Friend has lost faith in God himself, but not in the churches teachings

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pegasusu

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I know prayer is powerful in itself and that God hears everything, but Is there any kind of prayer that would help my friend’s faith in God be restored? He isn’t lost in the Church because he believes in everything the Church teaches but has just lost God himself. Any prayers to recommend?
 
Prayers to the Holy Spirit to give this friend wisdom and understanding.

“If you love me, you will obey my commandments. I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God. The world cannot receive him, because it cannot see him or know him. But you know him because he remains with you and is in you.”
John 14: 15-17
 
no he is still catholic and believes that there is something…just not the judeo-christian God.
 
Are you saying he has lost faith in general or accepts the gospel and the Church as social structures?
The Word is the Church and the Word is God, the two can’t be separated.
Some people can accept something without knowing much about it, hence Jesus said my “people die for lack of Knowledge”
I would sit with him and see if he has enough of the right knowledge to make an informed decision, after all there are millions of Christians all believing different things and all reading from the same book!
Most likely it will be his lack of knowledge and I recommend going to Our Blessed Holy Mother for help, a novena or offering before prayer requests is a forgotten custom and it works so well, bring your Mother flowers before you sit with her and she will fix it with Jesus.
The Father from time to time hides from us but our Mother never hides away, so offer her a Rosary and if you can manage a fast or suffering for the request, that will be what she brings to God and God is so pleased with his Daughter that he can’t refuse her anything, She will bring him back for you.
God Bless.
 
One of the best prayers i know (helps me every time i pray) is The Novena to Mary that loosens the knots - he should definitely try this one.
Mary Undoer of Knots Novena: The Unfailing Novena of Mary Undoer of Knots

He should do some serious research in the Shroud of Turin, i think it’s a sign left by Jesus for people who want to believe with scientific proofs.

I would highly reccomend some books like: Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis), Miracles (C.S Lewis), The Last Superstition (Edward Feser), Handbook of Christian Apologetics ( Peter Kreeft & Ronald K. Tacelli), The Screwtape Letters (C.S Lewis).

Look into some miraculaous places like Lourdes (over 7000 miracles), Guadelupe, Fatima, La Salette, etc.

Some Saint biographics - books: Philotea: Introduction to the Devout Life (St. Francis de Sales) The Imitation of Christ (Thomas a Kempis)
 
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I guess it depends on what he means by losing faith in God. There are natural fluctuations in every Christians life where at times they feel closer to God, and at times more distant.

As has been mentioned, the purpose of the Churches teachings is to point people to God, and when believed naturally put a person in relationship with God. Theologically a person can’t really “believe what the Church teaches” and not “believe in God”. But many people believe what the Church teaches while feeling distant from God. Mother Theresa spoke of this often.

Hope your friend is able to re-connect with whatever is missing in his life.
 
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pegasusu said:
He isn’t lost in the Church because he believes in everything the Church teaches but has just lost God himself.
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This doesn’t seem possible. Faith is the basis of all Church teachings.
As for short prayers ‘Lord, help my unbelief’ and ‘We ask of Thee a lively faith, a firm hope and an ardent charity’ come to mind.
 
Does he believe in any god at all? Is it just that he doesn’t believe in the Catholic version of God? Does he believe in Jesus?

I ask because Catholicism can put forth a pretty specific version of God, through artistic rendition, etc. I don’t think your friend has to necessarily believe in all of that.

If he still believes in a God who created him and everything else, and you said he still believes what the Church teaches, then I am not sure there is a problem here.

For me, I don’t like to think of God as a man. I don’t think of him as a woman, either. I think of him as “brightness”, which may be too “out there” for many here but there really isn’t anything wrong with it from a Catholic standpoint.

Interesting that he still has faith in the Church but not the God it teaches about. Usually it is the other way around.
 
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