All the Elephants in the Living Room
  • francis
    Posts: 10,778
    In the past three years most of you have discovered the Elephants in the Living room when it comes to the Crisis of Faith. But it is so overwhelming I don’t even have the energy to start a thread any more. Sorry. I haven’t given up, I just can’t bring myself to post anything for numerous reasons. Just had to get this off my chest.
  • You are NOT alone. Find whatever brings you any peace, comfort, a mental escape, something to focus on that might bring joy; save your sanity and relieve some stress.
    Time to take care of YOU.
    Thanked by 1francis
  • I have a prayer of St. Thomas More I can publish here, if that helps?
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,970
    I find the writings of the Desert Fathers to be helpful. Some tend to look down on what those early Christians had to say, but I find they pretty much nailed it when they talked about human nature and society.
  • Drake
    Posts: 221
    Good morning, @francis. I recall from the picture you posted in this thread that you have a daily-worn Holy Face medal.

    I may be coming off a bit of a high right now from the Holy Face mission having just been preached at my parish this week, but there is so much hope to be had from this devotion. I'm sure I'm not telling you anything new, but when you feel the weight of it all, redouble your prayers of reparation and supplication to the Holy Face. Be at peace. In some mysterious way -- somehow -- this darkness will work out for the good of those who love Him.
  • Give me, O Lord, thy grace in all my fear and agony, to have recourse to that great fear, and wonderful agony, which thou, my sweet Saviour, sufferedst on Mount Olivet, before thy most bitter passion; and in the meditation thereof, to conceive such spiritual comfort as shall be profitable to my soul.

    Take from me, O My God, all vain-glorious thoughts, all appetite of my own praise, all envy, all covetousness, gluttony, sloth, and luxury; all froward affections, all appetite of revenge, all desire of others harm, all pleasure in provoking any person to anger, all delight of exprobration and insultation against any in their affliction or calamity.
    Give me, O Lord, an humble, quiet, peaceable, patient, tender and charitable mind; and in all my thoughts, words and deeds, to have a taste of thy Holy Spirit.

    Give me, O Lord, a lively faith, a firm hope, and a fervent charity, a love of thee incomparable above the love of myself; that I may love nothing to thy displeasure, but everything in order to thy satisfaction.

    Give me, O Lord, a longing to be with thee, not for avoiding the calamities of this wretched world, nor so much for escaping the pains of Purgatory, or those of Hell nor for the attaining the joys of Heaven, with respect to my own advantage, as purely for the love of Thee.

    Retain for me, O Lord, thy love and favour, which my love to thee, were it ever so great, could not (without thy infinite goodness) deserve.

    Pardon, O Lord, my boldness, in making such high petitions, being so vile and sinful a wretch, and so unworthy to obtain the lowest; yet , Lord, they are such things as I am bound to wish for, and should be near the effectual desire of them, if my manifold sins were no the impediment; from which, O Sweet Saviour Christ, vouchsafe of thy goodness, to was me with that blessed blood that issued out of thy tender body, in the divers torments of thy most bitter passion.

    Take away from me, O Lord, this lukewarm, or rather stark cold manner of meditation, and this dullness in prayer: give me fervor and delight in thinking of thee, and thy grace earnestly to desire thy holy Sacraments, and especially to rejoice in the presence of thy blessed body, Sweet Saviour Christ, in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar; and duly to thank thee for thy gracious visitation therein, and at that high memorial, with tender compassion, to remember and consider thy most bitter death upon the cross.

    Make us all, O Lord, every day virtually participants of that holy Sacrament: make us all lively members, sweet Saviour Christ, of thy holy mystical body, the Catholic Church.
    Amen.

    Lord, give me patience in tribulation, and grace in every thing, to conform my will to thine; that I may truly say, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

    The things, Good Lord, that I pray for, give me thy grace to labor for. Amen.
  • I set a portion of this text of St Thomas More.... it was dedicated to a friend going through a dark time in his own life. Feel free to use it as you wish, due credit given of course.

    A recording
    Final Prayer of St. Thomas More (1).pdf
    66K