Have you ever sat down to pray, like really pray in earnest, only to feel even more anxious than when you started? I have been there and done that. It seems that this type of situation arises when my life, or some aspect of it, feels like it's spiraling out-of-control. I think that in my desperation I turn my prayer time into begging, and I find myself offering God different solutions and options to deliver me from that particular suffering. Isn't that a GREAT idea - I obviously know way more than God does about what's best for me?!

In retrospect, I wasn't actually praying at all. I was having a nervous breakdown AT God. All that I had accomplished was sitting in the presence of my own problems ... and then exacerbating those problems with fear and panic. The good news is that there is a solution. It's easy and it's called Eucharistic Adoration. If you don't have it at your church, find a church near you. Don't walk, but run to the nearest Adoration chapel. Then, when you get there, take a deep breath, say "hi" to Jesus, and sit with him in silence. Let His peace fill you and bask in the rays of His love. I promise you, you will be transformed. And don't be discouraged if, like me, it's hard to stop yourself from rambling about your problems to Jesus. He will appreciate that you're there and that you're trying. Just keep trying and you'll find that whatever you are suffering through won't seem so horrible if you let Jesus help you carry your cross.