tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-439331035718369167.post7143315201827131584..comments2024-02-09T02:48:13.776-06:00Comments on Daily Meditations with Fr. Alfonse: Mk 2:1-12 Go Away Unclean Spirits!Fr. Alfonsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02557206560119402976noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-439331035718369167.post-83327157182586426192012-02-21T21:24:20.398-06:002012-02-21T21:24:20.398-06:00I am grateful for these daily meditations.I am grateful for these daily meditations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-439331035718369167.post-27609366740415208652012-02-21T11:21:48.852-06:002012-02-21T11:21:48.852-06:00Thank-you, Father Alfonse! Your words about how c...Thank-you, Father Alfonse! Your words about how certain unclean spirits can only be driven out through prayer really spoke to me. My "ailments of the heart" have been so frustrating, debilating, and humiliating that I struggle forgiving myself. I often wonder if others can forgive me for my transgressions against them. Prayer, if you think about it, is probably one of the easiest way to rid oneselves of sinful habits of the heart. Medication or psychotherapy can help, too. But at the root of healing is seeking God's grace through frequent confession and fervent, sincere prayer. <br /><br />Blessings,<br /><br />-J.Jennifer B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15338737502809429613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-439331035718369167.post-79379653661365701952012-02-21T07:23:02.840-06:002012-02-21T07:23:02.840-06:00Thank you Father. Your posts always help me reach ...Thank you Father. Your posts always help me reach higher with better understanding.Trudy R. Gomezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12496669334732035878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-439331035718369167.post-35855138536071389632012-02-21T00:38:25.065-06:002012-02-21T00:38:25.065-06:00He did not run away from the Lord. He did not even...He did not run away from the Lord. He did not even blame the Lord for his ailment! How easy it could have been to have done both! <br /><br />I believe you are right. It is so much easier to deflect blame rather than to look at it head on. Although, often finding the root of a ‘problem’ helps us heal from it. But once we’ve found the root, be it in our childhood, a relationship or wherever, then it’s time to turn and look forward. Look at its effect on my life and my future, take responsibility for my thoughts and actions and actively change the ones that are ‘killing’ me.<br /><br /><br /><br />Rather, he fell before the Lord and asked the Lord for help.<br /><br />This has been the only way I’ve come through an excruciating couple of years of emotional and spiritual growth. In this time, I can see how God was molding me into a new person. There were times when I felt like I had shed my skin like a snake and moved into a new skin, a new person in Christ, but that wasn’t the end of it. There were also times when I felt like my skin was being exfoliated with sandpaper, underneath there was a new healthier me but not until the rawness healed and the new skin grew over the wounds. And yes there are some scars that may never fade completely, but they will serve as reminders of where I do not want to return to.<br /><br />Yes I could have run away or blamed others, but where would I be today had I done that? In the exact same place I was nearly two years ago when the Lord gave me a giant mirror, a case of Kleenex, a few thousand dollars for therapy, a holy, patient, loving spiritual director and an abundance of HIS GRACE!<br /><br />It hurts like hell for a little while, but the reward of the freedom and peace that follows a period like this is worth it all.<br /><br />I recommend not taking the easy way out. There is no peace in it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com