I was just thinking today of all the idyllic pictures with homes near lakes with mountains in the background. I think it was a talk I listened to by John Powell as to why God made butterflies, birds, and flowers. He made them for our pleasure. We feel this pleasure in these settings and cannot help but “lift our hearts and minds to God.”When I can’t pray or find it difficult to pray I go out into nature, I will take a walk through some woods or my local park and listen to the birds singing and look at everything around me. This lifts both my mood and my soul and ‘recharges’ my spiritual batteries.
This is just a wonderful post. True lover suffers for another - says it all in a sentence. Thanks.Ah the desert experience…I think it is when our prayer is dry that it is most pleasing to God. It’s easy to pray amidst consolations, but it takes perseverance to continue praying when there is seemingly no “reward” in it. When we continue to pray through the dryness, we show that we truly love God. If we give up the prayer when we lose the consolations, then we have a self-interested love that seeks rewards. True love suffers for another.
I love this advice! St. Bernadette of Lourdes had a habit of wrapping the rosary around her wrist before going to bed. Sometimes an act of love is more powerful than words of love.I read this post the other night - and thought replies were good ones.
But tonight, this thought occurred. When you can’t pray - don’t force it too much. But when you go to sleep at night, hold the Rosary in your hand…even if you don’t pray it. I can’t tell you why but maybe you’ll be prompted to say one decade of the Rosary or a decade or even just one invocation of the Rosary of The Holy Wounds or Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
If you need a small break, it doesn’t mean a cutoff from prayer.
Start small…and grow. Let God do the rest.
Sometimes it is hard to pray. For me it most happens during a very stressful situation. It is not that I have problem of God’s presence. As a admirer of Brother Lawrence, I faithfully practice the presence of God and basically talk to God throughout the day. It has long become a habit of mine to remain in God’s presence. But when facing a very stressful situation in life, anxiety could momentarily take over, my mind could feel alienated from God’s grace. To me, that are the moments of dryness and aridity.Originally Posted by Sister Helena View Post
When you can’t pray,
-do you easily get discouraged and give up?
- do you make use of prayer tools like soft, relaxing music, spiritual books or devotional statues and icons?
- do you take a walk and admire nature?
- do you continue praying in quiet and let God lead you?
How do you deal with the dryness and aridity?
You are praying more than you think! I call it “surfing the spiritual wave.”Sometimes it is hard to pray. For me it most happens during a very stressful situation. It is not that I have problem of God’s presence. As a admirer of Brother Lawrence, I faithfully practice the presence of God and basically talk to God throughout the day. It has long become a habit of mine to remain in God’s presence. But when facing a very stressful situation in life, anxiety could momentarily take over, my mind could feel alienated from God’s grace. To me, that are the moments of dryness and aridity.
During such period, I continue to say my daily devotion of rosaries, chaplet and St. Bridget’s prayer. Outside of these structured prayers, sometimes I just say “Lord Jesus”, or “Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
I also find it helpful to sing to the Lord. Yesterday afternoon I went to the church to pray. Toward the end of the Holy Hour I tried to make, I decided to sing to Jesus. Since I was alone there, I sang a few songs to the Lord. While fearing someone might walk in and think I am crazy, I managed to finish a few songs without being caught. Singing is double prayer. When I expressed my love to Him in songs, it lifted my spirit. I find it helpful to engage in “double prayer” when feel stressed out and need God’s grace the most.