Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

T hank you Elizabeth Riordan at  Theology Is A Verb for hosting Worth Revisiting each week. It is a privilege to share our work with you and your followers .  Here is my contribution.   Eucharistic Reflection - Have You Been To This Place?   (Originally posted on August 11, 2020)   "When the soul has given itself up to God, He makes it suffer, and will make it suffer constantly. This will be hard! In order to take complete possession of the soul, God annihilates it, as it were, and takes its place. And as it is continually assailed by the temptation to find itself again, God gives combat, makes it suffer; He effaces the spirit, stifles the heart. Photo by Joshua Eckstein on Unsplash When the spirit will not surrender unconditionally, God plunges it into darkness, into temptations against faith, and hope and confidence. All peace is lost until the mind surrenders and totally renounces its own lights. Against such a state, the director can do nothing.   ...

Although I have not yet had the privilege to physically meet the gifted writer whose work I am about to share with you, we are not strangers. Barbara Schoeneberger, M.A. has challenged and stirred my soul (and countless other souls) through her words and inspiring example. She has struggled for more than a decade with, among other crosses, physical limitations, surgeries and chronic pain. Once she understood "the purpose of her suffering", her life changed. Through sharing her life's experiences and spiritual journey, Barbara hopes her writings will " help others to make the most of the challenges God has sent them."     You would serve the welfare of your soul well if you made a point of visiting her frequently at  Suffering With Joy . Barbara has graciously consented to my sharing one of her most recent and timely posts - one that should be widely read and disseminated : A Prophetic Warning! by Barbara Schoeneberger Cleaning out a file ca...