Anyone else's faith suffering from this crisis?

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StudentMI

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I just feel like my faith is atrophying. Not from ‘how could God let this happen?’ kind of questions but more just the lack of practice. Is anyone else feeling this?
 
I’m so used to being busy playing piano and organ at several churches each weekend (Catholic and Protestant), so I have kind of gotten used to a “working” faith.

And that’s gone now. It feels…strange. Kind of restful. Very basic.

What this is teaching me is that my faith does not depend on my works, but on truth–God is real, and He has a wonderful plan for my life, and for everyone’s life.

Since your id is “StudentMI,” I’m assuming that you are young, with not as many life experiences as I have lived through now that I am in my 60s. So I can understand why this awful pandemic and the resulting sheltering-in-place is challenging your faith.

But stick with God. Believe in Him even though all your normal “faith exercises” are upended. He’s right here where He always is, and even closer to us as so many are suffering and dying. He is near them, helping them through it all and leading them to through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, comforting them with His rod and staff. And there are plenty of saints and angels near us, praying for us all.

Keep the faith.
 
My faith in Christ isn’t suffering even though I feel disconnected from the Church. Try reading the Bible as much as possible. That’s the only thing that’s getting me through this.
 
Sure, in ways. I am not as strong without Holy Communion. I dont feel as holy without going to frequent mass. But I do push through and keep devotion to the rosary. Maybe Pick a thing and do it .
 
This time is a blessing in disguise. ‘If you withdraw yourself from unnecessary talking and idle running about, from listening to gossip and rumors, you will find enough time that is suitable for holy meditation.’ - The Imitation of Christ
 
IMHO if you feel like your faith is suffering it probably isn’t.

What would be more worrisome is if you thought it was no big deal to have no mass & other sacraments.

This reminds me of a tale where an atheist derided a catholic and said “all these masses you’ve been to and you can’t recall a single sermon!” The catholic responded, “mass is like a meal. I can’t remember meals i had 20 years ago, but they sustained me.”

…and so it is now. We miss the sustaining presence of the sacraments even if we don’t know it.

You’ll be fine, MIStudent (I know, because we’ve locked horns before!)
 
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Yes, we have to “invest” our gifts of faith, hope, and love. We have to continue to seek God and to live in His ways and respond to His grace.
 
Perhaps it would help to practice more. Pray more. Read scripture more. Post moving passages on social media more. If you still feel your faith is suffering after that, call me in the morning lol.

Pax

Stephen
 
StudentMI said:
I just feel like my faith is atrophying. Not from ‘how could God let this happen?’ kind of questions but more just the lack of practice. Is anyone else feeling this?
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Long before synagogues and church parishes and liturgies and EMHC’s…

…Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God…

…In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.

… When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty walk before me faithfully and be blameless.
 
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I don’t know if it’s suffering or decreasing so mush as just different.

I still pray every day.
But it’s no longer sacramental and liturgical.
I’m not scared of drifting away from God, but I am drifting.

I’m just trusting in God in this new and different time
 
On the contrary having had the daily Mass and the consolations of Confession rudely snatched away, it has been a real wake up call on how quickly life can change. I hate this, I hadn’t realised until now how important these things were to me even though I treated them with familiarity bordering on contempt.
 
Things happen for a reason. I have speculated that God is telling us to focus on what is important in life.
 
Where is that in The Imitation of Christ? I need to bookmark that passage.
 
EWTN is a great television channel (also on youtube) with daily and Sunday Mass, Rosaries, Chaplets of Divine Mercy, and talk shows on Catholicism.
I hope you find it encouraging. Consistent exposure to the Faith kind of grows on you.
 
I need to work on structure for daily prayers,online mass and spiritual communion ,readings .
But it does feel like every effort is of great value…especially when it feels so much harder and more disconnected .
I know for myself I’m going through stages of thought with this pandemic, its taking up a lot of my thinking ,reading the news,trying to sort out
what I need to do to be prepared,helping family.
But I’ll settle down and find some kind of new normalcy and power away at my prayers and spiritual life. 🙏
 
My faith in Jesus Christ is sustained and deepened by the reception of His Body and Blood, but it does not rely on that.

It is easier to sin without the Eucharist, but we can live without it for a time.

I have the Liturgy of the Hours, the Bible, and many links to resources have been posted on our parish website.
 
You can visit Mass from all over the globe, any hour any day thanks to the internet. Watch what is streamed by your parish and diocese, then begin world travels!!
 
Thanks I tried that but didn’t get much out of watching Mass on my phone and I don’t own a computer. I rarely if ever watch anything streaming. Plus I’m not much of an internet person and only have my phone on a short time each day. Starting tomorrow and throughout holy week and Easter I hope to watch the various Masses on EWTN on my TV.
 
First paragraph under Chapter 20: ‘The Love of Solitude and Silence’
 
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