by Theresa CavicchioThe liturgical season of Lent is upon us, with its many familiar symbolic associations: ashes, the Cross, penance, prayer, fasting, almsgiving. These and others are our annual companions as we travel the traditional 40-day journey that leads to Calvary and beyond.
Our Lady of Lourdes hovers above statue of St. Bernadette at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Lourdes. (Photo from Wiki Commons, courtesy of Dennis Jarvis, https://bit.ly/3BaOVDA)by Theresa Cavicchio
The months of February through July of 1858 marked a time of exceptional grace for the people of Lourdes, a town in the foothills of the Pyrenees in southern France. There, in an overgrown grotto, the Queen of Heaven and Earth appeared to a simple peasant girl.
by Theresa Cavicchio“When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, [Mary and Joseph] took [Jesus] up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord … “ (Lk 2:22)
Photo by DNK.PHOTO on Unsplashby Theresa Cavicchio
As a form of prayer, the litany can yield spiritual benefits on many levels. By definition, a litany is a form of prayer which includes a number of petitions within a specific format. Certain litanies approved by the Church may be recited or sung in public (communal) or private prayer; others are designated for private prayer only.
Photo by Anh Nguyen on UnsplashBy Monsignor Stephen Rossetti
I continued to be saddened by the number of people who suffer from mental torments (see Diary #164). I daily receive frantic emails from people who are at their wits end. They have been mentally tormented for years and are losing hope.
These mental obsessions typically begin with a "normal" psychological weakness: low self-esteem, depressive thinking, dark ruminations, anxiety and fear, frustrations and anger. However, Satan then takes advantage of this human weakness and exaggerates it. Our low self-esteem becomes self-hatred; our anxiety becomes despair; our dark rumination becomes suicidal ideation. What should have been a typical daily irritant now becomes a full blown crisis.
Satan's denigrating messages to us center around six common themes (see Diary #156): "You are a terrible person", "There is no hope for you", "God doesn't care about you", "This torment will never end", "You are going to hell", "You should kill yourself."
These demonic obsessions are doubly dangerous because Satan is usually able to hide behind a person's psychic flaws. Individuals do not realize the demonic source and thus they are even more convinced of their hopeless wretchedness. They may sink further into despair. I do not have a quick fix. Real progress is gradual. But I pass on the kinds of interventions we are giving to those in our ministry. Individuals can choose a combination of those which they find most helpful...
+Recognize the true source of your mental torments. Yes, you have underlying psychological weaknesses which makes you vulnerable to these negative ruminations. But Satan is tormenting you with them. Once people can recognize the action of the Evil One, they may feel less culpable and more emotionally distant from them.
+Let them come....and let them go. Many people find it difficult just to stop these mental obsessions. In fact, the more one tries to stop them, the stronger they often become. Rather, offer no resistance. Let them come in one ear, and let them go out the other ear. Try not to latch onto them. As one Saint said when seeing Satan at the foot of her bed, "Oh, it's only you."
+Breathe and relax. Our bodies tense up when we are stressed. Take long, slow deep breaths. Inhale slowly, exhale slowly. Breathe deeply. Exercise the body by walking or whatever exercise works for you. When the body relaxes, it helps the mind relax.
+Close the door to the demonic. Satan is taking advantage of a psychological weakness. There are hurts and traumas from the past which have given rise to this weakness. Seek to heal these inner psychic wounds. Psychotherapy, healing prayers, spiritual direction, rituals of forgiveness, and the sacraments can all be sources of inner healing.
+Deliverance prayers focused on the particular torment. For example, if the person suffers from self-hatred, then say often, "In the holy name of Jesus, I renounce the evil spirit of self-hatred and command it to leave me." Or if the problem is anger: "In the holy name of Jesus, I renounce the evil spirit of anger and command it to leave me."
+Turn to Jesus- repeatedly. Regularly using short exclamatory prayers can help focus the mind on Jesus. Typical prayers are: "Jesus I trust in you" or "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me a sinner" or "Jesus, Mary" or another short holy prayer of your own choosing.
+Offer your suffering for others. We all have our own sufferings. Some people have great physical sufferings. You have great mental sufferings. These mental torments, when given to Jesus in faith, can be a source of grace for others, and for you.
+Be at peace. You are flawed and broken. You are suffering. It is okay! That is precisely why the Son of God became flesh. He died for your sins. You will not save yourself; you will never be without suffering in this life. Trust in Jesus; he will save you.
This blog was originally published at he St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal and is reprinted here with their kind permission.
by Theresa CavicchioTo view the feast of Christmas through Franciscan eyes, we turn to the two saints who most embody that spirituality: its founder, Saint Francis of Assisi (1182 - 1226), and his beloved spiritual daughter, Saint Clare of Assisi (1193 - 1253). One of many hallmarks of Franciscan spirituality which they shared was a deep, intense love for the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, in the poverty of His birth. Both were gifted with evidence of this love in miraculous ways.
by Theresa CavicchioHow is your Advent going so far? Now that we’re about halfway through this season of waiting and preparing, it may be a good time to switch spiritual gears, so to say, and to introduce a prayer that wouldn’t necessarily be associated with the Advent season, despite its appropriateness.
by Theresa CavicchioJust a year ago, the faithful received the welcome news that Pope Francis had proclaimed the time beginning last December 8th through the same date in 2021 as the Year of Saint Joseph, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his designation as Patron of the Catholic Church.
by Theresa CavicchioThe Mysteries of the Rosary close out in a blaze of glory, in keeping with the spiritually powerful events they signify. Elevating our spirits to the interplay between heaven and earth, they lift us outside the realm of strictly human experience. The Glorious Mysteries traditionally are prayed on Sunday and Wednesday.
by Theresa CavicchioThe Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary follow the Luminous in exact sequence. As one group ends and the other begins, the events of Holy Thursday evening descend from the heights -- the solemnity of the upper room -- to the depths at Gethsemane. Following traditional practice, we pray the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesday and Friday.
