I need some help/guidence

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Armyvet007

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I am currently at a point in my faith, as poor as it is, that I feel lost and do not know what to do. I am requesting help from this community in helping me find my way back to the path God has given me.

Background- Grew up Catholic, became a lapsed Catholic after college and during my time in the military. Brought back to my faith by God during my last deployment [it was not a fun wake up call]. Since my retirement (due in part from the above) from the military I have turned into the stay at home dad and have taken care of our kids. I have spent the last 4 years working on my pride and learning patience (looking back now, I understand why God decided those were what I need to focus on.) But now I have these urges/desires/wantings to further my understanding of the faith (it runs deep, just not much knowledge attached to it.)

Local resources- my parish, my diocese, a local monestary, a Bible, a copy of the CCC, and misc works by the Holy Fathers and St. Francis (he helped be sort some of my stuff out in Iraq).

What I need-
-An idea of what I need, need to do next
-help in figuring out how to actually study the Bible and learn (not just read) the CCC
-further development of my knowledge/understanding of our theology
-incorporate prayer into my life
and
-What you think I need that I have no clue I need

Right now I feel myself losing the path God set before me, and having done that once, fear (as in pee my pants, cry like a baby, primal gut wrentching fear) losing that path again. I need what ever will center me on the path, free me from my own demons, and bring me back to the contentment and peace I rarely felt in Iraq when talking to God or St. Francis.

Sorry for the rant, but I’ve felt what the complete absense of God feels like, I really, really don’t wnat to feel that again. Right now the best I can think of is Confession and asking advice from these boards. Please help me with any adivice you can give. Thank and God Bless.
 
Well, it’s hard to know how to help since I don’t know much about you but I’ll give it a shot.
If you feel close to St. Francis maybe you should study his spirituality. Having a certain spirituality can ground you in the faith. It’s a good starting point at least. If you feel like that spirituality is one that you can use in your life, it’s a jumping off point for everything else, including learning the faith and theology.
Right off the bat though, I would strongly urge you to pray every day. You didn’t really say what your prayer life is like but it’s the most important thing. The Rosary and as much time as you can a day simply talking to Jesus in silence and listening and if you can, get to your Church and spend time before the Blessed Sacrament. You need to ask Jesus every day for help in your Faith.
‘Theology for Beginners’ by Frank Sheed is a good book.
As for the Bible, start with the New Testament. Try the Ignatius Study Bible. Also, read the daily Mass readings everyday. They aren’t that long and you can meditate on them and pray.
All I can say for CCC is just to read it. Maybe start with the Compendium first or even YOUCAT. If you come across something you don’t understand in it, look it up or ask on here.
 
One more thing. It sounds like you have a lot of fear right now about various things. Jesus always says, don’t be afraid! If you feel like you fail in some way or sin, get right back up, don’t give up. The antidote to fear is to Trust the lord. I don’t know if you’re familiar with St. Faustina and the Divine Mercy Chaplet, but it has helped me a lot in learning to Trust in Jesus and to stop being afraid.
 
I thank God for the graces He has given you and continues to offer you.

For deepening understanding of the faith, you will of course find reading the Gospels and letters of the evangelists helpful,
vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/_INDEX.HTM

but also the Church’s official Catechism of the Catholic Church:
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM

Prayer, Mass, Confession

…these are all basics.

God bless you.
Welcome to Catholic Answers Forums.🙂
 
Something that helped me a lot was to turn EWTN radio on while I’m doing other things around the house. Just hearing someone chatting about Catholic topics has helped make it more real to me. I also love hearing the Rosary at midday (probably some other time in other places), because I try to join in and it’s a great source of consolation.

My situation is probably vastly different to yours (SAHM).

The other thing that has helped me lots is the Mothers’ prayer group that I attend weekly. I get to read the upcoming gospel and discuss it with others in a similar situation to myself.

If you want to study scripture in an organised way, perhaps look up the readings of the day and find an online homily to go with it. There are heaps of them out there, but it’s probably a bit hard to find one that suits you. If I can find the one that we use (someone else prints it each week), I’ll post it.
 
For prayer I suggest to devote yourself to either the Rosary or the Liturgy of the Hours. Each can provide you valuable time in meditation each day.

To grow spiritually you should seek fellowship with other Christians as well as a good spiritual director or pastor. If your current parish is not meeting your needs, you may want to go further afield. You might find a better liturgy, better preaching, or better opportunities to volunteer. Volunteering should be another one of your goals. It is the best way to get involved in the life of your parish and support it with your own gifts. Can you join a liturgical ministry? St. Vincent de Paul? Prayer group/Bible study?

One resource I highly recommend for you in particular is the Knights of Columbus. Consider joining us. You will certainly find other military veterans in the Order. We serve families and the community in every way possible.

You may find a parish that offers a Bible study; I particularly recommend Jeff Cavins’ comprehensive lectures such as The Great Adventure: The Bible Timeline. These come on DVD and CD and may be too expensive to own personally. But they are a great parish resource… you could even offer to start a new study and facilitate the group! You will also learn about the Catechism in these courses.

Above all, continue to pray for guidance, and God will provide what you need. Seek out a parish offering Adoration and use the time before the Lord to form your resolve for a way forward.
 
Hi there,

Your post happened to catch my eye, and your plea for a desire for God’s presence sounds very much like me. I don’t know you at all, however, I know the feeling. You are hungry to just feel God…I know that sometimes reading is not enough- you have to feel your faith when you read, pray, and hope.

I have been in a place where no matter what I did, I could not understand prayers or scripture, then I realized that it was because I could not feel God’s presence. Finally, I began to pray with a much more open mind, but mostly an open heart. I am a 24 year old college graduate, and with that information, you can tell off the bat that I must not have much to teach you about theology. However, since realizing how much I do not know, I have begun to search in places like this. I must congradulate you for even putting a post out there- this is a great start. If you like, as I search for my own understanding, I could send you what I learn…? To help me along during the week, I listen to Catholic Talk Radio (and download their free podcasts) as well as attending church as many times a week as I can. Mass is important…maybe you could start by studying what the parts of the mass mean. From the greeting to the last blessing, there is so much to learn and love about it. Just remember this; in our Catholic faith, everything means something…it will never be fully understood (that is what makes it so great and heavenly).

Being Catholic is such an awesome faith that would be horrible for you to lose. It is like breaking up with the perfect spouse. Don’t give up, don’t let anything drag you down. You can pray to saints to help (I like St. Jude…patron saint of lost causes-and he helps so much! Just trust in him…he already helped me 3 times this week about some work drama) as well as angels. Studying saints is fun as well. Search and find a saint that you can relate to. There are so many to chose from.
I will not let you dangle here feeling hopeless, so when I find my next quote/question, I will post it for you. Any spacific questions for the time being?

Consider this the beginning of an awesome journey…that takes you to a better place in your life. Be as excited as I am to search for God, because when we find him, we will wonder what we did without him…

-Veritasvero
 
Read everything approved, retain what is good. Put to practice what you know and more will be given to you. Develope a prayer life. Keep close to the Sacraments. Rememeber, conversion is a life long process. Welcome back, Troop. Samson
 
Check out a good Catholic Bible Study. Your parish should have one, or maybe you can go to a nearby parish and meet some new people. You can always attend RCIA, it is open to anyone, and you will be surprised at how much you will learn, even if you grew up Catholic. You can also start attending Mass during the week and look around for Adoration. Do you live in an area with a Catholic University? You could dign up for classes there or find something online.
 
First, thank you for your service.

You took the first step, so congratulations for starting your walk. I can identify with a lot of what you wrote. It seems overwhelming a bit at first. One thing you might do is begin saying the rosary if you aren’t already. Maybe read about the saints and find one or more that you identify with and then include them when you pray. It might help you to get some guidance and help from them.

The more that I read and learn the more I want to read and learn it seems. All of which helps you to understand your faith and strengthen it. You have the CCC, that is a good start. Just on this website and others on the internet you can find so much. One book that I would recommend is Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.

Pray for an increase in your faith and for a closer relationship with God.

Stay with it.
 
Thank you all for your help. My plan right now is to-
-get a study Bible, the works of St. Francis and St. Ignatius
-use those links you provided me
-set aside some time during each day for a structured approach to prayer and educating myself on the Bible and the CCC.
-look into St. Faustina (I do have some fear, but a lot of it is a great amount of remorse/sense of failure)

I figure this will get me pointed in the right direction to start with. Please let me know if you have any other suggestions. Once again, thank you for your help. God bless.
 
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