Feels like I'm losing faith

[brnsnshffr]

So, I’ve been in a strange state for a little while. For background’s sake, I grew up church of Christ, converted to Catholicism (lost almost everyone I knew from my COC days while doing that) and have been Catholic since Easter 2014, though I was extremely into the faith a year before then.

But now… I feel like I’m losing my faith. I don’t pray often. Sometimes I really want to, sometimes I don’t, but it always feels like I’m just talking to myself. I don’t read the Bible often, though my passion is studying religions and theology. Though I still feel the need to go to confession after sinning (which, honestly, I’ve been doing more of lately), I don’t feel as guilty about the sins. Honestly, I could never be an Atheist. God makes too much sense. But my sense of who and what God is is blurring, almost into Deism.

I love the Church. I love Mass. I love Jesus. But everything feels like it’s slipping out of my grasp.

First, please pray for me. Second, is there any advice anyone could give? Has anyone ever felt this way and broken through it? If so, tell me your story and help me out.

 

[edarlitrix]

I will pray for you.

Something to think about is… can you p(name removed by moderator)oint *why *you feel this way? Or is it just a feeling you have… like this quote:

Out of damp and gloomy days, out of solitude, out of loveless words directed at us, conclusions grow up in us like fungus: one morning they are there, we know not how, and they gaze upon us, morose and grey. Woe to the thinker who is not the gardener but only the soil of the plants that grow in him! (Friedrich Nietzsche, Daybreak aphorism 382).

My feelings come and go like the tide… but I try to ask myself: why do I feel this way? Why do I feel like I don’t care about God or anything or whatever and I want to die or just lay in bed and stare at the ceiling and do nothing? I have practically never been able to find a reason. It is just a random floating feeling that probably has its cause in hormones.

When that happens, I just keep doing what I’ve always been doing. I do my school, my readings in philosophy, I read some Scripture and pray, I journal about how I feel and how it is random and disconnected from anything that happens to me.

Do you do anything to try to counteract these feelings? Or do you just let them grow within you like fungus, and go along with them like a jellyfish being swept by the sea… Perhaps you could read something from the saints, make an effort to read Scripture or “Come Be My Light” about Mother Teresa… who had serious struggles with faith. Just don’t go with the flow, analyze the flow of your emotions–maybe I feel rotten, but do I have to act rotten? Is there any reason for my feeling or is it an amorphous blob?

 

[China123]

Hi there

There are a lot more learned people on this forum but I will put my 2 cents in.

I am a cradle Catholic that strayed at about college. I never really left the Church, just didn’t go to Mass or live a Christian life. I dabbled in the New Age movement but it was pretty empty. I always knew there was a God and like a lot of people, really only prayed when I needed something…kind of like a God ATM machine

When I got my faith back I went like gang busters. I read everything and prayed all the time. Felt so good. It still does but I have dry times too. I sometimes think “is this really working” all this prayer stuff. I know it does, but I don’t “feel” it all the time. Emotions are a funny thing though. Emotions are not a good gauge of the spiritual. Spiritual dryness is pretty common. Just push through it. Even if you don’t want to pray, pray anyway. Even if you don’t want to go to Mass, go to Mass anyway. Sometimes God allows the dryness. It can be a time of spiritual growth even if you don’t “feel” it.

I will keep you in my prayers

 

[ServusHumilis]

Not sure if it’ll be helpful or not but here’s a quote I quite like of Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s:

"If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world; in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hated. My reason for doing this would be, that if Christ is in any one of the churches of the world today, He must still be hated as He was when He was on earth in the flesh. If you would find Christ today, then find the Church that does not get along with the world.

"Look for the Church that is hated by the world as Christ was hated by the world. Look for the Church that is accused of being behind the times, as our Lord was accused of being ignorant and never having learned. Look for the Church which men sneer at as socially inferior, as they sneered at Our Lord because He came from Nazareth. Look for the Church which is accused of having a devil, as Our Lord was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils. Look for the Church which, in seasons of bigotry, men say must be destroyed in the name of God as men crucified Christ and thought they had done a service to God. Look for the Church which the world rejects because it claims it is infallible, as Pilate rejected Christ because He called Himself the Truth. Look for the Church which is rejected by the world as Our Lord was rejected by men.

“Look for the Church which amid the confusions of conflicting opinions, its members love as they love Christ, and respect its Voice as the very voice of its Founder, and the suspicion will grow, that if the Church is unpopular with the spirit of the world, then it is unworldly, and if it is unworldly it is other worldly. Since it is other-worldly, it is infinitely loved and infinitely hated as was Christ Himself. But only that which is Divine can be infinitely hated and infinitely loved. Therefore the Church is Divine.” (preface to Radio Replies, Vol. 1)

 

[ClearWater]

So, I’ve been in a strange state for a little while. For background’s sake, I grew up church of Christ, converted to Catholicism (lost almost everyone I knew from my COC days while doing that) and have been Catholic since Easter 2014, though I was extremely into the faith a year before then.

But now… I feel like I’m losing my faith. I don’t pray often. Sometimes I really want to, sometimes I don’t, but it always feels like I’m just talking to myself. I don’t read the Bible often, though my passion is studying religions and theology. Though I still feel the need to go to confession after sinning (which, honestly, I’ve been doing more of lately), I don’t feel as guilty about the sins. Honestly, I could never be an Atheist. God makes too much sense. But my sense of who and what God is is blurring, almost into Deism.

I love the Church. I love Mass. I love Jesus. But everything feels like it’s slipping out of my grasp.

First, please pray for me. Second, is there any advice anyone could give? Has anyone ever felt this way and broken through it? If so, tell me your story and help me out.

I’m going through that right now. We´ll see if I make it.

 

[sepgs2004]

Dear brother,

Greetings in the Love of God.

You (and me) came to Catholic Church by the Love of God.
Can there be a place or state in this world, where the Love of God would not go and seek a soul?
Can we claim anything else other than the Love of God for any good thing that we end up having or doing?

Also, do we need to think too much on many things, in order to please our Savior Jesus Christ?

Love is better than faith. Praying (talking) to God is one of the best ways to Love God. Even if we do not have faith, we can ask our Loving God. Why not?

We have to constantly seek God’s help to Love Him more. Most of the times, thinking or reading, especially in the manner of questioning the faith and all, may not be the best way to Love God.

Please ask (talk to) our God sincerely for help on your situation.

Best wishes to you brother.

 

[fred_conty]

This is a wonderful message from your blessed mother Mary.

In 1840, Mary instructed Sister Bisqueyburu, in Paris, who was a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, to help people having difficulty in their faith or lack of it. She wanted the sister to promote to those people a scapular of her’s, the color of it was green, and it had her picture on it of her immaculate heart. It was a token from her of her love for them and that she would pray for them if they wore it, or carried it on them in her name. And the greater the trust the person had in her to obtain great graces for them, the more those graces would come.

It is a her gift to us and her own wish that we carry it, and a favour to her that we carry it as she requested. She is our mother,so she asks that this beautiful gift from her be used to bring us the help we need.

And here are some of the benefits of it:

… Conversion of those who do not have the faith
… Reconciliation to the Church for those who have lost/strayed from the faith
… Assurance of a happy death
… Strengthening of the faith for those already in the Church
… Protection from Satan for those who wear or promote the scapular

Are any of those benefits what you want? Maybe the one that says strengthening of the faith.

However for it to work, Mary did ask a favour of you.

The green scapular should be blessed.
Wear it around the neck, or carry it on you, in your wallet, purse, pocket.
Say this prayer at least once every day:
“Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death.”
Have great trust in her. Place yourself in her care and tell her that you know your problem is taken care of because she promised on her word. And thank her every day.

She didn’t say when, only that she would do it for you.

A free green scapular may be obtained by googling “free geen scapular”.

May Mary look upon you kindly and grant your request.

 

[TJ872014]

I will definitely pray for you. I am a cradle Catholic. We are human beings - we sin - we sometimes fall at various times.

I appreciate a number of Catholic Authors - Maybe read some good Spiritual books. Here are some words from Mathew Kelly in his book; Rediscover Catholicism:

“Uncertainty is a spiritual gift designed to help us grow.”

"The only diet most of us need is discipline. But we don’t want discipline. … We want someone to tell us, “You can be healthy and happy without discipline.”

“Freedom is the strength of character and the self-possession to do what is good, true, noble, and right.”

“It is difficult to be Christian. It is hard to live the teachings of Jesus Christ. It is something that requires constant vigilance, daily effort, and never something that just happens. The first step is to acknowledge that it is difficult so that we can assign the correct amount of effort required for success.”

He simply couldn’t be more accurate that our Faith, our lives - to live His teachings - requires discipline!

In my personal experience of Faith lethargy - I was lazy - I was self-centered - I focused on my feelings - what also helped was getting outside myself - good works whether that is volunteering at a shelter - food bank - helping an elderly loved one - etc. Get outside your self so that God can work through you!

 

[phil_at_dayboro]

God leads by dropping bread crumbs for you to follow, their are no neon flashing lights to lead the way, no hi tech devices or maps, follow your heart to what is righteous ,