God is Good All the Time

and thanks to my Internet pal Jeff at Curt Jester who led me to this awesome link when I was closing down my web browser this morning to get started on my Philosophy homework.

Really, I was just about to start working on my essay on Posterior Analytics and was saying a quick prayer as I shut down my browsers and pulled up Word when I happened to see a post of Jeff's on the revamping of a site run by John Brown S.J. called CompanionsofJesus.com. I clicked on the link out of curiosity, ( and a little bit to postpone writing about Aristotle) to find an awesome site for those with an interest in Jesuit Spirituality.

He has compiled a veritable prayerbook of Jesuit prayers all in one place, the ones I pray often and a few I had never seen before.

Of particular interest to me especially this week was the Prayer in Desolation. In particular I found these phrases to be very helpful as I begin the task before me:

But what I do know is, that with Thy grace,

which Thou wilt never refuse me,

and of which wilt never deprive me

although I may not always be sensible or conscious of its presence.

I shall be able to resist and overcome all my enemies:

therefore, establishing my confidence on Thy divine strength,

I will not lose courage.

It only remains for me to humble myself,

to abase myself to the very dust at the sight of my nothingness,

and to persevere in my former resolutions made in the day of consolation, awaiting in patience and calm for,

and looking with hope and confidence to,

Thy next visit: for I know that the day of desolation will pass,

and that consolation will not be long in coming.

Give me patience and hope,

give me the courage to remain fixed in my resolutions,

to attack and fight with the enemy

without making any change in my former decisions;

but, in order to dissipate this desolation,

let me change myself, by being more recollected,

more attentive, more silent, more mortified;

above all, by applying myself more fervently to prayer and meditation.

These were words I really needed to read and pray and take to heart today, because I have been so beaten down by my inability to find a way to begin these essays. Today, after reading this prayer I am confident that if I place my trust where it belongs, not in my own intellect, but with He who brought me to this place, I will find a way to tackle this assignment and write something coherent, and passable.

Then, I decided to take the time to read through emails before I started my homework (maybe a little avoidance there, but who's psychoanalyzing at this point) and what do I find but an email from my professor with this message and I quote here:

Due to my getting the questions out late and some email difficulties, I am giving everyone an extension on completing the questions. We can talk about it more this weekend. See you all then.

All the time, God is good.

Especially when I have a community like St. Blog's on my side.

Pax