L
larbarboy
Guest
There is a good deal that I have read in various works of christianity that, if I recall right, talk about happiness being a result of following God.
A dear and close friend of mine is having a difficult time with this. Not because she is some ignorant person by any means. But because she feels quite unhappy in her life and has always felt unhappy throughout her life despite praying the rosary, doing devotions, mass, and desiring deeply to have an intimate relationship with God. She feels so troubled because she feels like in her prayer life that she is just talking to some imaginary friend or to herself. She feels God is very dead to her. She goes to mass and forms of prayer she has felt horrible. She basically feels that the only thing that would change for her in her life if she left the Church would be not attending mass. Because by nature she is a person who desires the good of everyone and wishes to treat everyone with love and respect. Recently two of her best friends of like 10 years of her life have left the Church. They tell her they have never felt so fulfilled and happy. Meanwhile she has been suffering with being unhappy and depressed and not knowing what she wants in life since grade school. It is hard. I love her very much and wish the best for her. But it is hard. She seems so confused and upset. She has said to me on occasion “what if they are right?” “how do I know the catholic faith is right?” She is tired of unhelpful comments like “Just pray harder” or “Jesus loves you just believe” or “the catholic church says this or that”, she has tried to pray and tried to believe that God will make her happy and listen to her but she simply feels like He isn’t and never has. She feels like he’s just an imaginary friend. She was raised Catholic and knows a good deal so she doesn’t need anyone raising teachings to her here and there. She also feels very confused when there is a great deal of conversation from her friend who has told her much about gender roles and how the church and bible are wrong on these things and judgmental and that gender roles are just concepts. the list goes on. but the point is i am looking for rational, smart, intelligent, well-read philosophers to help me in this ball park as well as anyone else who would have something decent to say besides quoting vatican II docs or saying pray hard and Jesus loves you and wants your eternal happiness.
Thanks everyone for your help.
A dear and close friend of mine is having a difficult time with this. Not because she is some ignorant person by any means. But because she feels quite unhappy in her life and has always felt unhappy throughout her life despite praying the rosary, doing devotions, mass, and desiring deeply to have an intimate relationship with God. She feels so troubled because she feels like in her prayer life that she is just talking to some imaginary friend or to herself. She feels God is very dead to her. She goes to mass and forms of prayer she has felt horrible. She basically feels that the only thing that would change for her in her life if she left the Church would be not attending mass. Because by nature she is a person who desires the good of everyone and wishes to treat everyone with love and respect. Recently two of her best friends of like 10 years of her life have left the Church. They tell her they have never felt so fulfilled and happy. Meanwhile she has been suffering with being unhappy and depressed and not knowing what she wants in life since grade school. It is hard. I love her very much and wish the best for her. But it is hard. She seems so confused and upset. She has said to me on occasion “what if they are right?” “how do I know the catholic faith is right?” She is tired of unhelpful comments like “Just pray harder” or “Jesus loves you just believe” or “the catholic church says this or that”, she has tried to pray and tried to believe that God will make her happy and listen to her but she simply feels like He isn’t and never has. She feels like he’s just an imaginary friend. She was raised Catholic and knows a good deal so she doesn’t need anyone raising teachings to her here and there. She also feels very confused when there is a great deal of conversation from her friend who has told her much about gender roles and how the church and bible are wrong on these things and judgmental and that gender roles are just concepts. the list goes on. but the point is i am looking for rational, smart, intelligent, well-read philosophers to help me in this ball park as well as anyone else who would have something decent to say besides quoting vatican II docs or saying pray hard and Jesus loves you and wants your eternal happiness.
Thanks everyone for your help.