Feeling confused by faith

  • Thread starter Thread starter vej09
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
V

vej09

Guest
After years of Catholic schooling, I feel as if I should have a deeper spirituality. Despite years of religion classes, I feel that I have made little progress. I still have confusion on the subject of Jesus’ death liberating us from our sins. I know it is wrong, but as of yet, no one has ever been able to explain to me exactly how His death=forgiveness of sins. Can anyone help me understand? I also feel conflicting feelings about my desire to be closer to the Lord. I have involuntarily started to wonder how religion is really going to benefit me, because it seems impossible for me to achieve on any deep level. My conscience tells me to try harder, but I feel a growing sense of “But why?”

Any advice?
 
I would recommend Scott Hahn’s Swear to God for simpler answers to some tough theological questions. I actually had this exact question of why did Jesus have to die and he answered it in this book. I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed reading his material. I’m a convert and his stuff has always helped me out.
I’ve also dealt with that same “Why?” feeling. When I talked to my priest about this and about the feeling for a lack of faith, he had a very interesting and helpful response. Faith is not achieved by anything we do. It is a gift from God. If you’ve asked for faith, it shows that you already have it just by your actions. There are two explanations to the question of the amount of faith. God is mistaken on the amount of faith that you need. (This is impossible because God can not be wrong). Or, God knows that the amount of faith you have is what you need at the time. It has to be the second one. What I had to deal with (which may be different for you) is my faith in God, but not my trust. Once I trusted that he knows what is best for me, everything else has kind of fallen into place.
 
I suggest you read your Bible daily. At least read the Gospels.
Getting to know Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him.

Also, go to church and do Eucharist Adoration. If you spend time in front of the tabernacle, put yourself in His true presence,it is unavoidable that you will be transformed gradually. It takes time, though.

If you can find some Bible study group to join, that will help too.
Catholic churches have seasonal church small groups,usually before Thanksgiving and before Easter, 6-week period for each.

Fellowship with other believers will definitely help.
Don’t be discouraged, keep up your good work. Faith is a journey,
we are all seeking and learning all the time.
God bless!
 
Thank you very much for the advice, and I will certainly research this author. It is true, I suppose that I have faith, but I feel as if I am unsure how to use it. I want to gain the sense of wonderment in my faith that I either lost or never had, but I feel almost desensitized in a way. I know I probably take my religion for granted, but I don’t know how to change that.
I feel that my education on Catholicism is fairly extensive, and I have great respect for the Church. Yet the knowledge I have dosen’t seem to help me with the actual deep questions. Why is this, and how can I put my knowledge to use?
 
I guess maybe your concern is with putting your faith into action in your life.

Your faith allows you to get closer to God and believe in him and feel him close to you. If you have faith you will have no problem praying. Giving up your free time to pray isn’t a big deal if you have faith, and its why faith is necessary.

Your faith will lead you to read the Bible when you could watch TV. Or volunteer when you could be sleeping… anything really. Or your faith could cause you to act in a way you wouldn’t have acted without faith.

I guess my point is to see what in your life is different or changed because of your faith. Does it help at all?
 
jennyr I guess maybe your concern is with putting your faith into action in your life.

Your faith allows you to get closer to God and believe in him and feel him close to you. If you have faith you will have no problem praying. Giving up your free time to pray isn’t a big deal if you have faith, and its why faith is necessary.

Your faith will lead you to read the Bible when you could watch TV. Or volunteer when you could be sleeping… anything really. Or your faith could cause you to act in a way you wouldn’t have acted without faith.

I guess my point is to see what in your life is different or changed because of your faith. Does it help at all?

Yes, that helps, thank you for your feelings. I believe my main problem is making that final leap into faith full force. I know it is present, but I can never seem to really hang on to piousness when i attempt it. I see extremely religious people, and I find myself wishing that I could just go all the way like they did.

Thank you again for you thoughts.
 
vej09 said:
Thank you very much for the advice, and I will certainly research this author. It is true, I suppose that I have faith, but I feel as if I am unsure how to use it. I want to gain the sense of wonderment in my faith that I either lost or never had, but I feel almost desensitized in a way. I know I probably take my religion for granted, but I don’t know how to change that.
I feel that my education on Catholicism is fairly extensive, and I have great respect for the Church. Yet the knowledge I have dosen’t seem to help me with the actual deep questions. Why is this, and how can I put my knowledge to use?
Click to expand...
Just a thought, since I do not recall ever reading a Catechism in my 16 years of Catholic school: have you read the Catechism yet? I think you would really be interested in Part 4 (on Prayer).

Peace.
 
If you desire to draw closer to Jesus it is because God has put that desire in you as no-one can come to Jesus unless the Father draw him. This is a beautiful grace from God freely gifted to you. Therefore you must not find it surprising that conflict would arise within you firstly from the broken human nature and secondly from temptation from the evil one (that old imp likes to sow seeds of confusion to drive souls from God). Every Christian soul suffers from this conflict; it is the daily battle.

Rightly so other posters have suggested that you read spiritual books and also Sacred Scripture, this is good advice, However, if you desire to grasp with both hands this grace God has gifted to you to deepen your faith (which is called a conversion experience) then spend time in prayer. Prayer is the source of all faith, without prayer faith dies because the One you converse with is the source and summit of faith. To start with you might like to spend a little time thanking the Father through Jesus and with the Holy Spirit for this desire to know God more deeply and to be closer to Him. When you go to Mass as the Priest lifts the Host at the Consecration offer your heartfelt thanks to God the Father for this new and beautiful gift He has given you, ask Him to safeguard it and protect it and then ask Jesus to teach you what it is He desires you to grow in in this new conversion. Believe Jesus has answered this little prayer and be recollected to Jesus and attentive to Him, you will soon see what it is Jesus is calling you to know and love in this new conversion.

In your daily life consider all the gifts God has given you, both spiritual and physical and offer these back to Him as a little prayer of thanksgiving and for the sanctification of your soul and the souls of others.

You must not make a great labour of prayer, pray in the way that seems natural to you, just as it is natural for day break to come, this way of praying that seems most natural to you is God’s unique gift to you as no-one else can pray to God as you do. Prayer is like breathing in and out, it is the inhalation of God in your soul and your soul exhaled to God. If prayer is thought of in this way, it is something we do naturally, individually and peacefully. The times we ‘think’ it is hard to pray is only the fact that we must breathe a little more shallow and allow God to do the deeper breathing for us and we must not distress ourselves but trust in God. In this perceived time of difficulty in prayer is truly when we are closest to God, when this happens we must simply learn to submit to God.

We must remember that Jesus is always coming daily in new and beautiful ways to us, if we constantly seek Him we will find Him.

Anyway I am very pleased for you that the Father has gifted this new conversion to you and I’ll say a little prayer for you that every day your heart learns and loves new things about Jesus and you walk more closely with Him.🙂

In my prayers.
 
blessedstar said:
If you desire to draw closer to Jesus it is because God has put that desire in you as no-one can come to Jesus unless the Father draw him. This is a beautiful grace from God freely gifted to you. Therefore you must not find it surprising that conflict would arise within you firstly from the broken human nature and secondly from temptation from the evil one (that old imp likes to sow seeds of confusion to drive souls from God). Every Christian soul suffers from this conflict; it is the daily battle.

Rightly so other posters have suggested that you read spiritual books and also Sacred Scripture, this is good advice, However, if you desire to grasp with both hands this grace God has gifted to you to deepen your faith (which is called a conversion experience) then spend time in prayer. Prayer is the source of all faith, without prayer faith dies because the One you converse with is the source and summit of faith. To start with you might like to spend a little time thanking the Father through Jesus and with the Holy Spirit for this desire to know God more deeply and to be closer to Him. When you go to Mass as the Priest lifts the Host at the Consecration offer your heartfelt thanks to God the Father for this new and beautiful gift He has given you, ask Him to safeguard it and protect it and then ask Jesus to teach you what it is He desires you to grow in in this new conversion. Believe Jesus has answered this little prayer and be recollected to Jesus and attentive to Him, you will soon see what it is Jesus is calling you to know and love in this new conversion.

In your daily life consider all the gifts God has given you, both spiritual and physical and offer these back to Him as a little prayer of thanksgiving and for the sanctification of your soul and the souls of others.

You must not make a great labour of prayer, pray in the way that seems natural to you, just as it is natural for day break to come, this way of praying that seems most natural to you is God’s unique gift to you as no-one else can pray to God as you do. Prayer is like breathing in and out, it is the inhalation of God in your soul and your soul exhaled to God. If prayer is thought of in this way, it is something we do constantly, naturally, individually and peacefully. The times we ‘think’ it is hard to pray is only the fact that we must breathe a little more shallow and allow God to do the deeper breathing for us and we must not distress ourselves but trust in God. In this perceived time of difficulty in prayer is truly when we are closest to God, when this happens we must simply learn to submit to God.

We must remember that Jesus is always coming daily in new and beautiful ways to us, if we constantly seek Him we will find Him.

Anyway I am very pleased for you that the Father has gifted this new conversion to you and I’ll say a little prayer for you that every day your heart learns and loves new things about Jesus and you walk more closely with Him.🙂

In my prayers.
Click to expand...
 
Go read GK Chesterton’s “The Everlasting Man” if you want a great explanation. In fact, just go read it anyway.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top