“As for thinking of our sins during prayer, this we must never do.  A simple humbling of our soul before God as regards all our offenses, without thought of this one or that, is enough.  Most of the time, such thoughts only act as distractions.”

When anxious or depressed we often spend way too much time focused on our imperfections, shortcomings, failures, and finding specific causes for present lack. These things are then magnified in our minds to unrealistic proportions.

St. Jane Frances de Chantal provides wise advice.  The focus, particularly in prayer, needs to be on God not on ourselves.  She would know.  She suffered a lifetime of depression, anxiety, and horrendous doubts.

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Quote from: St. Chantal on Prayer, Translation by Rev. A. Durand, PhD. Mass. U.S. by Daughters of St. Paul, 1968, page 57

Another terrific book for inspiration is: A Simple Life, Wisdom from Jane Frances de Chantal, Edited and Forward by Kathryn Hermes FSP, Boston, USA: Pauline Books and Media, 2011

Photo: Woman praying in Cristo buen Viaje Church, April 20, 2014.  Dedicated to public domain by “The Photographer.”

(This is a modified re-post from 2013)