Anyone Ever Feel Like Leaving the Church?

[Contra_Mundum_1]

Living the life of faith is seriously tough. Thing is, it’s never meant to be easy. Jesus never made such promises. I’ve lived many years now in a very secular environment and most of the time feel like a weirdo. (I’m yearning to make more Catholic friends but people end up moving away or something.) It can be very lonely sometimes. I know people make fun and can be very cruel. I know how hard it is to justify yourself all the time. Pray about this situation and put yourself in God’s hands. Don’t give up, just try to accept this as a very difficult period in your life. It will pass.

And I feel out of place in any Catholic church I have been involved in. I’m not good enough to be a saint, but I’m not a s*** anymore either. I have a desire to belong somewhere, and I’m not finding it here. I participate in Mass and feel nothing, and I used to be so passionate about my faith, and now it is a chore. I feel empty now. I don’t fit in with the good Catholic girls, so where do I belong?

What does it mean to be saint? Many of them were most certainly not ‘ideal’ or ‘perfect’ people. Saints grow in faith and holiness and we can all achieve a degree of that in this life.
Also, feelings are not that relevant and have nothing to do with faith. They are very nice and make us feel happy and cosy in our faith but that’s not enough. This is probably a phase and it won’t last forever. Somebody mentioned Mother Theresa who went through years not feeling much. But she kept her fait. The same thing with St. Therese of Lisieux. Seriously, you are not alone. Hang in there and keep praying. God bless!

 

[rayne89]

Well I am myself whether online or in real life. It’s just that unfortunately these days there aren’t as many ultra-Catholics like me and my ‘loud minority’ of mates on this thread as there were in the 1950s and before.

Ultra-Catholics? Are those the ones that are better than other Catholics?

 

[KC91]

Ultra-Catholics? Are those the ones that are better than other Catholics?

Well unfortunately most Catholics today, including many practising ones, give far too much charity and tolerance to modern society, non-Catholic principles and the enemies of the Church. Well for one thing I don’t!

 

[Justin_Mee]

Ultra-Catholics? Are those the ones that are better than other Catholics?

I would define ‘ultra-Catholic’ as one who actually tries to live the faith as opposed to ‘some of this and some of that.’ We should all strive to be ultra-Catholics or in other words ultra-obedient to God’s word. Unfortunately, we live in a world where nothing is finite anymore.

 

[rayne89]

Well unfortunately most Catholics today, including many practising ones, give far too much charity and tolerance to modern society, non-Catholic principles and the enemies of the Church. Well for one thing I don’t!

Watch out, your humility is showing.

 

[KC91]

Another definition is those who have unconditional obedience to the Supreme Pontiff and the doctrines of the Holy Roman Church.

May the Pope and the Church always be in the right, but I will always be loyal to the Pope and the Church, right or wrong.

Oh Holiness Benedict XVI, Vicar of Christ on Earth, condescend to look upon me as one of your devout sons. If even a single one of my thoughts deviates from yours, I disavow it, I abjure it with all my heart. Holy Father, you are the rule of how I will live my life; never, no never will I want to know any other.

 

[rayne89]

I would define ‘ultra-Catholic’ as one who actually tries to live the faith as opposed to ‘some of this and some of that.’ We should all strive to be ultra-Catholics or in other words ultra-obedient to God’s word. Unfortunately, we live in a world where nothing is finite anymore.

I live the faith, I defend it -but I wouldn’t say I was ultra anything. By God’s grace, by the gifts he has chosen to bless me with me I live my faith. Everything I have is from God, everything I am able to do is because God has given me the grace to do it. And I am grateful for that grace. I certainly have no wish to throw in the face of others. “Look at me I’m an ultra-Catholic”.

 

[tweetymom]

I live the faith, I defend it -but I wouldn’t say I was ultra anything. By God’s grace, by the gifts he has chosen to bless me with me I live my faith. Everything I have is from God, everything I am able to do is because God has given me the grace to do it. And I am grateful for that grace. I certainly have no wish to throw in the face of others. “Look at me I’m an ultra-Catholic”.

Great thought, A sincere God Bless and peace.

 

[NoAvailableName]

I haven’t had time to read through much of this thread, but I think the “being a Christian is hard” crowd has it all wrong. The grass is not greener on the other side. Did not Jesus say, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light”

Having kids and then ending up in a messy divorce because your marriage was based on lust rather than love is a lot tougher than being sad because your friends get to sleep around with people they don’t really love.

Getting an STD is tough.

Being self-absorbed instead of being concerned with others isn’t going to make you happy.

Getting drunk at parties will at best provide temporary happiness.

What non-Christian thing do you want to do that will actually make the world a better place? If you truly love God, you should be happy to do what he commands. Yes bad things can still happen to good people, but are the righteous or the unrighteous better prepared to deal with difficulties?

Do you also consider going to the gym, school, working hard, etc. tough? Perhaps, but they are all much better choices than being fat, dumb and lazy.

Wake up! Christianity is for our benefit, not our detriment.

 

[kildare]

The good Catholic girls are the one who are my age, who act so innocent, they seem so peaceful. They are like the “popular girls”, which I have never been. It’s hard for me to be innocent, because I’ve never been. HA. They are usually very very very BORING as well. That is why I don’t go to the Young Adult Women’s Bible Study at my local parish anymore. I don’t want to be a Cath-Bot! I like my cynical, yet silly side.

It’s hard, because if I do go out with my friends, they tease me incessantly about how I escaped the convent. So I have to make a joke about how we drink in church, so it’s alright for me to go out. Or in dating, having to tell a guy, “I can’t have sex yet”, and then watch them leave. Or having to break up with someone because they aren’t Catholic (last ex). It just gets draining.

Aren’t there any fun Catholics in Seattle? crickets

Yeah I see where your coming from.
I hated the church as a kid because it was filled with the people I least identified with in society - the pius ones who went on about hell and how everyone but they were heading for it.
But the good news (I mean the other good news) is that the Catholic Church is not the puritanical church but the church of saints and sinners alike. The church of prostitutes and sisters, the church of tax collectors and social workers and the church of Popes and Emperors. Jesus welcomed us all in, and gradually or for some quickly, we have to work out that his way is the only way for our well being (on this world and the next). Hes our best friend and the church he asks us to be a part of has a rich history of struggling good people who eventually came good against all the odds.
So it can be done!

 

[shondrea]

Once, I felt like leaving because I didn’t agree, personally, with some teachings. I selfishly wanted to just go find a religion that would conform to what I wanted. I know better now.

 

[ComputerGeek25]

I haven’t had time to read through much of this thread, but I think the “being a Christian is hard” crowd has it all wrong. The grass is not greener on the other side. Did not Jesus say, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light”

Having kids and then ending up in a messy divorce because your marriage was based on lust rather than love is a lot tougher than being sad because your friends get to sleep around with people they don’t really love.

Getting an STD is tough.

Being self-absorbed instead of being concerned with others isn’t going to make you happy.

Getting drunk at parties will at best provide temporary happiness.

What non-Christian thing do you want to do that will actually make the world a better place? If you truly love God, you should be happy to do what he commands. Yes bad things can still happen to good people, but are the righteous or the unrighteous better prepared to deal with difficulties?

Do you also consider going to the gym, school, working hard, etc. tough? Perhaps, but they are all much better choices than being fat, dumb and lazy.

Wake up! Christianity is for our benefit, not our detriment.

There is a lot of truth to this…

At best, some of the stuff you may want to do will only provide temporary happiness…

 

[shondrea]

I would define ‘ultra-Catholic’ as one who actually tries to live the faith as opposed to ‘some of this and some of that.’ We should all strive to be ultra-Catholics or in other words ultra-obedient to God’s word. Unfortunately, we live in a world where nothing is finite anymore.

Now see, I would define ultra Catholic as one who does nothing more but get up, go to mass at 5 am before work, spend every single spare moment with a rosary in their hand, refuse to watch anything but EWTN, preach non-stop about jesus and the saints, don’t allow their children to attend any secular activities or make non-Catholic friends, and if they do, it had better be to convert them, , are deathly afraid of any piece of secular media, book, film or radio station, and get all up in peoples faces about every little slight. Essentially, the same picture I have in my head of extreme fundamentalist Protestants, but with a little extra Mary on the side.

One can easily be perfectly obedient to God’s will and still have a life. In my eyes, any “ultra” religious person has none outside of prayer, prayer prayer.

 

[KC91]

Now see, I would define ultra Catholic as one who does nothing more but get up, go to mass at 5 am before work, spend every single spare moment with a rosary in their hand, refuse to watch anything but EWTN, preach non-stop about jesus and the saints, don’t allow their children to attend any secular activities or make non-Catholic friends, and if they do, it had better be to convert them, , are deathly afraid of any piece of secular media, book, film or radio station, and get all up in peoples faces about every little slight. Essentially, the same picture I have in my head of extreme fundamentalist Protestants, but with a little extra Mary on the side.

One can easily be perfectly obedient to God’s will and still have a life. In my eyes, any “ultra” religious person has none outside of prayer, prayer prayer.

That’s me all right! Although when I have kids, I would read secular books and watch secular TV and films (as I do now), but not with my kids as while my faith is strong and would resist the temptation in them, my kids won’t. Moreover I would live in and raise my kids in a Catholic country like Italy or Malta where Catholicism is virtually the only religion around so they won’t get influenced by other religions.

Better to be a Catholic fundamentalist than to be a Cafateria Catholic.

 

[rayne89]

That’s me all right! Although when I have kids, I would read secular books and watch secular TV and films (as I do now), but not with my kids as while my faith is strong and would resist the temptation in them, my kids won’t. Moreover I would live in and raise my kids in a Catholic country like Italy or Malta where Catholicism is virtually the only religion around so they won’t get influenced by other religions.

Better to be a Catholic fundamentalist than to be a Cafateria Catholic.

Ahh…I looked back on your posts after this one made me wonder about your age. You are a high school student, and since you state Tiber Swim team 2010 in your signature, a recent convert. This explains your zeal and prideful attitude. As well as your quick condemnations. CountrySinger don’t be too offended by this young person’s attitude -there’s a lot about life and living the faith he has yet to learn.

 

[CountrySinger]

Ultra-Catholics? Are those the ones that are better than other Catholics?

I imagine them to be like the soup Nazi on “Seinfeld”. “No salvation for you, only for me! You go to Hell now!” And then attacks you with a rosary.

I was talking to one of my friends about this, and her reaction was “yay! Fun CountrySinger might be coming back!” Gee. Thanks.

I’m not comfortable with talking to a priest or spiritual advisor, I need someone I can actually talk with, and I just can’t say everything to a priest you know? He is a priest!

 

[KC91]

What is so uncomfortable about priests? They absolve one’s sins in confession and wipe out one’s worry.

 

[CountrySinger]

What is so uncomfortable about priests? They absolve one’s sins in confession and wipe out one’s worry.

Because they are priests! And I don’t want to tell them all my sins, it makes me embarassed. At my parish, they only do face to face confessions, so it makes it even worse. So I stopped going ever since they got a young attractive priest, it would be too uncomfortable.

 

[Podo2005]

I imagine them to be like the soup Nazi on “Seinfeld”. “No salvation for you, only for me! You go to Hell now!” And then attacks you with a rosary.

I was talking to one of my friends about this, and her reaction was “yay! Fun CountrySinger might be coming back!” Gee. Thanks.

**I’m not comfortable with talking to a priest or spiritual advisor, I need someone I can actually talk with, and I just can’t say everything to a priest you know? He is a priest!/**quote]

Priests are human beings too yanno… they can understand human weaknesses with regards to doubt, feelings etc… look at some of the great priest saints throughout history… For example St.Augustine, before he became a priest & then bishop, was involved in all kinds of sexual immorality! But by the grace of God he was able to change & become a priest… my point being that priests can understand human weaknesses so therefore there would be no problem in talking to one… in fact who better to talk to since they also are trained to help you with all your questions & doubts…

In Christ,
Zachary

 

[tweetymom]

Because they are priests! And I don’t want to tell them all my sins, it makes me embarassed. At my parish, they only do face to face confessions, so it makes it even worse. So I stopped going ever since they got a young attractive priest, it would be too uncomfortable.

For mr the best one to talk to is Jesus . He will always help. and it is going direct. God Bless.