Anyone else feel pain or sadness b/c of fallen away Catholic in their lives?

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lovecatholic

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Does anyone else out there feel pain, sadness, or frustration as a result of fallen away Catholics in their lives? (such as a fallen away spouse, parent, child, or friend?)

I live with a silent “pain” because my spouse is fallen away from the Church. I am trying to reach out to others who feel pain as a result of fallen away Catholics in their lives, and to offer prayers for all fallen away Catholics. I am trying to do this through a new website, “Praying for Them - Praying for Fallen Away Catholics” at prayingforthem.blogspot.com/

Please check out the website and let me know what you think.

Also, if you are feeling sadness/pain/etc. because of fallen away Catholics in your life, please post here… surely I am not alone in my pain?

Thanks and God bless!
 
Yes. I gave up Starbucks as a sacrifice for someone! I also offer a decade of the Rosary for the person each day.
 
KCT said:
Yes. I gave up Starbucks as a sacrifice for someone! I also offer a decade of the Rosary for the person each day.
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Great idea sacrificing things. And for some, giving up Starbucks is indeed a HUGE sacrifice! 🙂
 
I agree that prayer and sacrifice is good remedy. Will also keep your spouse in my prayers…
 
My spouse has recently fallen away, as well. Thank you for the website. I will visit it because I don’t know what else to do.
 
People leave the Catholic faith for one, or both, of two reasons. Head and heart. If you peel back the layers of reasons or justification, you will find they:

Did not really know the Faith.

Did not have a true relationship with Christ.

Working to help those who have left find the reason, and to address it with love, example and sacrifice is every Catholic’s duty. Prayers for you.
 
pamnbam said:
My spouse has recently fallen away, as well. Thank you for the website. I will visit it because I don’t know what else to do.
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Thank you, please post a comment on the site so we can pray for your spouse. Please also feel free to message me privately. I would be glad to talk more.
 
kage_ar said:
People leave the Catholic faith for one, or both, of two reasons. Head and heart. If you peel back the layers of reasons or justification, you will find they:

Did not really know the Faith.

Did not have a true relationship with Christ.

Working to help those who have left find the reason, and to address it with love, example and sacrifice is every Catholic’s duty. Prayers for you.
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Thank you for your comments, insights, and prayers. May God bless you.

Please share the website with anyone you know who could benefit from it!
 
My husband just informed me that the Catholic church is “corrupt” and full of sin. I am left holding the bag as to either join him or live in sin because I am not submitting to the will of my husband (his words). He is in a Baptist church now. We have 2 kids in the home and I don’t know what to do. I will visit your website…up til know I have been so lonely…and sad. Bless You.
 
:sad_yes: The website is a great idea lovecatholic. “I-wish-I-would-have-thought-of-it” good.
 
lovecatholic said:
Does anyone else out there feel pain, sadness, or frustration as a result of fallen away Catholics in their lives? (such as a fallen away spouse, parent, child, or friend?)

I live with a silent “pain” because my spouse is fallen away from the Church. I am trying to reach out to others who feel pain as a result of fallen away Catholics in their lives, and to offer prayers for all fallen away Catholics. I am trying to do this through a new website, “Praying for Them - Praying for Fallen Away Catholics” at prayingforthem.blogspot.com/

Please check out the website and let me know what you think.

Also, if you are feeling sadness/pain/etc. because of fallen away Catholics in your life, please post here… surely I am not alone in my pain?

Thanks and God bless!
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Oh my God yes!😊

A brother who started his “own church” a sister who was not properly catecheised, and a daughter and son, both of whom were raised in a good Roman Catholic home enviorment. I taught CCD for 10 years and had the kids in class for many of them.

Peer presure and Satan are one tough tag team for losing souls. Pray and then pray somemore. God win’s in the end.
 
Yes, I feel a lot of pain and sadness over this. My spouse has fallen away, doesn’t bother going to Mass anymore, and I feel so alone sometimes going to Mass by myself and seeing husbands and wives together. My son has decided he is no longer a Catholic, although he doesn’t ever attend any church, and my daughter, while Catholic and a believer, sort of picks and chooses things, and is irregular in her Mass attendance. I am concerned for my grandchildren and their religious upbringing.

I pray all the time for my family to come back to the Church, to come back to God, and it gets discouraging when my prayers seem to be unanswered. So I guess the only thing to do is keep on praying and trust God to open their hearts. I know how St. Monica must have felt when St. Augustine was out doing his thing.😦
 
bannergirl said:
My husband just informed me that the Catholic church is “corrupt” and full of sin. I am left holding the bag as to either join him or live in sin because I am not submitting to the will of my husband (his words). He is in a Baptist church now. We have 2 kids in the home and I don’t know what to do. I will visit your website…up til know I have been so lonely…and sad. Bless You.
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God’s will is that you and your children stay in the Catholic Church… God’s will is what should guide your life at this time. You husband is not speaking God’s will, unfortunately.

St. Monica and St. Dominic, please guide this woman to do Your holy will, and Your will alone. Please give this woman the strength she needs to raise her children in the Catholic faith. Please give her husband the grace of conversion.
 
PJM said:
Oh my God yes!😊

A brother who started his “own church” a sister who was not properly catecheised, and a daughter and son, both of whom were raised in a good Roman Catholic home enviorment. I taught CCD for 10 years and had the kids in class for many of them.

Peer presure and Satan are one tough tag team for losing souls. Pray and then pray somemore. God win’s in the end.
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Thanks for your post. What do you think of the website? prayingforthem.blogspot.com/

What kind of things would you like to see on there, things that would bring hope, inspiration, and encouragement to those who visit?
 
CB_Catholic said:
Yes, I feel a lot of pain and sadness over this. My spouse has fallen away, doesn’t bother going to Mass anymore, and I feel so alone sometimes going to Mass by myself and seeing husbands and wives together. My son has decided he is no longer a Catholic, although he doesn’t ever attend any church, and my daughter, while Catholic and a believer, sort of picks and chooses things, and is irregular in her Mass attendance. I am concerned for my grandchildren and their religious upbringing.

I pray all the time for my family to come back to the Church, to come back to God, and it gets discouraging when my prayers seem to be unanswered. So I guess the only thing to do is keep on praying and trust God to open their hearts. I know how St. Monica must have felt when St. Augustine was out doing his thing.😦
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Wow, I can very much relate to your feelings. I can easily become discouraged in mass when I see other families together…those with a child my son’s age, who have their daddies in church. I wish my husband were there with me. It is very hard taking care of a little one by myself during mass, and I feel like I don’t get much out of mass, but I am doing the best I can during mass without my husband there. I think most people in church must think I’m a single mother.
 
PJM said:
Peer presure and Satan are one tough tag team for losing souls. Pray and then pray somemore. God win’s in the end.
Click to expand...
Yes they are, they got me for a few years and they got my brother now. His rebellion causes a bit of a riff in the family, sometimes worse than other times but always not good (to put it nicely).

I like your site lovecatholic, it really is a great idea and you’re on my blog roll now.
 
Yes
I had the sadness in this last week to learn why my sons turned from the faith. When my youngest was thirteen I gave my boys a thin book on basic Catholic belief so that they knew more of what the Church actually teachs us. My son said, “I’ve never told you, Mum, that it was because of that book. We all agree on that. We didn’t want to hurt you so we said nothing. It was reading about mortal and venial sin. We felt we couldn’t be sure of avoiding sin and we might be damned. So we decided that we would be good people and live the best we could without all those [oppressive] rules.” And all three are wonderful, loving, kind men.

Anyone who knows me would know how I’d have replied to anyone on this forum who might say that, but the dear boys didn’t want to hurt me so I never got the chance to explain the love of God in our weakness in the way that would have helped then. And I did talk with my youngest about that this week, and he understood, but it’s light-years too late. They are good and loving too but far from that point, and of course have built up other objections, some of which are Vatican centred.

I feel very sad, because in a sense I was responsible for their loss of Catholic faith. You do see people on the forum driving themselves to distraction with their worries about human weaknesses and sin. I do understand. My husband who was a convert lost faith when he fell to stress-breakdown from which and the consequences of which he’s never recovered. When asked, “What broke your heart?”, he replied, “God did. I tried my utmost best, and there was no response.” So in my immediate family I’m last Catholic standing. It isn’t because I don’t have a questioning mind. I do. I understand very well the humanity in their positions. They on the other hand are obliging and supportive of my beliefs and usual daily Mass…because I’m Mum, and Trishie, and they love me. But it’s no different to how they’d treat me if it were a hobby or and interest, it’s simply understood, “That’s Mum”.

Parents wonder, “what did I do wrong?” “How did I fail them”…in any way we see as failures towards them large or small. And there are times we might wonder, did I sin in some way I don’t quite realise? And so on. It’s hard sometimes not to blame onself…and now I know that it wasn’t outside interests that affected my sons. It was their feeling suffocated by Church rules as presented in a booklet I gave them on Catholic belief. Church rules are far from the whole story of the Catholic faith, which is a part that needs to be interpreted in faith and love, not fear and inadequacy. Certainly I was a loving mother and taught them, and showed them much about love, but they tied it to me as a person, not to God or the Church. Towards me there is always an embracing affection, and they often verbally express their love for me.

But I find there’s nothing I can do regarding their faith but pray and love them
 
what Scripture says

“Stop your crying and wipe away your tears. All that you have done for your children will not go unrewarded; they will return from the enemy’s land. There is hope for your future; your children will come back home. I, the Lord, have spoken.” [Jeremiah 31:16-17]

“How I wanted to rank you with my sons and give you a country of delights, the fairest heritage of the nations. I had thought you would call Me; ‘my Father’, and would never cease to follow Me.” [Jeremiah 3:9]

“Why does this people persist in apostasy, they cling to illusion, they refuse to come back.” [Jeremiah 8:5]
“Your own apostasies are rebuking you: consider carefully…how bitter it is for You to abandon the Lord your God.” [Jeremiah 2:19]

“As by your will you first strayed away from God, so now turn back and search for Him ten times as hard…so will He rescue you and give you eternal joy.” [Baruch 4:21, 4:28] “Take courage, my children, call on God: He will deliver you from tyranny, from the hands of your enemies.” [Baruch 5:21]

“Bring me back; let me come back, for You are the Lord my God! Yes I turned away, but have since repented.” [Jeremiah 31:18]

“With great love I will take you back…for a moment I hid my face from you. But with everlasting love I have taken pity on you’ says God, your redeemer.” [Isaiah 54:7-8]

“Return, you exiles who now have hope; return to your place of safety. I tell you now; I will repay you twice over with blessing for all you have suffered.” [Zechariah 9:12-13]

“Relent, Lord God! How much longer do we have? Take pity on your servants. Let us wake in the morning filled with Your love, and sing and be happy all our days. Make our future as happy as our past was sad…Let your servants see what You can do for them, let their children see your glory. May the sweetness of the Lord be on us! Make all we do succeed.”

“All the works of the Lord are good, and He will supply every want in due time. You must not say, ’This is worse than that’, for everything will prove its value in its time. So now, sing with all your heart and voice, and bless the name of the Lord!” [Ecclesiasticus 39:33-35]
 
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