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Psychological Healing
in the Catholic Mystic Tradition

Gratitude

And Mindfulness of God’s Presence

 

Gratitude is not a sticky sweet sentimental feeling.
Gratitude is a simple, humble act of saying, “Thank you for a service well done.”

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ALTHOUGH it takes much hard work, a good way to facilitate a constant dynamic awareness of the presence of God in your life is to develop a sense of mystical emotional engagement with your environment, along with a sense of gratitude for what God has given you. Here are some suggestions.

In the morning, as you wake up, make the Sign of the Cross and give thanks to God for being alive, for breathing, and for praying. As you stand up and walk, give thanks to God for allowing you to move, to stand up, and to walk. Then pray the Waking Prayers.

Then let your imagination encompass all that is in your house and give thanks to, and bless, it all. (For example, say softly, or just think the words, “Thank you for being here and for all you do; may our Lord Jesus Christ bless you and protect you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”) If you have house plants or pets, or if other persons live in the house, silently give them blessings for physical or spiritual growth and for protection from evil.

Whenever you prepare to leave your home, say the prayer to the Venerable Cross. Then give a blessing to all that is in the house, and finally go before the Crucifix and place yourself consciously in God’s protection. “Protect me from all the filth and corruption in the world. Send a cohort of holy angels to protect me from evil. O God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love, and I ask that my prayers and sacrifices might bring to contrition some of those who now do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love.”

When you prepare to drive your car, make the Sign of the Cross and give the car a blessing. Then say the prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel for protection.

Whenever you return home, go before the Crucifix and give thanks for your safe return; then give a greeting and a blessing to all that is in the house.

Throughout the day, be mindful of God’s presence and ask Him for help and guidance in everything you are about to do. Say a prayer, such as, “O God, I am so alone; help me to do this.”

Whenever you have to face an unknown situation, say to yourself, “Trust in God; I don’t need to worry about this. God will let me know what I need to do when I need to do it.”

Throughout the day, make the Sign of the Cross while blessing everything you eat or drink, even if you are taking only a sip of water. “Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord.” Be grateful for everything that nourishes you, for without even the most lowly of God’s gifts you would perish.

Also, silently give thanks for and give a blessing to everything you use during the day. Be aware of what you are using while you are using it and don’t use anything casually; be aware of its place in all that God has provided for you. For example, even as you throw something into the garbage, silently give it a blessing and thank it for the service it has provided. In doing this, you will learn to experience all things around you as dynamic participants in God’s creation, rather than as mere objects to manipulate.

At noon and at 6:00 in the evening, stop what you are doing and pray the Angelus. (Set a timer on your cell phone or other device to remind you.)

At the end of every day, just before going to bed, give thanks to God for all the help, guidance, and protection you have received during the day. As you lie in bed preparing to sleep, say, over and over until you fall asleep, “Into Your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit” and, when you wake up for short moments during the night, resume saying the prayer until you fall asleep again.

 

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Though
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Anger
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Falling
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Fallen Children

 

Disasters
and
trauma

 

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Psychological Healing
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True Christian
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How to Turn the Emotional Wounds
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The Psychological and
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Collected Texts About the Spiritual Depth of Clinical Psychology

 
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Beyond
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Boundaries
 

Weight
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Praying
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Giving
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The Veil
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Overcoming
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Desire
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Fear
 

Stopping
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Borderline
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Catholic
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A Catholic Perspective
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A Catholic Explanation
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Where Catholic therapy (Catholic psychotherapy) is explained according to Catholic psychology in the tradition of the Catholic mystics.