LAST week, Stephanie Valera, a family friend, gifted me with a book entitled “Detox,” written by Fr. Wilfredo Samson, SJ.
I thought it was just one of “those books.”
But after reading chapter 1, I felt I must immediately share its contents and my insights.
We all wish to stay fit and live longer. Thus, we exercise, eat healthier foods, and wish to detoxify our bodies.
For those of us who are weighed down by guilt, fear and anger, and/or have no sense of direction and are seeking meaning to our lives, we need to cleanse ourselves from negative energies and feelings. We need to detoxity our minds and hearts. We need Spiritual Detoxification!
Detoxification is cleansing our soul.
Stop entertaining negative thoughts in our minds. Negative thoughts are the food of the “little devil” in us. By CONSCIOUSLY not entertaining them in our minds, we deprive those little devils the nutrients to live in our hearts. We make them weak and unable to control our thoughts, decisions and action.
How do we start Detox? Fr. Samson says:
1. Spend at least 30 minutes to 1 hour in prayer.
2. Ask God for the grace of awareness to know the movements of evil spirits in our heart.
3. Identify those “little devils.” Name them. Example: Envy, despair, unforgiveness, etc. Naming them is the first step to overcoming them.
4. Think of each “little devil” one by one and how they affect you. Say, “Lord forgive me as I forgive myself.” Slowly say it 3 times.
5. Imagine Jesus coming to you and asking, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Answer Him.
6. Pray Psalm 51
“Have Mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;
According to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me...
(continue.. grab the Holy book from the shelf or check it out in your phone or laptop)
Memorize as much as you can, and repeat it every time you wish to be detoxified... Feel God’s warmth and consoling embrace, as the “little devils” hide and run away from His words.
End with a prayer of thanksgiving and with the Lord’s Prayer!
My Dearest Michael,
Detox yourself!
Detox yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Start now. Not tomorrow. Do not end the day with a defeat. Be victorious over the “little devils”.
Start the process and see God’s mercy and graces poured out upon you, chasing away the “little devils”, cleansing you of your sinfulness!
May all who read this, start the journey with you and also be detoxified!