in His presence. Maybe even let Him listen in on whatever is agitating you.

You know how good friends can spend time together without giving all their attention to one another. Sitting on the sofa, she’s reading a book and he’s working on a puzzle, but they are together. That sort of thing.
 
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It can be a crisis of faith, a spiritual attack, the Holy Spirit convicting you of something or ??? I would try to relax, push through it and just know that the Lord loves you infinitely. Even though both Martha and Mary of Bethany are wonderful examples, you might ask Mary of Bethany to pray for you that you will sit in rapt attention at our Lord’s feet.
 
‘Your progress in spiritual life does not consist in having the grace of consolation, but in enduring its withdrawal with humility, resignation, and patience, so that you neither become listless in prayer nor neglect your other duties in the least; but on the contrary do what you can do as well as you know how, and do not neglect
yourself completely because of your dryness or anxiety of mind.’ - The Imitation of Christ
 
BlueKnight said:
I have a very restless spirit! What is happening? This has never happened to me before. I need spiritual direction. THe good priest is busy right
Now and I do not want to bother him… Does anyone here know what is going on and can explain this to me?
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You are right, you need spiritual direction, which will not likely come from an internet forum. People here may be able to share experiences with you, but that is no substitute for “bothering” the priest.

That being said, often times a harbinger of spiritual growth is restlessness. When we are content, we are often disinclined to change. Anxiety can be a signal of inner work that needs to be done. It is normal to have a desire to flee from anxiety.
BlueKnight said:
I feel like a miserable dog whose master has kicked out of the house.
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It is essential not to go by “feelings” at times like this. It is also helpful to remember that the evil one wants to rob you of your peace and joy, and wants to push you into fleeing the presence of Christ.
 
“When I go to the Chapel, I place myself before the good God and I say to Him: ‘Lord, here I am, give me what You will.’ If He gives me something, I am very pleased, and I thank Him. If He gives me nothing, I still thank Him because I do not deserve anything. And then again, I tell Him all that passes through my mind; I recount my pains and my joys and … I listen. If you listen to Him, He will speak to you also, because with the good God it is necessary to speak and to listen. He will always speak to you if you go to Him simply and sincerely.”

St Catherine Laboure
 
Sometimes I find that headphones and music can help as well. Or even a spiritual podcast.
 
I love to visit the Church.
Yes, sometimes I feel the same as you do in front of the Tabernacle.
Unless I have some other more important things to do, my reaction is always to sit down and STAY even if my mind seems to rebel and adverse thoughts come into my mind,
Often, I silently say FORWARD! CHARGE! …BANZAI!
Funny, but maybe it’s better to stay and continue the adoration, even if it seems useless.
 
Thank you for the prayers and for sharing.

I’ve been a practicing Catholic for over twenty years. In the last few months I have felt God withdrawing from me his consolations, which felt like a privation but I accepted it.

What I am describing could best be described as akathisia. It is a disquietude that is subtle but very disconcerting. So much so I want to leave the location. This has happened the last three times I have gone to adoration and has never happened before.

I understand about perseverance in prayer. It is one thing to feel his absence and another to feel a discomfort.

BK
 
Listening to your difficulties, I’d like to recommend a video series that was really excellent and touuches heavily on things like this. I found it very edifying and useful for my spiritual life. It’s based the rules for the discernment of spirits by St. Ignatius Loyola

The retreat master is Fr Timothy Gallagher, the title of the talks…“Living the Discerning Life”. I think that is the one. He has multiple retreats on DVD.

http://www.ewtnreligiouscatalogue.c...tails?x=0&y=0&keywords=gallagher&edp_no=23867
 
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