Empezar de nuevo.

Con gusto y de corazón. Es lo que procuro aplicar yo. Ojalá te sirvan a ti también

A mí solo de pensarlo me aterra

Lo lamento :-(

 

Yes, it is shameful what we humans have done to Christ's birthday. Certainly, it is a day for joy and perhaps even celebration but we have put so many materialistic expectations on it. We Christians know it is not about presents and fancy meals and nice clothes. Christ chose to come into our world in a dirty barn with no luxuries other than wonderful loving parents. I am as guilty as anyone in this regard but your note is a good reminder to me to put seek more Christ in my Christmas and less material things.

Today, I vow to think much less about myself and do all I can for others this Christmas. Perhaps in this way, I can bring a bit of Christ into their lives.

 

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Inscribed on the wall of Mother Teresa's children's home in Calcutta.”
― Mother Teresa

 

@Keli I know things feel hopeless but that isn't the case. There is hope. What times do you you commonly fall? What is common in these falls? Do you have your smartphone on you? Are you on your computer? If you see a trend there, you need to make road blocks for these things either by apps or switching to dumbphone. Other than this, prayer, deep mental prayer. Along with this obviously the sacraments as well.

 

God does not wish bad things for us but Christ will use good, and if needs be, evil to show us the way. He will not organize a calamity for you and your family but he may allow one to happen as a means to bring you back to the path. You are right to be scared of the consequences of sin, both here on earth and worse yet for the eternal life of your soul. Be of no doubt, sin is a very dangerous thing. Worst of all, hell is a real place and it is a misery far worse than any we may endure on earth.

 

Exactly, and this is why the Church recommends it as one of the four last things we need to meditate on daily. There is a great little booking called The Four Last Things that will help with these meditations. It's not all doom and gloom, and I found the ones on Heaven to be incredibly beautiful and inspiring.

 

Quality over quantity, I like that advice. It makes sense, right? We want to have a strong intimate union with Jesus, we can't have this if we don't know Him; we wont get a chance to know Him if we don't take the time to be personal with Him. As one Franciscan Friar said, you spell love T.I.M.E. We must daily ask God for the grace to believe in Him; His presence; His love. Seek union with Him the Bridegroom of your soul!

 

I have several books that I have not finished and many my wife has read that would be good for me to read. Yes, it is yet another silly thing that I feel some guilt about and a reason I am hesitating to buy another book. However, I sincerely value your recommendations and I am tempted to buy this one based on your post but first I must ask, is this one of your "top ten" books? Interesting question, if you would, could you tell us what you think are the most beneficial spiritual books that you have read?

 

No worries, brother. I have a ton of books too that I have not finished; In fact, I'm kind of notorious for picking up a book and then halfway through starting a new one. Thankfully, this one I have finished and loved it. As for the top ten, well, there are too many books that I love to have a top ten, but this is definitely a great book.

While I always recommend purchasing them to have a physical copy, this one you can find online; this is usually the case with the older Catholic books as they sometimes become public domain. You can find it here: http://www.catholictradition.org/Classics/4last-things.htm

 

Fantastic! Thank you for this link. I am already diving into it. It reminds me of the hours I was able to spend with my Father as he lay dying. I wish I had this book with me so I could have read passages of it aloud to him. The chapters on heaven, it seems to me, would be a great comfort to people in hospice.

 

I am sure that in moments like this you don't feel loved but that is not true. You need only read the replies to all of your posts to recognize you are among friends who want to see you find freedom from this addiction. That friendship, that love, is simply one channel, among many, that God uses to show you His incredible love for you. Yes, you have many sad things in your life but never forget, you are loved by the most supreme being of creation and those of us who know and respect Him.

 

Feliz y bendecido año para ti también

¿Por qué considerar las adversidades como castigo de Dios?

A mí tampoco... Me pregunto si acaso Dios creó a alguien para mí... Pienso si quizás solo estoy esperando que llegue, cuando debería ponerme a conocer gente para ver si lo encuentro...

La verdad, es algo que yo también necesito hacer
Lo que me viene a la mente es lo que llaman lectura rezada, es poner todos tus sentidos, tu corazón y tu mente en las palabras que lees o dices en la oración, procurando sentir cada una desde el fondo de tu ser. Puede hacerse con cualquier oración que te guste, con un pasaje de la Biblia e incluso con el rosario

¿Has oído de los talleres de oración y vida del padre Ignacio Larrañaga?

Leer los evangelios, y pedírselo. Yo le pido a Dios que me conceda amarlo sobre todas las cosas, le pido enamorarme de él

¡Bravo! ¡Bien hecho! :-D

A ver si te sirve este. No es específico para P, pero bloquea aplicaciones y sitios web https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teqtic.lockmeout

Te entiendo tanto... Yo pasé mucho tiempo pensando así... Solo puedo decirte que te abrazo con el alma y que no le permitas a ese tipo de pensamientos que se arraiguen en tu mente porque solo te lastimarán. No es bueno escuchar lo que dice la desesperación.

Primero que nada, tienes un Dios que te ama con locura total, a tal grado, que se dejó torturar y matar para que tú puedas estar con él por toda la eternidad.
Tienes también una Madre en el cielo que te ama con toda la ternura de su corazón.
Tu ángel guardián
Tu familia, aún con todos sus conflictos, te quieren. Quizás no de la manera que a ti te gustaría, pero sí de la manera en que pueden y les permiten sus propias heridas.
Tus otros parientes, en el cielo y aquí en la tierra
Tus amigas de la iglesia
Otros amigos o conocidos que tengas
Personas a las que hayas ayudado
Y tus amigos de este foro ;-)

Recuerda que placer no es felicidad. Este placer es efímero y engañoso y en lugar de traernos felicidad, nos la quita. Nos deja tristes y vacías. Una gran desolación a cambio de unos minutos de "bienestar" artificial, superficial y falso. En verdad no nos aporta nada, no vale la pena... Es puro veneno.

Que así sea. Pídele que te abrace y que puedas sentir su amor Rezo por ti.