Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement

With warmth, understanding, and pastoral skill, Fr. Timothy Gallagher provides here a hopeful invitation to all who struggle to overcome the greatest obstacle of all in the spiritual life: discouragement. Our enemy actively exploits our vulnerabilities, shrewdly leading us time and again into an overwhelming sense of disturbance. But Fr. Gallagher pulls the curtain back on the wiles of the devil, offering gentle reflections that are remarkably effective in lightening the burdens of your day-to-day spiritual life. You'll learn practical ways to find peace amid your spiritual struggles, and patience in the face of even the most intense trials. Best of all, you'll learn how to profit spiritually from the afflictions that beset you. Each reflection in these pages begins with a quotation by Venerable Bruno Lanteri, the holy founder of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, whose wisdom has guided the uncommonly insightful spirituality of Fr. Gallagher. In these pages, you will learn: --What to do when you have reached the point of despair --How to evade sadness, melancholy, and temptation --Ways you can be joyful even when you do not feel mirth --How to leave the sins, weaknesses, and failures of your past to God's mercy --How to recognize the enemy, even when he presents himself under the appearance of good --What is holy presumption, why you want it, and how to get it --The five benefits you'll derive from regular Confession --How each part of the Mass corresponds to an affection of the heart --Proven techniques for waging warfare against negative moods There is no shame in spiritual desolation. Fr. Gallagher reminds us that the greatest of saints suffered from this affliction. The key is to learn how to draw closer to God in life's darkest moments. Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement is a call to hope . . . a call to solace in time of suffering . . . and a call to stand tall in times of affliction.