Help my unbelief

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jheid

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Hello All:

I am a cradle Catholic and a junior at the University of Notre Dame. When I came to ND I was discerning a vocation to priesthood, but for about the past year I have been in the midst of a crisis of faith. It seems the more I look for God the more he hides. I try to find reasons to believe, but it seems that no matter where I turn another scientist or philosopher dispels what I say. I hate to say it, but right now I feel like an agnostic. I still go to Mass on sundays, but the darkness does not avail. I do not know why this is happening; people say it is related to my discernment, which is likely, but that does not stop the pain.

Please pray for me to see light in this darkness.

Yours,

J.A.T.H.
 
Lord, it sounds like Jheid could read some St. John of the Cross to help him understand his situation better. You know that I’ve read the collected works of St. John of the Cross and learned that this trial is a great thing for his soul - not a bad thing, though it may feel bad to him. St. John of the Cross talks about experiences like this and refers to them as a dark night and explains that you allow them to purify us and to prepare us or to make us capable of full union with you. This is something you do to the souls you love and call to a very high state of perfection. He is still seeking you and yearning for you so I know he is one of these souls who are in the dark night called to an even higher state of perfection. May Jheid persevere and pray and continue to attend Mass and never give into defeat. Bl. Mother Teresa went through a dark night for many, many years but she persevered in faith and went on teaching her sisters about you. Her trial was redemptive and her perseverence and steadfast faith were a witness to her love of you. May Jheid prove his love for you by still seeking you and by doing everything within his power to keep faithful. Thank you, Lord, for hearing my prayer. Amen.
 
Prayers for you jheid.You are being tempted away by the evil one becuase you are pure & good.It happens to all good faith filled people.Many saints suffered crisies of faith from time to time.Our Parish Priest used to say we ALL have occasions of doubt…it is natural for this ti happen.Keep praying and reading the bible and we will pray with you & for you.Don’t let the evil one win! God bless you

Our Blessed Lady please intercede for jheid in this time of tmeptation in his life that he will know the right path to follow Amen
Memorare (Prayer to Our Lady)
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen
 
I second the St. John of the Cross and highly recommend the book of Mother Teresa’s letters - “Come be my Light.”

Praying for you …
 
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women and
blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
 
I wrote a couple posts where I described a similar experience. Click the little arrow to read the full post. I hope they help 🙂
runningdude said:
Worrying about other people’s faith in college is almost an exercise in futility - its hard enough to worry about your own.

Last year, when I was a senior in college, I had a week or so where my faith just turned off. I woke up one day and thought, literally, “****, I’m an Atheist”. I was well versed in apologetics, and still intellectually believed there was a God, as He was the only logical explanation for the universe. I was going through an extremely though and stressful time too, so it could been emotional exhaustion, but it was pretty darn scary not feeling that there was a God.

But I also released that faith is indefensible in anything but its own terms. Either God reveals His presence and you feel the effort that goes into living a chaste and holy life is worth it, or God doesn’t reveal himself, or you deny His presence, and living chaste and holy has no value.

If your Dawk-Hawks don’t feel God, any half-hearted arguments you make will fall flat.

You need to take care of yourself. Develop friendships with the priests or campus ministers. Maybe cut back on the weekday 6:40 am masses so your not exhausted (hey, you mentioned it ;), it up for grabs to comment on!).

Pray and mediate for an hour Saturday afternoon before receiving the sacrament of reconciliation, and find a quiet sunny spot where you can stay out of trouble until the vigil mass so you can receive our Lord with a spotless soul - then sleep in Sunday morning :D!

Living a well adjusted, ethical life guided by our Lord and Church is the best example you can set for them (still working on this myself…:blushing:). And should they become curious, or hostile, whichever, you’ll be well rested to handle them and preach the good word!
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runningdude said:
…I however did have a girlfriend or two, so I think I may have escape much of the peer pressure to date simply for dating’s sake. However, I also had my heart handed to me on a platter by a girl who was a sweet and faithful Christian girl who also waiting for marriage.

This really knocked me over for several months. One morning, I even woke up and realized that I was an Atheist. Scariest week of my life, being an Atheist. Intellectually, I knew there had to be a God, but emotionally, I just didn’t feel there was. In the aftermath, I realized (with the help of the sacrament of reconciliation), that I had been playing a mental straw-man with my faith…
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“I believe. Lord help my unbelief.”

Truth and unity through the Spirit

Great God, You see the unworthy, vacillating person that I am but You also see the wonderful being who You created me to be! Loving me thus, through Your Spirit make me so. Through grace and Sacrament, please in my life exemplify the beatitudes and bring Your gifts to fruit, so that I embody gospel love and truth.

With Jesus, I trust You to remain with me forever so that I may know, love, and belong completely to You; and that I may understand, remember, and obey all that Jesus taught. I trust Your Holy Spirit to prove through Your truth to the unbelieving and to myself, that we are wrong regarding modern views of sin, life, and judgement so we return to gospel truth in the Body of Christ.

Holy Spirit, I trust You to help me retrain my thought patterns to make me perceptive, discerning and mature. Make my prayer inspired and efficacious. Speak clearly in my thoughts, words and actions. Give me trust in Your inspiration and indwelling. Make me gentle and compassionate even in times of stress. Give me generosity to joyfully serve every person as Your beloved. Let Your love flow gently through me to everyone whom my life touches, healing and blessing us and giving us true peace.

Holy Spirit please come down on me, and make me whole; and make me one with the Father, the Son, and Your holy Self, together with all who serve through Your power. Spirit of God, through the merit of Jesus, please transform every thought, word and act of my life, into pure, loving, loveliness in the sight of the God. [Based on St. John’s gospel]
 
Trust

Eternal Father, in our intellectual deliberations, in our difficulties, in our disappointments, in our illnesses, we cannot endure prolonged or severe spiritual desolation without Your support. Please comfort us, and increase our faith.

You know that Jesus, though sinless, chose to suffer with us, drinking the cup of our unloving choices to the full. Jesus suffered doubt as we do when He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?” We unite our doubt with His, for You look with silent pity and unspeakable love on Your Son.

Jesus, You say to me, “Take up your cross and follow Me!” “If you love me, keep my commandments.” I fix my eyes upon the bright scars of Your ransom for me. Why did You suffer so terribly for me who even now remain unconverted? Yet Your wounds, Your hands, Your heart and Your word are filled with promises that You desire to fulfil in me and in others.

Give us strength to bear doubt when it comes, our God, so that with Jesus we can say, “Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit”, thus joining with Him to death of unbelief and sin—into freedom of rising with Him into the glory of the redeemed spirit.

I offer You my only coin—trust against all appearances, hope despite my heartache, and faith despite my sins and flaws. Mercifully accept this meagre offering and open Your treasure house of love to me and my loved ones, and to those whom You wish to serve through me.
 
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
 
jheid said:
Hello All:

I am a cradle Catholic and a junior at the University of Notre Dame. When I came to ND I was discerning a vocation to priesthood, but for about the past year I have been in the midst of a crisis of faith. It seems the more I look for God the more he hides. I try to find reasons to believe, but it seems that no matter where I turn another scientist or philosopher dispels what I say. I hate to say it, but right now I feel like an agnostic. I still go to Mass on sundays, but the darkness does not avail. I do not know why this is happening; people say it is related to my discernment, which is likely, but that does not stop the pain.

Please pray for me to see light in this darkness.

Yours,

J.A.T.H.
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I know what you are going through. I went through the same a few years back, you are in my prayers.

Have you read any of Thomas Aquinas’ books? They helped me, I hope they may help you as well
 
jheid said:
Hello All:

I am a cradle Catholic and a junior at the University of Notre Dame. When I came to ND I was discerning a vocation to priesthood, but for about the past year I have been in the midst of a crisis of faith. It seems the more I look for God the more he hides. I try to find reasons to believe, but it seems that no matter where I turn another scientist or philosopher dispels what I say. I hate to say it, but right now I feel like an agnostic. I still go to Mass on sundays, but the darkness does not avail. I do not know why this is happening; people say it is related to my discernment, which is likely, but that does not stop the pain.

Please pray for me to see light in this darkness.

Yours,

J.A.T.H.
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Maybe it is time to consider another Uni. I have heard great things about the one in Ohio,St. Francis, . Peace, Carlan
 
Dear ND Student,

I visit the sick and dying Catholics in the Hospital. I can tell you, our Lord is real, it’s all real. I also have undergraduate and grauduate degrees and a license in Electrical Engineering and used to be an Adjunct Professor of Physics. If I thought for an instant this was not real, and I have been trained well in critical thinking, then I would simply tell the truth and leave the faith.

Here is what I have learned in a nutshell. Become His servant and ask him privately what he would like you to do in your life. Be very careful what you promise him, else he might ask you to do it. This happended to me. He is real and reigns. The greatest thing in the Kingdom of God for one to do is to become his servant. This means loving one another, forgiving and most of all subordinating your will to his. This takes discipline and grace. many of us give this lip service but do we do works ? By their fruits shall you know them. While I am no Saint I am still learning and actally wonder if I have only recently become converted.

Hope this helps — Remember the Lord !
 
reindeer said:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women and
blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
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Lord, hear our prayer.
 
So that all may see true wisdom,

PATER NOSTER,
qui es in caelis,
sanctificetur nomen tuum.
Adveniat regnum tuum.
Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra.
Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie,
et dimitte nobis debita nostra
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.
Et ne nos inducas in tentationem,
sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

Ojcze Nasz, któryś jest w niebiesiech,
święć się imię twoje;
przyjdż królestwo twoje,
bądż wola twoja,
jako w niebie tak i na ziemi.
Chleba naszego powszedniego daj nam dzisiaj,
i odpuść nam nasze winy,
jako i my odpuszczamy naszym winowajcom.
I nie wódż nas w pokuszenie,
ale nas zbaw ode złego
Amen.
 
Jheid,

I am experiencing many similar feelings. You are utmost in my prayers.
 
Jheid,

What others have written above is spot on. You are definitely not alone in this.

PM me and I’ll send you a free copy of a meditation by Blessed John Henry Newman that you can frame and keep in front of you.

Here’s a quote from it, “I will trust Him … He (God) may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me - still He knows what he is about.”

Prayers.

GardenMum232
 
Memorare (Prayer to Our Lady)
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen
 
:signofcross: May the light of the Holy Spirit shine upon you and the gift of faith fill you, so as to overflow to all you meet. In the name of Lord God, Jesus Christ. Amen :highprayer:
 
Praying for an increase in Faith for you …

(The Rosary helped me to stay grounded in our faith, maybe it can help you too.)
 
When I suffered my crisis of faith I found God through silence. Now I feel His presence everywhere and in everyone I meet. Losing your faith is lonely and painful but when you find it again it’s inexplicably joyful.

I’ll continue to pray that Our Blessed Mother helps you through. I hope that you find your way back

Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen

God bless you,
Clare
 
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