Advice for teenagers losing their faith?

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Got any advice for Catholic teenagers losing their faith? I attend Mass every Saturday, frequent confession, pray nightly, use Catholic curriculum for my schooling, read religious books, and etc etc. Somehow despite all of this, I’m falling into a terrible patch of extreme doubt. I’m from an extremely religious family, too, so maybe something like this is normal? Aha, you guys got any advice for me?

Not gonna lie, it’s a terrible feeling. Especially when you start thinking about how such a loving God would permit such a thing to happen.
 
This ‘patch’ may be coming from the devil:
‘Be not disturbed, dispute not in your mind, answer not the doubts sent by the devil, but believe
the words of God, believe His saints and prophets and the evil enemy will flee from you. It is often
very profitable for the servant of God to suffer such things. For Satan does not tempt unbelievers
and sinners whom he already holds securely, but in many ways he does tempt and trouble the
faithful servant.’ - The Imitation of Christ
 
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adamhovey1988 said:
Faith isn’t something you can lose.
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Personally, I disagree with that. JMHO. I completely lost my faith.

For the OP, as you grow up you may find yourself questioning many things you once believed and that includes your religious beliefs. My advice is to understand that it may well be a phase you are going through and your faith may return stronger than ever. It may not. What you want to do is realize that this may be temporary and certainly don’t start completely redefining yourself based on what may be a temporary phase or questioning period.

Don’t refuse to continuing going to Mass and certainly discuss this with your Priest or spiritual director. They can be your best avenue as you work through this.
 
I walked away from the Church at around age 14-15 (while attending a Catholic high school), and stayed away for a few decades, and I believe a substantial reason for my leaving (other than my desire to pursue my own sinful life as I chose) was that nobody ever gave me any Catholic meat suitable for my age. My high school taught me absolutely nothing about Augustine, Aquinas, Chesterton, any of the Fathers of the Church, scripture, or anything of substance about God or the Catholic faith. And I do mean absolutely nothing.

So leave behind the “dumbed-down, banners and balloons Catholicism” (Bishop Barron’s phrase) that pervades our age, and seek out the great minds who have written down the ages about God and Church.

BTW, Bishop Barron lists the books he gave to his high-school niece in this video:
 
Doubts and questions are neutral in and of themselves. It’s what you do with them that matters.

As a teenager, your brain is still developing and making new connections all the time. It’s a super exciting time of life because of this, and experiencing things in new ways is normal and proper for this stage of your development.

Don’t hide from the world’s questions and challenges. Engage with the questions and seek the answers from the Church and its trusted teachers – the Catechism, the teachings of Saints and the writings of the Church Fathers. The answers won’t be sound bites or something you can post as a meme. They are complex and worthy of the time it takes to reflect on and understand them.

My advice would be to develop comfort with not knowing or having all the answers, with saying “I don’t know yet” to the questions and challenges of non-Catholic peers.

Bring your confusion, concerns, doubts, etc., to God in prayer. Honestly, lately the most common thing I say in prayer is “I hope You’re real, help my lack of faith.”

Stay the course – your perseverance will pay off in the long run. Instead of being Catholic because that was how you were raised, your faith will belong to you alone. It will be based on your searching and what you find, rather than what your family told you or what they expect of you.

Be at peace! I’ll keep you in my prayers!
 
mystary said:
so maybe something like this is normal?
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Yup.

That being said, my go-to books for when the world is bearing down hard on my faith are:

Handbook Of Christian Apologetics by Peter Kreeft
Mere Christianity by CS Lewis

I’ll tuck you into my Divine Mercy Chaplet tonight 🙂❤️:pray:t2:
 
mystary said:
Especially when you start thinking about how such a loving God would permit such a thing to happen.
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Ok, let’s not lay this on God “permitting such a thing to happen,” okay? You are in charge of your faith. God doesn’t look down, see you are losing your faith and zap it back into you like magic.

It would really help to know what you actually mean by losing your faith.
 
Doubt at this age is perfectly normal.

This is when you move out from under your parents’ faith and step into your own.

The Church can answer any question you have and many that you will not even ask. Be bold, ask the hard questions.

A GREAT resource for combating the hard questions is the articles over at the Strange Notions website.

Read all of the Peter Kreeft you can get your hands on. Read Frank Sheed’s works, start with “To Know Christ Jesus” and “Theology for Beginners”
 
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Different problems require different solutions so it would be best to explain what the problem is exactly.
 
Hey, I am a Catholic teenager who, believe it or not, has experienced this. As far as the doubt comes, though, no other denomination (or religion, for that matter) has saints with incorrupt bodies that exist to this day. There are also Eucharistic miracles that are physical proof. But beyond the physical evidence, is faith. There is a faith-based explanation for everything anti-catholic people throw at us, from Atheist objections, to other religions objections, to Protestant objections, etc.
What I do is subscribe to Catholic YouTube channels, like Ascension Presents, Catholic answers, and Bishop Robert Barron. Each have their own good insights on several different things; Bishop Robert Barron for modern culture, CA for apologetics, and Ascension for everyday life. You may want to watch a few videos that interest you, and then it will become habit-forming. These videos work well, in addition to everything you mentioned in your post. I think that I can say with fair confidence that there are a number of us here who will pray for you!
God Bless!
 
Bless you for recognizing that things aren’t right in your world and for seeking guidance.

Make a big sign that says, “Thank you, God, for another beautiful day!” Put that sign where it is that your eyes usually land when you first open them in the morning. Immediately say, “Thank you, God, for another beautiful day,” before you do anything else, even if it’s pouring down rain and 33 degrees outside, with nary a hint of sunshine. Say it! Because each day that God permits us to partake of His bounty IS another beautiful day!

Then start praying as you get up & prepare for the day. Say prayers you’ve memorized & just plain talk to Our Lord, in your own words, about your concerns. Speak to each of our Triune God. Ask your Guardian Angel to be extra vigilant on your behalf. Use holy water. If you get into these habits, you will start to talk to God more often throughout your day, and you’ll be better able to withstand the ups and downs of life. Can’t think of anything to say? Doubting their reality? Tell them! Ask them to help you see, to help you believe, to help you trust.

Your intellect is a wonderful thing, and a terrible thing. The devil gleefully latches on to your ability to reason, influences what you determine to be fact or myth, and plants those seeds of doubt. Sic your Guardian Angel on him! I’m quite serious. Don’t get sidetracked by what you THINK that you perceive.

Sports, dances, parties, TV, cell phones and just goofing off often prod you to not give your best to your schoolwork or to your family, and faith begins to play second fiddle to these trivial pursuits. Ooops! It’s that old devil who does the prodding! Sic your Guardian Angel onto him!

Drive way out into the country. Breathe in the majesty of God’s creations all around you—the earth, the trees, bodies of water, the highest points of land—at sunrise, sunset, and all points in between. Use that intellect! Only God could create such magnificence!

Imagine the brains of the Being who designed the intricacies of our kidneys, our hearts, our livers, our brains, our eyes, our ears, our circulatory systems; even flies have blood! Marvel at His ingenuity!

Ask yourself what organization, other than the Roman Catholic Church, has lasted 1,986 years? (2,000 yrears in 2033.) Could a hoax possibly last that long?

Study the lives and customs of the Jewish people of Old Testament days to see how naturally Jesus developed our Holy Mass and how good it felt for those Jews who recognized Him as their Messiah. Read and reread Christ’s words! Believe! Trust!

Spend as much time as you can in the presence of Our Lord in Adoration. Let His radiance penetrate your bones, your innermost heart. Bask in His love. You will believe. Your faith will glow. Trust in Him!

God bless you!
 
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Read the book “case for Christ” as it was written by an atheist, who obviously then converted.
 
Sounds like you’re following your religion, which isn’t faith. Often, it’s to satisfy feeling part of a group. But again, that’s not faith.

Not until you receive the gift of faith, which is God’s revelation of Himself to you, however that may happen, you’ll struggle with following the tenets of the religion.

Be open to God and pray for the Holy Spirit to come into your life. In other words, ask Jesus to prove Himself. If you surrender yourself and remain open to whatever He sends, you’ll receive the gift of faith from the Holy Spirit. It could take may years before this happens. Often it’s something we’re not willing to let go of.

Prayer is the key

Jim
 
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