{"id":145435,"date":"2023-11-17T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/ask-a-priest-what-if-i-pray-a-lot-but-dont-feel-closer-to-jesus\/"},"modified":"2024-09-17T11:33:42","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T15:33:42","slug":"ask-a-priest-what-if-i-pray-a-lot-but-dont-feel-closer-to-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/ask-a-priest-what-if-i-pray-a-lot-but-dont-feel-closer-to-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"“Ask a Priest: What If I Pray a Lot But Don\u2019t Feel Closer to Jesus?”"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Q: How does one know if he\/she is disposed to receive the graces of Communion? I wonder because, for one thing, it is hard to be patient with difficult family members, and if I have so much trouble loving others, then how can I love Christ? I have been going to daily Mass, confession at least twice a month, often weekly, daily rosaries and read the daily Mass readings before Mass and reflect on them. Recently I have been trying to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. I also volunteer at the church food pantry and spend at least an hour a week in front of the Blessed Sacrament. I have the desire for holy Communion but often do not feel any closer to Christ, and I know it’s my fault, not his. Lately the scriptural “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him” [Job 13:15] comes to mind. \u2013 M.S.<\/address>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC<\/em><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0If you are doing all those things you mention with good intention, don’t worry. You are likely receiving grace from your communions.<\/p>\n

The point of prayer, etc., is to give glory to God and to help you stay humble. It’s not about consolation.<\/p>\n

If you don’t feel any consolation, it is possible that God is simply purifying you.<\/p>\n

The fact that you continue to pray, despite the lack of consolation, means that you are making a greater effort to pray; you are using your will to help you focus on prayer. All that is good.<\/p>\n

Jesus might be closer to you now than ever before. If you feel a bit in the dark and can’t feel his presence, relax. Sometimes the darkness can be\u00a0a sign of God’s closeness.<\/p>\n

That might sound counterintuitive. But remember, God is mysterious. Growth in holiness is ultimately God\u2019s work in you; it\u2019s not something you earn by your deeds.<\/p>\n

It would be good to stay the course for now. Think about finding a solid spiritual director or regular confessor who can guide you. And keep working on the charity with the difficult family members.<\/p>\n

Perhaps your problem is not that you don\u2019t love them. You might just have trouble liking<\/em> them in any given moment. But liking is not the same as loving. Loving means you want the best for them and that you are willing to sacrifice for them.<\/p>\n

A book that might help you is When the Well Runs Dry:<\/em><\/a> Prayer Beyond the Beginnings, <\/em>by Jesuit Father Thomas Green.<\/p>\n

Count on my prayers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Edward McIlmail, LC","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/485147bd811c2a8642adf1f1806f85f0adef2b00ef8ccabc9b46f8420af19e16?s=96&d=blank&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/485147bd811c2a8642adf1f1806f85f0adef2b00ef8ccabc9b46f8420af19e16?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/485147bd811c2a8642adf1f1806f85f0adef2b00ef8ccabc9b46f8420af19e16?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC"},"description":"Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC, ordained to the priesthood in 2001, taught theology and Scripture at the then Mater Ecclesiae College in Rhode Island and is now a part-time chaplain at Overbrook Academy in Greenville, R.I. He holds degrees from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Connecticut, the Regina Apostolorum Athenaeum in Rome, and Northwestern University in Illinois. He was an assistant publisher of the National Catholic Register and Faith & Family magazine and an editor of the Zenit news agency\u2019s English edition. He has written for\u00a0SpiritualDirection.com\u00a0and\u00a0ePriest. Fr. McIlmail also worked in spiritual retreats in the Northeast, New England, the Midwest, and the South\u00a0and assisted with mission work in Mexico. Born in Philadelphia, he worked in journalism and was active in the pro-life movement before entering the novitiate of the Legion of Christ in 1992. His contributions to RCSpirituality include responding to\u00a0Ask A Priest\u00a0questions and sharing his insights in our\u00a0Weekly Newsletter.","url":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/author\/emcilmail\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/362"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145435"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145435\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145435"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=145435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}