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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
help with spiritual discernment	Lisa	Sunday, September 12, 2004
Question: I am terribly confused. For years I have battled with depression and emotional problems---I am married with two preteen children. I have spiritual problems too. All priests are busy and I feel such a discouragement. I often think without really wanting to that I should just give in and accept evil in my life. I must mention I pray daily(quite painfully though) and go to daily masses with my kids, feeling like a shell. If I did not have these problems I have no doubt that I would have been accepted as a lay Carmelite some years ago. I do not believe I should delude myself into believing that satan has a hand in any of my difficulties, but even my down to earth husband wonders how come my despiring thoughts are centered on just giving into evil and accepting satan. It is a battle that I am ashamed to mention in confession, partly because it is "weird" and partly because it is so opposed to what I stand for. Please help me understand how to cope with this. I do want to mention that for the first time in my spiritually uneventful life I witnessed a inanimate object thrown by its own volition. This is too weird for me, and forgive me if I sound crazy.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+ Dear Lisa: I am sorry to hear about what is happening to you. Remember God loves you and is with you even if you are not sure He is. First, on the issue of confession: NEVER be too embarrassed to bring anything to confession. When we come to the Sacrament of Confession we are coming before God. It is not God who would suggest to you to hold back in Confession. Any such thoughts are inspired either from yourself or from the Evil One. Although you do not mention much detail, you may want to investigate the possibility of a clinical depression. If this is what is going on, then medication can be very useful.' Before doing that you may want to do some self-help techniques to help with mild depression such as exercise. Doing regular exercise does a similar thing that drugs do -- it helps to balance out chemical imbalances in the brain that cause depression. On the spiritual level, go before the Blessed Sacrament at least one hour per week. If the Sacrament is not exposed, then sit in front of the Tabernacle. Pray, talk to God, do whatever devotions, but sometime during Adoration just sit quietly and bathe in the rays of the Son. Let God commune with you. "Be still and know that I am God" our heavenly Father teaches us. Review the HELP page of our SPCDC website, linked below, and also our SW Prayer Catalog also lined below. If all these self-help methods do not help you, then you may consider asking for help. At the bottom of the HELP page is a link for a Help Request Form. Perhaps personal consultation will be helpful. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

help with spiritual discernment

Lisa

Sunday, September 12, 2004

Question:

I am terribly confused. For years I have battled with depression and emotional problems---I am married with two preteen children. I have spiritual problems too. All priests are busy and I feel such a discouragement.

I often think without really wanting to that I should just give in and accept evil in my life. I must mention I pray daily(quite painfully though) and go to daily masses with my kids, feeling like a shell. If I did not have these problems I have no doubt that I would have been accepted as a lay Carmelite some years ago.

I do not believe I should delude myself into believing that satan has a hand in any of my difficulties, but even my down to earth husband wonders how come my despiring thoughts are centered on just giving into evil and accepting satan. It is a battle that I am ashamed to mention in confession, partly because it is "weird" and partly because it is so opposed to what I stand for.

Please help me understand how to cope with this. I do want to mention that for the first time in my spiritually uneventful life I witnessed a inanimate object thrown by its own volition. This is too weird for me, and forgive me if I sound crazy.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+

Dear Lisa:

I am sorry to hear about what is happening to you. Remember God loves you and is with you even if you are not sure He is.

First, on the issue of confession: NEVER be too embarrassed to bring anything to confession. When we come to the Sacrament of Confession we are coming before God. It is not God who would suggest to you to hold back in Confession. Any such thoughts are inspired either from yourself or from the Evil One.

Although you do not mention much detail, you may want to investigate the possibility of a clinical depression. If this is what is going on, then medication can be very useful.'

Before doing that you may want to do some self-help techniques to help with mild depression such as exercise. Doing regular exercise does a similar thing that drugs do -- it helps to balance out chemical imbalances in the brain that cause depression.

On the spiritual level, go before the Blessed Sacrament at least one hour per week. If the Sacrament is not exposed, then sit in front of the Tabernacle. Pray, talk to God, do whatever devotions, but sometime during Adoration just sit quietly and bathe in the rays of the Son. Let God commune with you. "Be still and know that I am God" our heavenly Father teaches us.

Review the HELP page of our SPCDC website, linked below, and also our SW Prayer Catalog also lined below.

If all these self-help methods do not help you, then you may consider asking for help. At the bottom of the HELP page is a link for a Help Request Form. Perhaps personal consultation will be helpful.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.