I am pretty tired right now.
My mind is flat lined.
I read, … oh how I read, … but I wonder what I am absorbing.
I write, but I wonder if anything I write makes sense.
I am mentally pretty worn out.
I am dragging.
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“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
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Father Z:
You are in my prayers that you may sleep peacefully and be restored in strength and spirit as you arise to a new day at Sabine.
You are a gift to us all-
DD
Fr. Z, I am new here. I too am feeling exhausted and just worn out from all this world throws at us. I love Scripture…this popped in to my head….In this world you will have trouble..but take heart I have overcomed the world..Rest in Jesus,Momma Mary and all the angels and saints..It seem you have quite a mission given to you…I thank God for you..
Dear Father,
I just read your mail. It’s clear you’ve been overdoing things. Take a little time out. You need it. You deserve it. Don’t bend the bow too far for us.
Be assured of my gratitude for all you contribute to our spiritual growth and well-being – and that is a great deal, I promise you.
My Holy Communion, Office & rosaries will be for you today.
Thanks for everything and May the Risen Lord lead you this day and always to feel His peace and consolation.
Michael (Herts, UK)
Father, There is no way anyone can keep the pace you do without crashing sooner or later. I am amazed it took you this long to reach your mental end. I think you need to take a week off (minimum 3 days) from any electronic activity, and just rest. Go on walks, sleep, eat well, do a little contemplating. Try not to talk on the phone, either. Don’t worry – you won’t lose any readers permanently over a brief vacation. It’ll be like a mini-retreat. We are all adults, and can manage to digest the Catholic happenings on our own for a few days. God bless you.
You are in our prayers, Father!
Saying a prayer for you Father!
The realm of the things spiritual is alight right now, and many a person is going through a crisis or transitioning, and Catholics are reeling – and none of this is bad, in the end, but a necessary “shaking up” and the pope at eighty one is on a tear and hard to keep up with.
The recent Summorum Pontificum is an antidote to many ills set in motion post VII, (or caused by, perhaps} and is a rallying point for a huge counter movement in the church, which is growing legs and already on the move. You, a reporter constantly at or near the front lines, are suffering battle fatigue.
Also, as this blog is a ministry, in effect, you, Fr. should take on an assistant or two to relieve you of some of the strain. It will get to be too much after awhile. Your pace is amazing, as well as the scope of this blog, and you attention and care to the details and monitoring.
Finally, the issues at stake are huge in importance, and the lines are not always so clearly drawn, as there are indeed legitimate gray area, (some others’ views here tho the contrary), and the passions can run high and test the best of us on which stands we take and how much leeway can we allow and still be true to the truth as best we know it to be. Thank God for the intellectual giant sitting on St. Peter’s throne right now. This gives me a great sense of peace in spite of all of this.
In reading the Mahony piece (comments off:) I must say this is definitely not written in “Mahonyese” (Well – except for the line -“we need to be “present” to today’s immigrants, the word “present” a favorite modern church catch all phrase of almost no meaning). IOW, he is coming across as a broken man genuinely changed and moved by the new pope, and now seems a fully converted fan. So I think there are some signs of progress and hope amid the storm.
Time for a break, i would say.
I typed a new anti-spam word and it didn’t work: “Viva Fr. Z” :^D We all agree that you need a few “mental health days” days. Just tell us “Fr. Z is off-line from 4/28~4/31.”
Then, put out your sign at the entryway of the Sabine Farm: “Gone Fishing.”
It can get like that sometimes, can’t it? I have baked you a cyber-cake … You do so much good, and deserve a rest.
Prayers and all good wishes.
Man up Fr. You’ll be right.
Be not afraid, Father.
If you need some time to recharge your batteries, please let us know. We are an understanding group (well, most of us anyway).
Father, I have been there. If it is any consolation, you get a lot more done than I do. I’m on my day off and I have so much I have to do. Take it easy and relax. Make a smoothie and have a tuna sandwich for lunch. Go for an afternoon walk and take a nap.
[Make a smoothie and have a tuna sandwich for lunch. ROFL! I guess we know what Fr. E’s comfort food is! o{]:¬) ]
Deficient pueri, et laborabunt,
et juvenes in infirmitate cadent ;
qui autem sperant in Domino mutabunt fortitudinem,
assument pennas sicut aquilæ :
current et non laborabunt,
ambulabunt et non deficient.
Mass today for Fortitude for Fr. Z.
Venite ad me omnes qui laboratis, et onerati estis, et ego reficiam vos.
What is the Lord really saying?
May be a great time to go on an undirected retreat for about a week or so at a contemplative monastery. Just you and God.
Pretend the media were never invented. Chill out. Take walks in the woods.
Eat. Sleep. Pray. Walk.
Meanwhile the Church and the world will get on fine- and we’ll be praying for you.
Thanks for all you do.
Prayers here!
You are in my prayers.
Now, go to bed. Turn the phones and other gadgets off. Sleep for at least 8 hours. Then wake up, have a good breakfast, and only then resume studying.
Take a break from time to time. Go watch a movie, or something. If you rest your mind from time to time it will increase your productivity.
It is worth nothing when we are so tired that we can’t do anything proper. When you read, and don’t assimilate because you are worn out, then it is an useless effort, since you know you will have to read everything again.
If you have a deadline and it is pretty close and you think you will miss it, just ignore my advice above. [LOL!]
Rest, walks and prayer.
Best wishes Father.
You’re also in my prayers, Father. You seem like a Type A personality and boy, oh, boy…do you burn brightly! I pray that you won’t burnout, though. Your light has lit the way home for many, including me. May God give you the sustenance and refreshment you need. :-)
Let us keep watch and pray, that he may not fall into temptation… God bless you – my prayers and masses (not tlm…!) for you here at the Parish Chapel of the Pontifical, Catholic and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines. And more power to your site, am reading it everyday… OP VERITAS!
Fr., if you can find a heated swimming pool….go take a dip. It does wonders and even Pope JPII used this method for relaxation.
I hope you feel better soon, Fr Z. Prayers coming your way.
Fr. Z —
Pax Dominus tecum. I will include you in my prayers.
We all enjoy the great work that you do. We look forward to seeing on the other side of your retreat.
In corde Jesu et Maria,
Geo. Festa
Rev. Father:
I am a grad student in the same predicament; I can sympathize immensely. Be assured of my prayers, I know what to ask the Almighty for on your behalf!
Dear Father
God loves you dearly. Give yourself up to Him in the Blessed Sacrament, and wait for His good guidance .Stay with Him, watch and pray . He will lift you up and His Holy Spirit will strengthen and guide you. We are all praying for you.
Praying, Father.
Prayers up to heaven Father Z to our Blessed Mother…”Never has it been known…”
Father you are in my prayers
Praying for you, Father. God bless you and keep you.
Have a good stout — that will do the trick.
May I add my prayers too. Get better.
Ave Maria pro tibi, Pater! (OK My Latin is probably grammatically incorrect, but I thought you’d appreciate the effort :-)
Wow, do I know how that feels. Consider my prayers added to the already sizable number.
Prayers as requested. Might I suggest a large Remy Martin as a nightcap? [You may! … I should put same on my wish list!]
Fr. Z,
I’m sure you don’t need me to help you figure out that it’s the Holy Spirit nudging you. Perhaps He is telling you to take some quiet time, stop the spinning gears in your mind for a while, and spend a couple of days doing something more contemplative. Get away from all the technology for a while if you can. And I’ll pray for you to recover your serenity and focus.
Father: Close down for a few days (at least)…let’s say at least for the rest of the month…and more if need be. Chill out for a bit. If Jesus had to escape the crowds, surely his priests are also entitled to some breathing space too.
Father,
Sit quietly and reflect on Bro. Lawrence’s little book, On the Presence of God. Helps me every time.
I think it’s a natural response to the intense week that was the Pope’s visit to the
US. Plus the change of seasons, in particular spring, brings a kind of lethargy.
There is a popular and very pretty Chinese poem on “Spring” which (I am no translator nor poet) talks about how difficult it is to rouse oneself from a spring sleep, to the sound of birdsong in the air etc. etc. That’s what you need, more sleep and no thinking. Take a break from blogging and garden instead: trim the shrubs, dig up the earth, prepare for planting. Declare a blogging holiday…
Father,
I have and continue to pray for you. You were influential in my conversion to the Catholic faith. [That made my day!] You are influential in my continued learning about the Catholic Church. You keep me well balanced, honest, and encourage respect and holiness in me. Without your guide to confession, for example, I wouldn’t have had any idea about what to do my first time.
Thank you Father. You are in my prayers.
Father Z: Ne dederis somnum oculis tuis nec dormitent
palpebrae tuae. (Prov. 6:4) After a rest come
back with the strength of ten men. “Ad annos multos!”
God bless you, Father, as you do God’s work.
Prayers, Father, and a second dose of Mac’s medicine.
Prayers ditto, Father – I was going to recommend grappa (but not if you’ve already started on the Remy).
Nice to see you are loved. That’s what counts in the end. And it’s easy for priests to miss seeing it because in many ways they tend to get a bit isolated and we miss many opportunities to tell them.
Father Z,
Watch this video on the Bugatti Veyron and and tell me you are still flat lining. :-)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x157l2_bugatti-veyron-at-top-speed_auto
Father Z,
The rest of my day’s prayers and work (patristic research, incidentally) will be offered for you.
I don’t know if you have any of the Rose Ensemble’s recordings, but their rendition of Sergei Khvoshchinsky’s “Bogoroditse Devo, raduysia” never fails to help untangle my own exhausted mind. Here’s an amateur YouTube recording of the same: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls1etFIj0kA&feature=related
God bless you for your faithfulness.
QM
Done!
AMDG,
-J.
He lives through you and you, too, are a legend. Ever press forward and many thanks!
We’ll pray, you, take a break from the treadmill.
And offer it for the Pope, who probably feels the same way.
Fr. Z., I promise to pray for you each day with the other Priests I pray for. May I also adopt you? (www.clerus.org Spiritual Adoption and Prayer for Priests)
May Mary Immaculate keep you in Her Heart always.
My prayers.
Father Z. you just needed a little love and prayer (or a lot as in above) including mine as always with great appreciation for what you do.
Time to watch and witness for a while, IMO.
“What do you read my lord?”
“Words.”
(you know, hamlet)
Leave it for a while, look at some deep space hubble pics.
I wonder if the Almighty has any plans for me or will the pain and sorrow and first of all emptyness contiue?Now I think that everything is meaningless and chasing after the wind.Please pray 4 me so I can get rid of doubts and strenghten my faith and find work at last.I was so close to God but then I became pround and greedy I was boasting that I am such a good Christian and surely Satan will never trap me when it comes to money,the next thing I knew was i was working 70hours per week just to earn as much as possible and money blinded me.Now poverty and misery are my closest friends.Please pray for me so I can find Adonai’s favour again.Surely u have gained treasure and stored up rewards in heaven 4 the wonderful job u do.Thank u and God bless u.