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Tewkes
Member
| Joined: | Thu Mar 8th, 2007 |
| Location: | Florida USA |
| Posts: | 2 |
| First Name: | Tracy | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | none, then Catholic as of Easter Vigil 2006 |
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Posted: Sun Jun 22nd, 2008 03:04 am |
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Hello gentlemen,
I have been in a quandry these last several months trying to decide if I am starting into the "dark night" as described so eloquently by St John of the Cross, or if I am just confusing myself. It would be nice to believe my prayer life has progressed to that state, but just the fact of thinking along those lines tells me I have most certainly not reached my "dark night". I have not the total lack of feeling of our Lord, or rather the feeling of aloneness, such as Blessed Mr. Teresa had. I still can feel joy when I realize those times God has been active in my daily life. Yet I also can feel great dryness in prayer, a feeling of not connecting that I once had. I seldom practice vocal prayer, it is almost always interiorly thought prayer. I occasionally can meditate for a short period before being intruded upon by worldly things. I guess I can summarize with, I thought I was on such a good roll there for a few years, but now I am feeling doubtful about if I am praying in a pleasing way to our Lord. Any advise you can give, or books to suggest, would most definitely be appreciated. Thank you both for all that you do and peace be with you always,
Tracy in FL
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"The fruit of silence is PRAYER; the fruit of prayer is FAITH; the fruit of faith is LOVE; the fruit of love is SERVICE; the fruit of service is PEACE."
Mother Teresa
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Talithacumi
Member
| Joined: | Sat Sep 30th, 2006 |
| Location: | Eastern Ohio, USA |
| Posts: | 268 |
| First Name: | Cheri | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Cradle Catholic - Latin Rite |
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Posted: Sun Jun 22nd, 2008 03:42 am |
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Tracy,
I'm not one of the "gentlemen" that you're addressing (I'm assuming maybe you're addressing the moderators?), but since you wrote your post on a forum and the forums are generally public, just thought I'd toss in my thoughts...
I might be totally wrong - if so, I apologize. But I kind of get the feeling you might be worrying too much about how you pray. Look, God made you. He knows your mind and heart and your type of spirituality. Maybe you're entering into a "dark night" - maybe not. I can't judge that. But you don't have to be in that place for your prayer to be pleasing to the Lord. Relax! I get the impression that you think that if you haven't reached a "dark night" that somehow your prayer isn't pleasing to God.
It's my belief that the Lord isn't interested in how you pray - or in how you feel or don't feel. He's more interested that you pray - and that you pray in all honesty. That's what prayer is: conversation with God, sharing your heart and soul and mind with Him. Pour yourself out to Him and don't worry about how you feel or don't feel. The Lord isn't worried about the format of your prayer - especially when it's personal prayer. While it's true that at Mass or other Liturgical functions we do pray in a certain format, that's for the sake of the unity of the Body. But when we pray personally, we don't need to worry about whether we're doing it "right." I think God is most pleased when a person prays just being themselves. I think one can get too caught up in worrying if they're praying "right" and that worry, in fact, takes something away from the prayer because they focus on their "performance," rather than focusing on God.
What I'm trying to say is - just give the Lord what you have to give - and that's yourself - all of yourself, wherever you're at in your spiritual life. The Lord knows where you are and He accepts the prayer of anyone who prays from the heart.
I don't know of any books right off the bat that might help you - one of the others who are more well-read will be able to help you there, but my thought is that even if your prayer seems dry, just give all you've got in your prayer. God wants you - not a specific formula, nor even a specific way of feeling - or not feeling.
JMJ
- Cheri
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“We do not want a Church that will move with the world; we want a Church that will move the world.”
- G.K. Chesterton
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David W. Emery
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2112 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Sun Jun 22nd, 2008 04:00 am |
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I still can feel joy when I realize those times God has been active in my daily life. Yet I also can feel great dryness in prayer, a feeling of not connecting that I once had. I seldom practice vocal prayer, it is almost always interiorly thought prayer.
I’ve been in this same state for years, Tracy. And you know what? By itself it proves nothing. You have to have corroborating evidence — all the other things in your spiritual life that go with it — to know whether it’s the dark night or just a lousy attitude or state of mind. Because the latter is far more common than the former.
Suggested reading: Fire Within and Seeking Spiritual Direction, by Fr. Thomas Dubay.
I hope you will forgive me for moving your question out of the area reserved for posts relevant to CHNI’s radio show and placing it in the forum’s Prayer category. I can only suggest that you will get more responses here. (I see you already have two!) If the gentlemen whose advice you are seeking wish to answer, they will find a link posted where you wrote your question.
David
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left coast mystic
Member
| Joined: | Sat May 10th, 2008 |
| Location: | La Honda, California USA |
| Posts: | 145 |
| First Name: | Marcee | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | nondenominational charismatic, Presbyterian, long-time lover of the RCC |
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Posted: Sun Jun 22nd, 2008 03:29 pm |
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Some of the most significant spiritual growth comes when you're out "in the desert". Even the times when you don't feel close to God are full of His presence (if He wasn't breathing life - both physical and spiritual - into us, we'd collapse in on ourselves like a black hole). The times when you're dry are excellent opportunities for practicing discipleship - doing what you know God wants even if it doesn't give you any warm fuzzies. Reading about those who have persevered through great trials can be helpful in these times. Meditating on Jesus' sufferings on our behalf is even more central. Scriptures like Phillipians 3 and Hebrews 12 (the whole chapters) put this experience into perspective and give strength to not just "get through it", but to mature in wisdom. After all, that's why God allows us to go through all manner of difficult situations - so we can mature in wisdom and holiness, being shaped more closely to His character.
Marcee
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Godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Tim. 6:6)
In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength. (Isa. 30:15)
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