Catholic · Emmaus course
You Shall Not Be Overcome: Spiritual Vanity, Sacred Darkness, and the Peace That Persists
Why does prayer go dry? Fr. Groeschel reveals the hidden danger in spiritual progress — and the ancient promise that will carry you through.
Something happens to serious Catholics that nobody warned them about. Their prayer, once warm and alive, goes cold. Their devotion, once effortless, becomes an act of will. God seems further away than when they started. And a voice whispers: What went wrong? Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR — Franciscan friar, clinical psychologist, and spiritual director — has a different answer. Nothing went wrong. In fact, something is going very right. In this three-lesson course drawn from his Spiritual Life Teaching Series, Fr. Groeschel names the danger of spiritual vanity, explains why God uses darkness to heal it, and reveals the promise that has sustained saints from John of the Cross to Julian of Norwich. You shall not be overcome.
With Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.
- Length
- 1 hr 25 min
- Lessons
- 3
- Level
- Intermediate
- Version
- Catholic
- Price
- Free
The devout Catholic enrolling in this course is hiring it to understand why their spiritual life has gone dry, and to discover that this is not abandonment but invitation.
About this course
Every serious Catholic eventually discovers that spiritual growth is not linear. The fervor of early conversion, the warmth of a retreat, the joy of the sacraments — these are real gifts. But they are not the whole journey.
Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR, was a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal, a clinical psychologist, and one of the most trusted spiritual guides of the twentieth century. In this three-lesson course, he names what is really happening in the soul, holds nothing back, and offers the tradition's answer with pastoral warmth and theological precision.
Lesson 1 — Spiritual Vanity and the Narcissism of Consolation. The voice that says 'I'm growing spiritually — it's all right' may be the most dangerous one in your interior life.
Lesson 2 — Sharing Christ's Suffering Without Choosing Misery. What does St. Paul mean when he says he fills up what is lacking in Christ's sufferings? How does Augustine hear Christ praying in us?
Lesson 3 — Divine Providence, Holy Examples, and the Promise of Peace. De Caussade's Abandonment to Divine Providence, two dying young men who refused to despair, and Julian of Norwich's words: You shall not be overcome.
If you have ever wondered why prayer goes dark, or what to do when it does, this course was made for you.
Who this course is for
The Faithful-but-Frustrated (Catholic adults 30–65)
Catholic adults (30–65) with an established spiritual practice — daily Mass, rosary, spiritual reading — who are experiencing or have experienced a period when their prayer went cold and God seemed absent.
Your darkness is not failure. Fr. Groeschel tells you what it means and what to do with it.
Also for Spiritual Directors and Confessors; DMU Graduate Students & Mental Health Professionals.
From the course syllabus
Every serious Catholic eventually discovers that spiritual growth is not linear. The fervor of early conversion, the warmth of a retreat, the joy of the sacraments — these are real gifts. But they are not the whole journey. Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR, was a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal, a clinical psychologist, and one of the most trusted spiritual guides of the twentieth century. In this three-lesson course, he names what is really happening in the soul, holds nothing back, and offers the tradition's answer with pastoral warmth and theological precision. If you have ever wondered why prayer goes dark, or what to do when it does, this course was made for you.
Curriculum
-
Module 1
You Shall Not Be Overcome
- 1.Lesson 01: Spiritual Vanity and the Narcissism of Consolation
- 2.Lesson 02: Sharing Christ's Suffering Without Choosing Misery
- 3.Lesson 03: Divine Providence, Holy Examples, and the Promise of Peace
More courses
When God Feels Silent: Discerning Consolation in Prayer
Ever prayed and felt nothing? You aren't doing it wrong. In this Divine Mercy University course, discover how God speaks, why feelings aren't the goal, and how St. Teresa’s garden analogy shows if your prayer life is truly growing.
1 hr · 1 lesson · Intermediate
With Fr. John Bartunek, LC
You Shall Not Be Overcome: Spiritual Vanity, Sacred Darkness, and the Peace That Persists
Why does prayer go dry? Fr. Groeschel reveals the hidden danger in spiritual progress — and the ancient promise that will carry you through.
1 hr 25 min · 3 lessons · Intermediate
With Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.
Failure Is Not an Option: Leadership, Decision-Making & Virtue Under Pressure
An asynchronous, six-lesson formation course that uses six scenes from the film Apollo 13 (1995) — set beside the real April 1970 mission — as a case study in how good decisions get made and good character is revealed when everything is on the line.
3 hrs · 8 lessons · Beginner