ON THE PODCAST:
Nothing threatens to kill our holy, daily rhythm like suffering.
It amazes me, truly. When faced with a trial, tragedy, or disappointment, the temptation to throw it all aside and do things my way runs deep. Who has time for morning prayer when there are people to manage, situations to manipulate, experiences to orchestrate, and diseases to cure?
Can you relate?
I have found that the key to maintaining my spiritual routine is to spend time with the saints. Drawn to contemplative prayer, silence, and solitude, I have a particular tendency toward Carmelite spirituality; Thérèse of Lisieux and Saint Teresa of Avila are my dear friends. They have helped me keep my promises to the Lord when tempted to set my Rule of Life on fire.
If you are like me, ready to toss the plan aside when everything goes sideways, here is some wisdom from a few saints to encourage you to persevere when you’d rather hide in the back of your closet with a bag of chips:
Choose Faith over Feelings
St. Padre Pio reminds us that faith is not a feeling. How often do we use prayer as a self-help tool, reducing it to a positive affirmation? If the routine doesn’t immediately fix our pain or remove the problem, we view it as broken. We move on. We try something new. Maybe add more protein to our diet.
Pio said:
“Jesus is with you even when you don’t feel His presence. He is never so close to you as He is during your spiritual battles. He is always there, close to you, encouraging you to fight your battle courageously. He is there to ward off the enemy’s blows so that you may not be hurt.”
Make No Changes
Saint Ignatius said that in times of desolation, we should never change our spiritual commitments. Not even a little. Why? Well, according to Ignatius, “when we alter our course during a crisis, we play directly into spiritual defeat.”
Keep It Simple
As someone who has quit too many things while in desolation, I take the rules of Ignatius seriously. But sometimes we experience a suffering on a whole new level; one that throws us into a state of panic. We feel helpless and out of control, and though we know we need a spiritual routine, we barely have the emotional or mental capacity to complete a full sentence. In this case, what has helped me stay on the spiritual track is not completely changing my routine, but simplifying it.
St. Paul of the Cross said that when you are “dry as dust,” you should not worry about your long monologues or lengthy morning resolutions. Instead, he says to pray a short aspiration; repeating simple phrases like, “O dear Will of my God, may You be blessed forever!”
For more on how to stay steady when it all goes sideways, be sure to listen to episode four on the Good Friday Sister podcast, and please share in the comments:
Which do you struggle with most? Choosing faith over feelings? Making no changes? Keeping it simple?
Do you have a favorite Saint you can run to in times of trial?
ON MY HEART:
I am not a fan of numbers. Not on a math test. Not on the scale. Not in the calories on a box of Thin Mints. Not on my checking account balance. And most definitely not my number of Instagram followers, Substack subscribers, or podcast ratings and downloads. I check none of these, by the way, and I don't keep track of book sales either.
I’d make a great creator strategist, don’t you think? Or perhaps I am better suited for a growth analyst position?
It’s not that I don’t care, but that I’m the kind of person who can care too much. Who can care to the point of despair. Who can ruin a perfectly good day because of a number that isn’t high enough, isn’t low enough, isn’t just right. And so I don’t look. Only sometimes…I do. And then…