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Summary
- Nine short prayers cover shocking thoughts during prayer, violent or disgusting thoughts, fear of being guilty, “what if” worry, old regrets, circling doubts, night, solitude and a loved one who suffers from intrusive thoughts.
- Traditional prayers are quoted from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer (the Collect for Purity, the Second Sunday in Lent collect, “For Quiet Confidence”), the 1888 Catholic Manual of Prayers (“Against Evil Thoughts”) and Hapgood’s 1906 Orthodox service book (Vespers).
- The Orthodox Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner,” ends with the publican’s prayer of Luke 18:13.
- Francis de Sales taught that a temptation “cannot harm us so long as it is unwelcome to us,” and the Rule of Saint Benedict says to dash evil thoughts “against Christ immediately” and reveal them to a spiritual father.
- The US National Institute of Mental Health lists unwanted religious, sexual or violent thoughts among common OCD obsessions and silent praying among common compulsions; exposure and response prevention therapy helps most people who continue treatment.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (1611), text of Project Gutenberg eBook no. 10 (Psalm 46:10; 94:19; 103:12; 121:4; 139:2; Isaiah 26:3; Matthew 4:1–11; 6:34; Luke 18:13; Romans 8:1; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Philippians 4:7–8; Hebrews 2:18; 4:15). https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10
- The Book of Common Prayer (Protestant Episcopal Church in the U.S.A.), Standard Book of 1928. The Holy Communion, The Collect, p. 67; The Second Sunday in Lent, The Collect, p. 127; Family Prayer, “For Quiet Confidence,” p. 595. PDF facsimile: https://www.artisticdailyprayers.org/uploads/3/0/1/6/30164961/bcp1928std.pdf
- A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity, prepared and published by order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore. New York: Catholic Publication Society, 1888. Occasional Prayers, “Against Evil Thoughts,” p. 168; Second Sunday in Lent, Collect, p. 694. https://archive.org/details/AManualOfPrayers1888
- Hapgood, Isabel Florence, trans. Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic (Greco-Russian) Church. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin, 1906. Great Vespers, prayer at the bowing of heads, p. 10. https://www.ponomar.net/data/hapgood.pdf
- Orthodox Church in America. “The Jesus Prayer.” The Orthodox Faith, vol. 4, Spirituality. https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/spirituality/prayer-fasting-and-almsgiving/the-jesus-prayer
- Francis de Sales. Introduction to the Devout Life. Library of Spiritual Works for English Catholics. Part IV, chapters 3 and 7. Christian Classics Ethereal Library. https://www.ccel.org/ccel/desales/devout_life
- St. Benedict’s Rule for Monasteries. Translated by Leonard J. Doyle. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1948. Chapter 4, instruments 50–51. Project Gutenberg eBook no. 50040. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50040
- Delany, Joseph. “Scruple.” The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13640a.htm
- National Institute of Mental Health. “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: When Unwanted Thoughts or Repetitive Behaviors Take Over.” https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-when-unwanted-thoughts-take-over
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. https://988lifeline.org/
- Samaritans. “Contact a Samaritan.” https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
- Children’s Helpline, Russia (8 800 2000 122). Fund for Support of Children in Difficult Life Situations. https://fond-detyam.ru/
