How to Grow in Faith?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Melodeonist
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Melodeonist

Guest
Although I try to read the daily scriptural readings and pray the Rosary and two divine mercy chaplets every day, I feel like I have no faith. :confused:

How do I grow in faith?

One thing I would like to mention is that I always pray the same prayers, and I always pray for the same things every day. Even in custom prayers. If I am making a prayer up I pray for the same stuff. It gets boring, but I never know what to pray about so I usually end up repeating a boring prayer that I made up and getting nothing out of it, or I don’t pray.

When reading scriptural readings I read them literally. I’m a very logical thinker, and I can’t wrap my mind around hidden meanings. 😊

I also have another question. When can you stop praying for someone who died? Do you continue praying for them forever? :confused:
 
Study study study.

you can pray fro anyone you want for as long as you want.
God knows what to do with those prayers.
 
Are you getting any social time? How about service work?

Looks like you have the study and prayer covered. Maybe it is time for some active stuff.
 
robertmidwest said:
Are you getting any social time? How about service work?

Looks like you have the study and prayer covered. Maybe it is time for some active stuff.
Click to expand...
It doesn’t seem like he said anything about study. He’s doing devotions, and interpreting Scripture without any Catholic guidance.
He can start with a study about the various genres of the Bible.
 
Because we don’t what you pray for or how you pray, it is hard to give you directions. It does sound as if you are taking an intellectual path to growing your faith, but perhaps you should not, but let your heart open and just soak in God’s goodness and love for you. Growing your faith will not be the same as the person next to you, but a personal journey that will encompass a lifetime. I hardly ever post a thread, but did today asking for anyone to define prayer, meditation or spiritual contemplation as an exercise in spiritual. I was expecting a least a few responses, knowing that such it is different for everyone. As I didn’t get a single response I guess I will take the post down. It is all good. Faith, prayer, meditation and contemplation may be just too much for many people to try to fathom or think about. In time YOUR FAITH WILL GROW. I am sure of it. Peace.
 
Melodeonist said:
Although I try to read the daily scriptural readings and pray the Rosary and two divine mercy chaplets every day, I feel like I have no faith. :confused:

How do I grow in faith?

One thing I would like to mention is that I always pray the same prayers, and I always pray for the same things every day. Even in custom prayers. If I am making a prayer up I pray for the same stuff. It gets boring, but I never know what to pray about so I usually end up repeating a boring prayer that I made up and getting nothing out of it, or I don’t pray.

When reading scriptural readings I read them literally. I’m a very logical thinker, and I can’t wrap my mind around hidden meanings. 😊

I also have another question. When can you stop praying for someone who died? Do you continue praying for them forever? :confused:
Click to expand...
Pray for those who have died, you can group them together every day and say their names once a week or so (so I say all my grandparents usually, and I list them every so often), so you rotate and don’t have a really long list every day. If by chance they no longer need your prayers, God uses your prayer to help someone else.

Try mental prayer.

And some information about reading the Bible.

And a book like this one might help too.
 
As the poster above me suggested, I ask the Holy Spirit to increase my faith and love of Jesus.

It really works.
 
In my spiritual struggles, I have observed that progress in faith has two main aspects: cultivating a relationship with God and serving others. If I concentrate all my effort on my relationship with God (prayer, Scripture study, devotions), I eventually fall into navel-gazing. If I pour all my resources into serving others (caring for my family and friends, parish service, working with the poor, other charity activity), I eventually get sloppy with my prayer life. So if you’re principally engaged in one aspect and still feel something is lacking, try your hand at the other. It doesn’t have to be a 50-50 split (and in some circumstances there is overlap between the two), but the people I’ve found who are most serene in their journey towards God are those who include some proportion of both aspects in their spiritual lives.

It can be challenging to find the right balance, which varies from person to person. Have patience. Practice makes perfect. I have found this much easier with the help of my spiritual director, who keeps me from going off the rails (I tend to be a person of extremes).

Hope this helps. God bless!
 
UpUpAndAway said:
In my spiritual struggles, I have observed that progress in faith has two main aspects: cultivating a relationship with God and serving others. If I concentrate all my effort on my relationship with God (prayer, Scripture study, devotions), I eventually fall into navel-gazing. If I pour all my resources into serving others (caring for my family and friends, parish service, working with the poor, other charity activity), I eventually get sloppy with my prayer life. So if you’re principally engaged in one aspect and still feel something is lacking, try your hand at the other. It doesn’t have to be a 50-50 split (and in some circumstances there is overlap between the two), but the people I’ve found who are most serene in their journey towards God are those who include some proportion of both aspects in their spiritual lives.

It can be challenging to find the right balance, which varies from person to person. Have patience. Practice makes perfect. I have found this much easier with the help of my spiritual director, who keeps me from going off the rails (I tend to be a person of extremes).

Hope this helps. God bless!
Click to expand...
👍

I agree. This is what I was getting at with my first post. The op’s description seems to be a life a litltle out of balance. I would add also to the service simple some fellowship. Jesus took breaks and celebrated.
 
Melodeonist said:
Although I try to read the daily scriptural readings and pray the Rosary and two divine mercy chaplets every day, I feel like I have no faith. :confused:

How do I grow in faith?

One thing I would like to mention is that I always pray the same prayers, and I always pray for the same things every day. Even in custom prayers. If I am making a prayer up I pray for the same stuff. It gets boring, but I never know what to pray about so I usually end up repeating a boring prayer that I made up and getting nothing out of it, or I don’t pray.
Click to expand...
It may be time for you to step up to praying the Liturgy of the Hours. The website is a great resource. You may wish to buy one of the books. Shorter Christian Prayer is best to start out using. It takes a bit of discipline, but it is spiritually enriching as it is the daily liturgical prayer of the Church.
When reading scriptural readings I read them literally. I’m a very logical thinker, and I can’t wrap my mind around hidden meanings. 😊
Click to expand...
There are a variety of ways to prayerfully read Scripture. Here are some for you to consider: catholic-resources.org/Bible/Prayer-Methods.htm. It would be good to take a simple course in biblical history and meaning to aid you, as well, such as this free online study guide: agapebiblestudy.com/.
I also have another question. When can you stop praying for someone who died? Do you continue praying for them forever? :confused:
Click to expand...
I pray for “the repose of the souls of our beloved dead and benefactors and those recommended to our prayers” at the end of the last intercessory prayer of Evening Prayer. I sometimes name persons if their deaths are recent or especially beloved or in most need of my prayers. You can also have Masses prayed for the dead at your parish. Simply arrange it the parish. If you feel a certain deceased person is especially in need of your prayers then mention their name as you pray for those who have died.
 
First of all, we have to understand that supernatural faith is a gift. Since it is a gift, it cannot be earned. We can only dispose ourselves to it. This means that there is no such thing as an extra-Sacramental formula to follow that somehow forces God to give us more grace. He will do so in His own good time and at His own good pleasure in accordance with His wisdom and our needs.

But it’s perfectly wonderful to dispose ourselves to more graces! And supernatural faith comes with sanctifying grace in our souls, which itself must be increased in order for faith to be increased.

The best way that God has established for us to grow in sanctifying grace is for us to live a Sacramental life while avoiding sin and developing virtue and always seeking to do God’s will in the present moment. But pssh… that takes forever, dude. Sanctification is a long process and it ain’t for sissies. We all struggle to live that life by God’s grace.

In the meantime, I recommend reading the life of a Saint or something they wrote.

I just love St. Therese of Lisieux. Read her Story of a Soul! I’ll bet you’ll love her too. But I do have to warn you, she’s a little bit of a fanatic. Don’t read her if you don’t want to be a fanatic too. 🙂
 
Thanks for the replies! Unfortunately I have zero time to do volunteer work because I am in college.

I can, however, become a reader or usher. Would that count as serving God?
 
Melodeonist said:
Thanks for the replies! Unfortunately I have zero time to do volunteer work because I am in college.

I can, however, become a reader or usher. Would that count as serving God?
Click to expand...
Yes.

But are you doing anything for yourself too? Finding some time with others your age?
 
robertmidwest said:
Yes.

But are you doing anything for yourself too? Finding some time with others your age?
Click to expand...
Of course! I’m in college, and I talk to practically everybody. Most of the people there are 18-30 years old. I love talking to and interacting with other people. I’m an extrovert. 🙂
 
It is hard for me to fathom that you have “zero time” because you are in college. Busy people make time. I think of all the men and women who go to college and have full time jobs, maintain a family and still get good grades. You have week-ends, live at home and I am pretty sure you don’t have a lot of in home responsibilities. When you get out of college most employers will be interested in your life’s activities and experiences. You need to consider that Jesus found time to attend the Wedding at Canna, took meals with taxpayers, spent a lot of time with His desciples and still managed to bring salvation to world. When He prayed in the garden He didn’t say He had zero time to give. Peace and prayers for you.
 
Melodeonist said:
Thanks for the replies! Unfortunately I have zero time to do volunteer work because I am in college.

I can, however, become a reader or usher. Would that count as serving God?
Click to expand...
Yes. Look, no one is suggesting you join the Peace Corps or anything like that. Not only would you serve God and His Church by becoming a reader or usher, you’d also serve the people of your parish. This is one of those overlap situations I mentioned in my last post. 👍

That said, I’m inclined to agree with Mary Estelle but I don’t know you nor do I live your life. I do find it difficult to imagine you don’t have a couple of hours a month you could spend volunteering, though.
 
I wouldn’t mind helping the pro-life ministry at my church (I already attend their monthly rosary), but my mother wouldn’t like it very much. My mother would probably not let me volunteer for them, even though I am a legal adult. 😦
 
Melodeonist said:
Although I try to read the daily scriptural readings and pray the Rosary and two divine mercy chaplets every day, I feel like I have no faith. :confused:

How do I grow in faith?

One thing I would like to mention is that I always pray the same prayers, and I always pray for the same things every day. Even in custom prayers. If I am making a prayer up I pray for the same stuff. It gets boring, but I never know what to pray about so I usually end up repeating a boring prayer that I made up and getting nothing out of it, or I don’t pray.

When reading scriptural readings I read them literally. I’m a very logical thinker, and I can’t wrap my mind around hidden meanings. 😊

I also have another question. When can you stop praying for someone who died? Do you continue praying for them forever? :confused:
Click to expand...
The Ordinary Path to Holiness by R.Thomas Richard, PhD

amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The+Ordinary+Path+to+Holiness+by+R.Thomas+Richard%2C+PhD&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AThe+Ordinary+Path+to+Holiness+by+R.Thomas+Richard%5Cc+PhD

Will answer many of your questions in an understandable way.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top