A personal relationship with the deity?

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Albedo

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I was just wondering how you all maintain a personal relationship with God. I’ve never felt a personal attachment to God even though I try and believe in Him. I read a lot of theology and philosophy, and I pray as much as possible, but I just don’t feel like He is listening. Perhaps this sounds blasphemous, but I’m speaking honestly, and I *know *He listens to us all – but I just don’t *feel *it, and I’d honestly like to feel it in my heart and psyche.

Any suggestions on how I could create and nurture a relationship with Our Lord? Thank you in advance, and I’m sorry if this has been answered elsewhere. =)
 
It can be hard to connect with the idea of a “deity.” I suggest you focus on the person of Jesus Christ in your prayer. He came to make God accessible to us!
 
Start by saying the rosary. I began with one little decade for awhile and then found myself craving for more. Then I was lead to adoration. For me going to Our Blessed Mother lead me back to Christ and what Blessings and Gifts I received through Mary, Queen of Heaven! I have heard it stated Mary will lead you to her most Beloved Son!
 
I would suggest that you find a quiet Catholic Church or, even better, If you know of a place near you where they have adoration. You need to have some quiet time with Jesus. Tell him that you believe in him and to help you to know that He is there. Be patient. It may not happen right away but in His time, you will be certain.

May He bless you abundantly.

Kathy
 
Visit Him in the tabernacle. Say hello at the Mass. Talk with Him always and all ways. Read His book.

Just be patient, you’ll come to a point where you know God is right there with you.
 
A friend told me about a conversation he had with a Protestant who, when he discovered my friend was a Catholic, said “I prefer to have a more personal relationship with Jesus.” End of conversation.

When he related this to me I was stunned. How much more personal a relationship can one have than a Catholic who has just received the Eucharist. That’s not just a personal relationship, it’s an INTIMATE one.

IMHO when a person is experiencing some difficulty with their Faith, the answer is often to be found in Confession. From my own observation with my kids (6), every 3 - 4 weeks is about right when things are going okay. When there are problems a person should go more often.

Combined with visits to the Blessed Sacrament and reading the Gospels, this should help build a better, closer relationship with God.
 
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Albedo:
Any suggestions on how I could create and nurture a relationship with Our Lord? Thank you in advance, and I’m sorry if this has been answered elsewhere. =)
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I have found that faith and feelings are two very different and, at times, contrary faculties. Faith is a choice of the will, just like true love. Infatuation is a feeling, but true love is a decision of the will. Many new Christians have strong feelings that fade with time, just like someone who falls in love. But, as one makes the effort to do all those things that God teaches us are good for us spiritually, like those mentioned by other posters, our faith grows. The more we exercise our will and choose to believe, not because we feel it, but because it is the truth, the stronger our faith grows. Good feelings often accompany our spiritual growth and they are great when they come, but our spiritual growth isn’t defined by our feelings.

Press in and the feelings will come.
 
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atsheeran:
It can be hard to connect with the idea of a “deity.” I suggest you focus on the person of Jesus Christ in your prayer. He came to make God accessible to us!
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I like that…:amen:
 
Thank you for the suggestions, everyone. I’d like to respond to each of you individually but I’m too lazy, I’m afraid … 🙂

One poster mentioned the idea of confession, and I think it would help me. I’m just so scared of going because I’ve never gone in my entire life … so you can imagine my fear. Once I do it once, I’m sure a great burden of sinfulness will be lifted from my conscience. It’s just hard to take the leap of faith, you know? If anyone can give me personal stories (or stories of other people) going to confession for the first time, perhaps it would help. Thanks! And please don’t waste time telling me how bad it is not to go to confession – I know it’s a grave sin and I’m endangering my well-being (and my very soul) by not going.

I used to read the Bible but then I stopped … I burnt myself out, I’m afraid. I think I’ll start reading one to two pages every day again, though. I also used to pray the rosary daily and say a litany to Jesus every day, but they didn’t really help me feel connected to Our Lord, sadly.

I won’t give up, and again, thanks for the help everyone! Much appreciated.
 
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Albedo:
I also used to pray the rosary daily and say a litany to Jesus every day, but they didn’t really help me feel connected to Our Lord, sadly.

I won’t give up, and again, thanks for the help everyone! Much appreciated.
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Please take it from someone who has learned through hardship and many dry periods, if you are looking for feelings, you may be disappointed. As I said, faith is a choice of the will.
 
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Albedo:
Any suggestions on how I could create and nurture a relationship with Our Lord?
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Go to adoration. There is nothing like praying in front of the Sacrament. It has worked wonders for me- it always rejuvenates my faith. While at adoration, if you can’t think of what to say, read a spiritual book, or pray the rosary.
 
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JimO:
Please take it from someone who has learned through hardship and many dry periods, if you are looking for feelings, you may be disappointed. As I said, faith is a choice of the will.
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I’ve already made a conscious choice to believe – I did that a few years ago – but I’ve never felt anything concrete from it. I don’t know how else to word it without bringing up “feelings.” Perhaps I’m expecting to be filled with unending euphoria and the Light of God, but I don’t know. I just don’t feel like my faith has helped me very much … and it’s probably my own fault, anyway.

I know my faith has helped me morally and philosophically, but I wish I had some more spiritual benefits, not just psychological/personal ones.
 
Albedo said:
I’ve never gone
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in my entire life … so you can imagine my fear.QUOTE]

Albedo,

I sent you a private message about confession. It wa sort of long to post here. I hope that you will go and go soon. Our Dear Lord is waiting to free you from the burden of your sins. You are precious to Him and he want to draw you closer.

You say that you have never been to confession and so I have to ask if you are fully initiated into the Church in other respects? Have you recieved Holy Communion and have you been confirmed?
 
Hi Albedo,

I don’t have anything new to say, except to tell you that I know what it’s like to feel so far away from God. Let me expand on the advice you’ve already been given here:

–Confession. Whenever I have committed mortal sins, I lose the feeling of closeness to God. I can tell you from first-hand experience, the sacrament of Confession will bring you closer to God.

–The Eucharist! Since you are unable to receive the Eucharist (because you haven’t been to confession), it is no wonder that you feel like you’re not close to God! The Eucharist IS Jesus Christ. Receiving Jesus in the Eucharist is the closest relationship we can possibly have with Him here on earth. Not only will you feel closer to God, but you’ll also receive the graces associated with that sacrament.

What better way to end this Year of the Eucharist than by confessing your sins, being forgiven, and receiving Jesus Christ in His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity! It doesn’t get much closer to God than that, dude.

Oh, and Junior kicks Albedo’s butt. :cool: Peace,

Chris
 
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Albedo:
Thank you for the suggestions, everyone. I’d like to respond to each of you individually but I’m too lazy, I’m afraid … 🙂

One poster mentioned the idea of confession, and I think it would help me. I’m just so scared of going because I’ve never gone in my entire life … so you can imagine my fear. Once I do it once, I’m sure a great burden of sinfulness will be lifted from my conscience. It’s just hard to take the leap of faith, you know? If anyone can give me personal stories (or stories of other people) going to confession for the first time, perhaps it would help. Thanks! And please don’t waste time telling me how bad it is not to go to confession – I know it’s a grave sin and I’m endangering my well-being (and my very soul) by not going.

I used to read the Bible but then I stopped … I burnt myself out, I’m afraid. I think I’ll start reading one to two pages every day again, though. I also used to pray the rosary daily and say a litany to Jesus every day, but they didn’t really help me feel connected to Our Lord, sadly.

I won’t give up, and again, thanks for the help everyone! Much appreciated.
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Albedo:

I hear your pain. You’re going through the “Dark Night of the Soul without ever having gotten to know God”. What you’re experiencing is part of why I left some 23 years ago, but at least I had known God so that He could bring me back.

Have you ever been baptized or confirmed? Have you received the Eucharist? If you haven’t, that would explain a lot of what you’re experiencing, because it’s harder to know God and experience him in your life without the Sacraments.

If you haven’t received any of those Sacraments, list them, and we’ll start working on them for you…

Meanwhile:

You might want to watch Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ, and then think about the fact that, if you had been the only sinner on this entire earth who both needed salvation and would accept it, He would have gladly gone through everything depicted in the movie just for YOU!

The next time you say the “Our Father” substitute the word “Daddy” in place of “Our Father” - That (“Abba”-“Daddy”) is the word Jesus used. This will sound childish, but picture getting into God’s lap as you start to pray.

You can also say the Prayer of the Publican or the Jesus Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
Have mercy on me, A sinner.

Repeat it a few times, breathing in SLOWLY as you say the first line and breathing out SLOWLY as you say the second. The best place to do this is in front of the Blessed Sacrament - The worst behind the wheel of your car.

And, stop using the word “Diety” for a while. God is something that’s way out there. Although he’s a transcendent reality, He’s also all around you waiting for you to allow him in:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, (then) I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.” ** Rev. 3:20 NAB**

Speaking of Confession - The Seal of the Confessional is Absolute, & priests are sworn not to devulge anything said in Confession even if tortured or thrown in jail. The Seal goes both ways, which means I can only talk in general terms.

When I came back to the Church in Oct., 2003, I was a mess, largely because I hadn’t been to services or received the Sacraments in over 20 years. The first 2 times I went to Confession, I dealt with what happened during that 20 years and the damage from those activities.

The Confessional is often called “God’s Operating Room”, because the one doing the real work in the Confessional isn’t the Penitent or the Confessor. The one doing all the heavy lifting and major surgery is God the Holy Spirit. That was the case I went - I talked and cried - The Confessor prayed, and God removed the poisonous serpant that had attached itself to me and removed the poison.

I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil. 1:6 NAB.

Let me know if any of this helps and what we can help take you through.

In Christ, Michael
 
Here are my suggestions. Go to Benediction or Adoration. Find the most pious church in the area, make a pilgramage to one far away if you need to. Just be present and allow the reverance and beauty of the experience speak to you.

As soon as you can, even before attending Adoration, go outside. Lay on the ground. Feel it beneath you. Smell it. The earth, the scent, your ability to feel, and you yourself are all made by God. You can learn to be aware of it, you can learn to use your “God sense” and sharpen it the way that you learn to sharpen any other sense. Practice. Feel, really feel and smell, and taste, and hear and touch all the good real solid stuff that God loves you with.

Then, get a watch with an alarm. Set it to go off at various times of the day. When it goes off. Stop what you are doing and pay attention.Pay attention to both the physical and spiritual nuances of the moment. Sharpen that God sense.

The blinders will fall away, the myopia will be corrected and you will be able to experience God in a more intimate way. Many of us were taught about God, but not introduced to God. And I think we have ideas about how He will look, act, sound, etc and we get to the point of not being able to sense Him, because our heads are full of notions that limit.

Allow yourself to be surprised!

cheddar
 
PRAY THE ROSARY!!! I am thoroughly convinced this devotion to Our Mother saved my soul from eternal damnation by giving me courage to go to Confession AND gave me a degree of Faith that fits perfectly into my life. I was beginning to doubt as well…stay perserverant. God will answer you.

At Confession I told the Priest about my situaion very similar to yours and he said every day to ask God to pour into your soul a greater Faith than ever before…I was doubtful of this, but I prayed for it and now I am healed.

I’ll pray for you.
 
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Albedo:
I was just wondering how you all maintain a personal relationship with God. I’ve never felt a personal attachment to God even though I try and believe in Him. I read a lot of theology and philosophy, and I pray as much as possible, but I just don’t feel like He is listening. QUOTE]
start listening to Him. He speaks primarily through Sacred Scripture. Begin tonight reading the Gospel of Mark, the shortest, one section (not whole chapter) at a time. Then stop after reading the paragraph a couple of times and simply sit in the presence of the Lord, listening with your heart and soul rather than with your ears and intellect. The only prayer you need words for at this time is “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Leave off reading books about God and read His book for a while, and give other reading a rest for a period of time.
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asquared:
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Albedo:
I was just wondering how you all maintain a personal relationship with God. I’ve never felt a personal attachment to God even though I try and believe in Him. I read a lot of theology and philosophy, and I pray as much as possible, but I just don’t feel like He is listening. QUOTE]
start listening to Him. He speaks primarily through Sacred Scripture. Begin tonight reading the Gospel of Mark, the shortest, one section (not whole chapter) at a time. Then stop after reading the paragraph a couple of times and simply sit in the presence of the Lord, listening with your heart and soul rather than with your ears and intellect. The only prayer you need words for at this time is “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Leave off reading books about God and read His book for a while, and give other reading a rest for a period of time.
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I sure understand how you feel, and there may or may not be some formula to acquire a close relationship with Jesus, but I can only relate to you what happened to me. I was in my late thirties, going to Mass and Communion almost every day. Trying very hard to become close to Jesus and not succeeding. When, God healed (a not so holy) friend of mine of a skin disease. What went through my mind at the time was: “There must be more to religion than I know.” Looking back I see that I stopped saying no to God, and this opened up my mind and heart to Him. Jesus has come to me thought the gift of tongues, visions, prophecy, has spoken to me audibly, and in my mind. I know also the more a person walks in the word of God the closer they come to Jesus.
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