How do you know how strong your love for God is

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I’m curious to know if any of you have had conversions and how it happened. I really want to have a deeper love for God, rather than just try tondi the right things and focus on not sinning or if this was a sin, etc. I want something more and to have a better relationship with Jesus. Can anyone of you offer me some advice besides just prayers? I don’t know how deep my love is, and I feel like I focus more on just trying to do the rights things and not sinning

Is writing in a journal to God a good way? What are some ways that any of you handle difficult situations or temptations?
 
Cupcake143 said:
I’m curious to know if any of you have had conversions and how it happened. I really want to have a deeper love for God, rather than just try tondi the right things and focus on not sinning or if this was a sin, etc. I want something more and to have a better relationship with Jesus. Can anyone of you offer me some advice besides just prayers? I don’t know how deep my love is, and I feel like I focus more on just trying to do the rights things and not sinning

Is writing in a journal to God a good way? What are some ways that any of you handle difficult situations or temptations?
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I believe there is one sure way to develop a deeper and greater love for Our Lord Jesus Christ, and that’s mediation on the Passion of Christ.
Jesus to Catalina:
I Have Given My Life for You - loveandmercy.org/Eng-IHG-Reg.pdf

**4) I wish to speak to you again about My Passion because when I do so, I want to spread in your hearts feelings of union with Me, of compassion… to show you My Love.
  1. When I was led to Calvary, there was condensed in Me all suffering which I always experienced, while thinking about the wickedness of mankind that so greatly offended a Father who is so good. That offended Love was what made Me suffer most, piercing My Soul at every sigh, at every step which brought Me closer to the crucifixion.
  2. How I wish that mankind would cultivate greater devotion to My Passion! For that reason, I insist upon it, even though many “theologians” feel repulsion in their stomachs when they contemplate a statue representing Me weeping or bleeding.
  3. My Passion is a compendium of Holy Love and supernatural Wisdom itself. Everything can be found during My hours of the Passion: every evil in the world transformed into good for eternity, and all the supernatural goodness of present mankind, united to the promise of the good that they may attain if they die protected by My Passion.
  4. It is for that reason that time and time again I insist on it for those who gaze upon My crucified self, and I invite them to be with Me in order to relive the dreadful, bloody hours that led Me to sacrifice Myself.
  5. Those who do not meditate on My sufferings, who do not compare them with their own, do not extract from the treasure chest of My Passion, the treasures that I have stored up for each one of you.
  6. I assure you that those who meditate on My sorrowful Passion will derive many Graces, because it is a treasure chest of infinitely enormous benefits. By the same token, those who have paid no attention or have forgotten My sufferings will always find emptiness and spiritual poverty.
  7. My sufferings will always be the Glory of My Father and My Glory, as well as the greatest demonstration of the Spirit of Love for you on earth.
    …
  8. If you keep Me company while meditating on My Passion, I will make smooth your hardships, because as I have said, I always repay love with Love. **
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Jesus to St. Faustina -

There is more merit to one hour of meditation on My sorrowful Passion than there is to a whole year of flagellation that draws blood; the contemplation of My painful wounds is of great profit to you, and it brings Me great joy. (Diary, 369)

It is in My Passion that you must seek light and strength. (Diary, 654)

St Thomas Aquinas -

"The Passion of Christ is sufficient to serve as a guide and model for our entire life. For all those who wish to lead a perfect life, they need do nothing more than to despise what Christ despised on the Cross, and to accept what Christ accepted. On the Cross, we find the example of every virtue.”
Jesus to Catalina:
I Have Given My Life for You - loveandmercy.org/Eng-IHG-Reg.pdf

**4) My Passion contains everything that you need today and tomorrow and it works marvellous miracles on all those who forget the world and themselves, in order to think of Me.
  1. When everything is subordinated to My sufferings, to My Will, then My Passion brings great benefits to souls.
  2. In the world, many words, too many are uttered! But if greater reasoning about Me, especially about My sorrow, were introduced [into the world], My Love would soon enkindle flames in your souls…
  3. Yet I am deprived of this delight: the stirring of souls to unite their sufferings to Mine in order to attain comfort and strength, generosity and patience, all that which is lacking in men and women of these times.
  4. They remove Me from nations, from households, from schools and even from many Christian installations. They do not want to exalt Christ crucified; they prefer to show Me to new generations as Christ Resurrected… as if Tabor could be separated from Calvary!
  5. Many do not understand that those who love Me as Christ crucified and acknowledge My sufferings, will also love My Presence in the Eucharist.
  6. But those who are ignorant of My Passion, will be unlikely to believe in and to love My Eucharistic Presence, alive, among them…**
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I believe these two books will help greatly in this regard -

The Passion - loveandmercy.org/Eng-TP-Reg.pdf (For more please visit www.loveandmercy.org)

and

The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ - Anne Catherine Emmerich - 2heartsnetwork.org/Dolorous-Passion.pdf (Starts at pg 38)

I hope this has helped 🙂

God Bless

Thank you for reading
Josh
 
Hi Cupcake143,

Well, the best thing that I can tell you to do, if you want to develop a deeper love for our Lord, would be to try and stay as close to the Lord as possible, by spending as much time with Him as possible.

Try to go to Mass as much as you can. Add in some week day Masses if you can, besides going on the weekend.

Try and spend some time with Our Lord in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, or if you aren’t able to do that, see if you can get to the church before Mass starts, and spend some time quietly praying there, before Jesus in the Tabernacle.

Keeping a journal sounds like a good idea. 🙂

Whenever I was feeling particularly troubled about a situation that needed some time to resolve, I would pray about it during Adoration. I used to feel a great deal of peace and calm during Adoration.

Whenever I feel tempted about something, I pray about it right away, and distract my mind from it and take my mind off of the temptation.

Also, something else to think about too, is to pray to The Holy Spirit for an increase in the Gifts of the Spirit and for an increase in the Fruits of the Spirit, as well.

I have done this, and I feel that this has brought me closer in my relationship to the Lord, too.

Here is a link regarding the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, in case you would like to read about it:

catholicism.about.com/od/beliefsteachings/tp/Gifts_of_the_Holy_Spirit.htm

Here is a link regarding the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, in case you would like to read about it:

catholicism.about.com/od/beliefsteachings/f/FAQ_Fruits_HS.htm
 
Hi Josh, Hi Everyone.

I never thought about getting closer to God by meditating on Jesus’ passion. I think I will do that.
 
Thank you Josh and oldgraymare! You both have gave me great ways to get closer to Jesus, and I really appreciate that. Thank you and God Bless!!
 
Hi Cupcake,

You’re very welcome!

May God bless you on your journey. 🙂
 
In retrospect according to my journey in faith, I believe my conversion started when I was baptized, the graces I received then weren’t realized by me until I grew older, and spiritually. The first conversion was experienced through the instrumentation of some holy nuns who had given up their lives for the care of orphans like me. I was sixteen then, but prior, it was the exposure to Catholic Doctrine that helped to form my conscience, and later it was my experiences of life that confirmed what I learned, sometimes the “hard way” As a teenager I was inspired to read the Bible, and then I gradually discovered Christ. I grew in knowledge of Him and His life, and passion. The Holy Spirit was leading me in a very subtle but positive way into a deeper relationship with Christ. The second conversion came as a period of “enlightenment” I studied for the priesthood, but my health did not permit me to continue. After much disappointment and readjustment to civilian life, I finally married, raised four children, all adopted. Married life led me into another conversion, one that was an "encounter with Jesus, by the work of the Holy Spirit. His love for me caused me to love Him more! The trials in life became deeper, and I could identify them with the sufferings of Christ. All of these degrees of conversion confirmed me in my Catholic Christian Faith. The first necessary conversion come from turning away from a sinful life and turning to Jesus Christ. The second one was a period of enlightenment, understanding my Faith, the third conversion was an encounter with Jesus, by the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ love for me, caused me to love Him more. Every one who loves God and remains faithful to Him experiences different levels of conversion, and they are not always clear-cut but perhaps mixed The very fact that you want to love Jesus more is the work of the Holy Spirit which will lead you to experience Jesus’ love for you, and it will cause you to grow in love for Him, so remain faithful to Him, it won’t be easy at times, but it pays big rewards. God bless you in your spiritual journey.
 
I think there are so many things how to love God.

Loving Christ in those around us of course, is a very good suggestion and way.
Praying.
Going to mass and communion often.
Praying in the sense of not just talking to God, but LISTENING to him.
And just generally going through life WITH HIM. That is, asking Hom for advice often, thanking Him often, trying to live in a way that is pleasing to Him, that is, staying away from sin.
All these are wonderful and important ways and how exactly one does it can be very personal.
To develop a very personal relationship with God.

Just thinking of something now:
Loving God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - are they somehow three different “kinds” of love? Maybe not different kinds, but maybe different aspects are stressed?

Hm. The mystery of the trinity. And still ONE GOD and ONE LOVE.

B:signofcross:
 
Kathrin said:
I think there are so many things how to love God.

Loving Christ in those around us of course, is a very good suggestion and way.
Praying.
Going to mass and communion often.
Praying in the sense of not just talking to God, but LISTENING to him.
And just generally going through life WITH HIM. That is, asking Hom for advice often, thanking Him often, trying to live in a way that is pleasing to Him, that is, staying away from sin.
All these are wonderful and important ways and how exactly one does it can be very personal.
To develop a very personal relationship with God.

Just thinking of something now:
Loving God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - are they somehow three different “kinds” of love? Maybe not different kinds, but maybe different aspects are stressed?

Hm. The mystery of the trinity. And still ONE GOD and ONE LOVE.

B:signofcross:
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The love of God always involves the Three Persons. The Father’s expression of love for us is in the gift of His Son, Jesus. Jesus expression of love for us, is loving His Father by doing His will, and the Holy Spirit is the gift of both the Father and the Son’s love to us. No one can come to the Father except through Jesus, and no one can come to Jesus unless the Father calls him, and no one can receive the Holy Spirit except through Jesus and the Father When Peter was asked by Jesus "Who do you say I am? Peter answered “Thou art the Son of God, the Messiah” Jesus answered “Blessed are you, for flesh and blood not revealed this to you, but My Father” the Father had endowed Peter with the Holy Spirit that gave Peter the Faith in Jesus. To involve One is to involve all Three. In Communion we receive with Christ, His Father and Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that causes us to grow in Faith, Hope and Love of God.
 
Hi,

I’d agree with all the suggestions that have been made. I have recently come back to the church and two things have really inspired me.

The first is the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and St. Faustina. I haven’t read her diary yet, but i’ve seen some really good quotes from it. The chaplet is sung regularly on EWTN and it is really beautiful.

Also, I have joined a prayer group where on a simple level we pray together about everyday issues and read scripture.

Hope this helps…
 
Cupcake143 said:
and I feel like I focus more on just trying to do the rights things and not sinning
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Am I mistaken or do I remember right that Jesus mentioned exactly THIS as how love for God is being shown by people?
 
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