Question: After the recent storm, I haven’t been the same. I feel like everything is crashing down on me, and I am feeling a lack of faith. Any suggestions?

It sounds like you’ve been jolted or shaken by a recent event. Whether it’s a storm driven by the weather or other life events, I totally understand your feelings of losing faith. Stress, anxiety, and the emotions that accompany crisis are often described as feeling like giant waves crashing around you. Here are five steps for praying when you feel overwhelmed by life’s storms.

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Learning to trust God when you realize that you are not in control

When you become ill, seriously ill, you might feel hopeless or angry or full of despair. One of life’s most terrifying realizations is that we are not in control — God is. This virtual retreat provides guidance for prayer and reflection during the times when we need to trust God and to feel God’s presence, even when the future seems unclear.

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Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven, exult, let Angel ministers of God exult,
let the trumpet of salvation sound aloud our mighty King's triumph!

Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her, ablaze with light from her eternal King,
let all corners of the earth be glad, knowing an end to gloom and darkness.

Rejoice, let Mother Church also rejoice, arrayed with the lightning of his glory,
let this holy building shake with joy, filled with the mighty voices of the peoples.

Therefore, dearest friends, standing in the awesome glory of this holy light,
invoke with me, I ask you, the mercy of God almighty,
that he, who has been pleased to number me, though unworthy, among the Levites,
may pour into me his light unshadowed, that I may sing this candle's perfect praises.

Deacon: The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.
Deacon: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up to the Lord.
Deacon: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right and just.

It is truly right and just, with ardent love of mind and heart
and with devoted service of our voice, to acclaim our God invisible, the almighty Father,
and Jesus Christ, our Lord, his Son, his Only Begotten.

Who for our sake paid Adam's debt to the eternal Father, and, pouring out his own dear Blood,
wiped clean the record of our ancient sinfulness.

These, then, are the feasts of Passover, in which is slain the Lamb, the one true Lamb,
whose Blood anoints the doorposts of believers.

This is the night, when once you led our forebears, Israel's children, from slavery in Egypt
and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea.
This is the night that with a pillar of fire banished the darkness of sin.

This is the night that even now throughout the world, sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices
and from the gloom of sin, leading them to grace and joining them to his holy ones.

This is the night when Christ broke the prison-bars of death and rose victorious from the underworld.

Our birth would have been no gain, had we not been redeemed. O wonder of your humble care for us!
O love, O charity beyond all telling, to ransom a slave you gave away your Son!

O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!
O happy fault that earned for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer!

O truly blessed night, worthy alone to know the time and hour when Christ rose from the underworld!

This is the night of which it is written:
The night shall be as bright as day, dazzling is the night for me, and full of gladness.

The sanctifying power of this night dispels wickedness, washes faults away,
restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners, drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.
On this, your night of grace, O holy Father, accept this candle, a solemn offering,
the work of bees and of your servants' hands, an evening sacrifice of praise, this gift from your most holy Church.

But now we know the praises of this pillar, a flame divided but undimmed,
which glowing fire ignites for God's honour, a fire into many flames divided,
yet never dimmed by sharing of its light, for it is fed by melting wax,
drawn out by mother bees to build a torch so precious.

O truly blessed night, when things of heaven are wed to those of earth, and divine to the human.

Therefore, O Lord, we pray you that this candle, hallowed to the honour of your name,
may persevere undimmed, to overcome the darkness of this night.
Receive it as a pleasing fragrance, and let it mingle with the lights of heaven.
May this flame be found still burning by the Morning Star:
the one Morning Star who never sets, Christ your Son,
who, coming back from death's domain, has shed his peaceful light on humanity,
and lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.

"Christians, to the Paschal Victim offer your thankful praises!

A Lamb the sheep redeems; Christ, who only is sinless, reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous: The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.

Speak, Mary, declaring what you saw, wayfaring.
"The tomb of Christ, who is living, the glory of Jesus’ resurrection; bright angels attesting, the shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen; to Galilee he goes before you.”

Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining. Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning! Amen. Alleluia."

These few words capture the reason for our joy. We celebrate: Christ has died! Christ is Risen! Christ will come again!

We celebrate the love of God! We celebrate the goodness of God in sending us His own Beloved Son to be our Savior and Redeemer. We celebrate the tomb is empty! Our hearts overflow with gladness and laughter.

Christ is Risen from the dead! So too will we rise with Him when we die, because we have been baptized into His death and Resurrection! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!