It has been a while since I have written on this blogsite. Unfortunately, I fell victim to the busyness of life in the last couple of years. I would get up each day, run to work and come home each night exhausted. The only prayer done consistently was listening to Compline (night prayer) on my IPhone before falling asleep. The app is all set up, so all I had to do was to was put on my earphones and listen to the soothing sounds of the ancient prayer.
I have read about saints who suffered from spiritual dryness, but did not completely understand it until now. Blessed Mother Teresa is good example who felt she could not experience God after she began her work in India. However, every day she remained faithful to Jesus with a smile, while most of us would give up.
In my case, it was too easy to make excuses instead of praying through my tiredness. I currently work the early shift which means getting up at 4:15 am, so time has been an excuse. The solution is to find time again in the morning for prayer even for just a few minutes. It might mean (gulp) getting up even earlier but it is the only way to get back on track. I, also, will make time to write as well.
The past year has not been completely void of spiritual activity. I changed parishes to get a new perspective on my Catholic faith and meet new people. I have also attended classes on contemplative prayer and consecration to Mary. Recently, I started to work on an Advent retreat for women and suggested journeying with Mary to Bethlehem. This involved rereading my 2009 blog entry about this subject. As soon as I got back into my blog, I knew it was time to return. I have no idea where the spirit will lead me, so I will just need to wait for the rain to fall on my parched hands.
This summer, we had a deluge of rain in Arizona after a hot, dry spring and summer. Streets and freeways were flooded, which meant closing schools and offices for a day. When the rain returns spiritually, we have to be careful of flooding. It is time to slow down, so we are not inundated by the "rain." The only way to do it is to take time to listen to God without any agenda or excuses.
I have read about saints who suffered from spiritual dryness, but did not completely understand it until now. Blessed Mother Teresa is good example who felt she could not experience God after she began her work in India. However, every day she remained faithful to Jesus with a smile, while most of us would give up.
In my case, it was too easy to make excuses instead of praying through my tiredness. I currently work the early shift which means getting up at 4:15 am, so time has been an excuse. The solution is to find time again in the morning for prayer even for just a few minutes. It might mean (gulp) getting up even earlier but it is the only way to get back on track. I, also, will make time to write as well.
The past year has not been completely void of spiritual activity. I changed parishes to get a new perspective on my Catholic faith and meet new people. I have also attended classes on contemplative prayer and consecration to Mary. Recently, I started to work on an Advent retreat for women and suggested journeying with Mary to Bethlehem. This involved rereading my 2009 blog entry about this subject. As soon as I got back into my blog, I knew it was time to return. I have no idea where the spirit will lead me, so I will just need to wait for the rain to fall on my parched hands.
This summer, we had a deluge of rain in Arizona after a hot, dry spring and summer. Streets and freeways were flooded, which meant closing schools and offices for a day. When the rain returns spiritually, we have to be careful of flooding. It is time to slow down, so we are not inundated by the "rain." The only way to do it is to take time to listen to God without any agenda or excuses.
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