Dear Michael,
Greetings and peace in the Lord Jesus Christ!
I read this item at Spirit Daily with interest: http://www.spiritdaily.com/adorationfright.htm
as I have had similiar experiences while at Eucharistic Adoration (and elsewhere).
The last time was while adoring Our Eucharistic Jesus at the Blessed Marie Rivier Adoration Chapel at Ste. Marie's Parish in Manchester, New Hampshire. While in contemplative prayer, I noticed (there is a window just to the right of the table with monstrance) a man standing at the far end of the parking lot. Although he was quite a distance from the Chapel, I could actually feel his stare. But I re-focused on my prayer and made a conscious decision to ignore this distraction. After approximately fifteen minutes or so, this man walked across the parking lot, entered the Adoration Chapel, and walked right across where I was kneeling (on a Prie-Dieu) while staring at me in an odd fashion. He sat on the other side of the Chapel, to my left, and just stared. I remained focused on Jesus in the Eucharist and refused to be distracted. After staring at me for roughly 10 minutes, this man stood up and walked out while never taking his eyes off me. As he left the Chapel, I heard him mutter "I guess not." I took this to mean that he (or some other entity) was acknowledging his failure to distract me from prayer.
The following week, a woman clad in a mini skirt entered the Chapel while I was deep in prayer - again on the Prie-Dieu. She too stared at me the entire time she was in Chapel. At one point she sat provocatively on two chairs with her legs stretched out in an immodest fashion in my direction. Although I didn't look in her direction, I could see this briefly out of the corner of my eye. Seeing that I remained intent on Jesus in the Eucharist, this woman stood up and prostrated herself on the floor in front of the monstrance exposing her under garments as she did so. I maintained custody of my eyes by closing them.
The Evil One hates our adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist. To this end, he sends many distractions. By the grace of God, we must continue to banish these distractions and turn our hearts and minds back to the Lord.
God love you,
Paul Anthony Melanson
The habitual difficulty in prayer is distraction. It can affect words and their meaning in vocal prayer; it can concern, more profoundly, him to whom we are praying, in vocal prayer (liturgical or personal), meditation, and contemplative prayer. To set about hunting down distractions would be to fall into their trap, when all that is necessary is to turn back to our heart: for a distraction reveals to us what we are attached to, and this humble awareness before the Lord should awaken our preferential love for him and lead us resolutely to offer him our heart to be purified. Therein lies the battle, the choice of which master to serve. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2729).
6 comments:
That really is THE battle in the spiritual life. And we must all fight it. Good post. Thanks for sharing.
Almost every time I try to spend an hour in adoration, either someone is trying to distract me personally or a group of people will suddenly arrive talking and laughing as if they are oblivious to anyone else around them. Strange how some will show more respect for an "important" person in worldly terms such as the President than they will for the King of Kings.
Powerful testimonies! And clearly evidence of the demonic. What else would motivate such blasphemy and immodesty in or around an adoration chapel? I'm firmly convinced that we need more priest-exorcists today. Apparently Rome feels the same way as they have been stressing the need for this ministry as of late.
At least your parishes HAVE Adoration. Our parish doesn't and I think this is the reason it is dying. I don't sense the Holy Spirit at work there.
Paul, I really enjoyed reading your testimony of spiritual warfare and I am greatly edified. We can be sure, those attacks were either the fallen themselves or those directed by them.
Thank you Sanctus. What is truly strange is this: when I complained to the person responsible for coordinating Eucharistic Adoration and told her that perhaps a sign should be put up in the Chapel reminding people to dress modestly before Our Eucharistic Lord, I was told that my attitude was "incredible."
Padre Pio wouldn't have thought so. And his standards were much higher than mine. But then, he's a saint and I'm not...
I do aspire however.
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