Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
We hope you enjoy your visit!
You're currently viewing Catholic CyberForum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our online cyberparish, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.
Join our community!
Messages posted to this board must be polite and free of abuse, personal attacks, blasphemy, racism, threats, harrassment, and crude or sexually-explicit language.
If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Anxiety
Topic Started: Friday, 1. October 2010, 12:51 (88 Views)
PJD

On the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux; some appropriate extracts:-

PJD




“Anxiety”


1):

ST. THERESE OF LISIEUX


Were you to have committed the greatest possible offences, as soon as you enter the Wound of the divine side, hardly have you touched this sacred Door when love, like a devouring fire, comes forth, hastens, and in its ardour consumes even the smallest infidelities!.............

As far as I am concerned, what does it matter what others think or say? I don't see why I should be disturbed about it................

God wills that I abandon myself like a very little child who is not disturbed by what others [presumably doctors] will do to him............

Whenever I involuntarily caused anyone any trouble, I would beg God to repair it, and then I no longer tormented myself with the matter..................

Why fear in advance? Wait at least for it to happen before having any distress......

I don't torment myself, I don't want to think of anything but the present moment......

When we pray to the Blessed Virgin and she doesn't answer, that's a sign she doesn't want to. Then it's better to leave her alone and not torment ourselves............

Ah! what does that matter to me! [being told she was 'pretty'] It means less than nothing, it annoys me.............



(Sources: St Therese, Consecrated Virgin, Saint, and Doctor of The Church)



2):

ST. TERESA OF AVILA


Beginners at first suffer much, because they are not convinced that they are penitent for their sins; and yet they are, because they are so sincerely resolved on serving God...............................

His Majesty knoweth our misery and natural vileness better than we do ourselves. He knoweth that these souls long to be always thinking of Him and loving Him. It is this resolution that He seeks in us; the other anxieties which we inflict upon ourselves serve to no other end but to disquiet the soul - which, if it be unable to derive any profit in one hour, will by them be disabled for four....

…..it is of great importance that no one should distress himself on account of aridities, or because his thoughts are restless and distracted; neither should he be afflicted thereat, if he would attain to liberty of spirit, and not be always
in trouble. Let him begin by not being afraid of the Cross and he will see how our Lord will help him to carry it, how joyfully he will advance.........

…the utmost we have to do in the beginning is to take care of our own soul only, and consider that in the whole world there is only God and our soul. This is a point of great importance...

…security, therefore, of that soul which would apply itself to prayer lies in casting away from itself all anxiety about persons and things, in taking care of itself, and in pleasing God....and though we may not be perfect in it at once, we shall acquire one great virtue - we shall look upon all men as better than ourselves.......

The soul sees how blind men are to the nature of pleasure - how by means of it they provide for themselves trouble and disquietude.......what restlessness! ...how little satisfaction! what labour in vain! It sees, too, not only the cobwebs that cover it, and its great faults, but also the specks of dirt, however slight they may be....thus, however much the soul may have laboured at its own perfection, it sees itself to be very unclean...full
of motes.....

I saw...that rank is of little worth, and the higher it is the greater the anxiety and trouble it brings. People must be careful of the dignity of their state, which will not suffer them to live at ease; they must eat at fixed hours and by rule, for everything must be according to their state, and not according to their constitutions; and they have frequently to take food fitted more for their state than for their liking......

Our Lord said to me once....that I was not to distress myself....because in this life we could not continue in the same state. At one time I should be fervent, at another not; now disquieted, and again at peace, and tempted; but I must hope in Him and fear not..........

.Now be also on your guard, daughters, against some types of humility given by the devil in which great disquiet is felt about the gravity of our sins.....

.for sometimes it will be through humility and virtue that you hold yourselves to be so wretched, and at other times it will be a gross temptation......Humility does not disturb or disquiet or agitate, however great it may be, it comes with peace, delight, and calm...

The pain of genuine humility doesn't agitate or afflict the soul; rather, this humility expands it and enables it to serve God more. The other type of pain disturbs everything, agitates everything, afflicts the entire soul, and is very painful. I think the devil's aim is to make us think we are humble and, in turn, if possible, make us lose confidence in God......

..it can happen that God will permit days of severe temptation in his servants for their greater good. And though in their affliction they are striving to be quiet, they cannot even be attentive to what they are saying, no matter how hard they try; nor will the intellect settle down in anything, but by the disordered way it goes about, it will seem to be in a frenzy................Whoever experiences the afflictions these distractions cause will see that they are not his fault; he should not grow anxious, which makes things worse, or tire himself trying to put order into something that at the time doesn't have any, that is, his mind......


(Sources: St.Teresa, Consecrated Virgin, Saint, and Doctor of The Church)


Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Derekap
Member Avatar

Aridity and temptations certainly overcome 'swollenheadedness'.
Derekap
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
PJD

"Aridity and temptations certainly overcome 'swollenheadedness'. "

Agreed Derek. Swollenheadedness overcome leads to humility as my friend - a Spanish priest - pointed out to me on his last visit. And humility presumably leads to sainthood; it also (as he said) leads to freedom and certainly acts against anxiety.

PJD
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Archived Discussions · Next Topic »
Add Reply