Is it normal for me to feel this way?

[Thecatholicguy]

I have this desire to be with God. I want to pray to him with more desire and with heart. When I do this on occasion, the next day I stop. I pray the rosary one time, then I stop praying it for a couple of months. I look at myself as weak. I know i have this desire to love God, but what is wrong with me? What can I do to make this go away?

 

[Rob2]

I look at myself as weak.

@Thecatholicguy , there is nothing wrong with you .

You are just where you ought to be , confessing your weakness .

God forbid that we ever approach God other than with empty hands .

Take a lesson from St Paul .

““My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Cor 12:9)

“For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor 12:10)

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” (2 Cor 11:30)

Reflect on these words in Mary’s Magnificat , " He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty."

You are hungry for God , but look at where God is within you .

Look at who through your Baptism you are , what you are , what you have already received in Baptism .

"The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for . " (Romans 8:26)

Rely totally on the Holy Spirit .

Perhaps learn to make Mary’s Magnificat your own prayer . Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to do this .

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

 

[Lee1]

Personally I think that there is a duality within us, one longs to be God’s servant and the other is afraid of losing individuality. One wants to practice self sacrifice and the other wants to enjoy comforts and life’s luxuries.

It’s not surprising since our material world is such a persistent illusion impinging as it does on our physical senses so powerfully and we are also subject to our physiology and limitations which can strain our wills terribly at times.

My enthusiasm also alters from day to day as I’m sure everyone’s does but I am also reminded often of the existence of God and that helps me to achieve some equilibrium. Ive also experienced contrariness on occasion, when I’ve wanted to think in pious terms and my mind has rebelled and thrown up all sorts of interference, also common I think you’ll find.

I’d suggest that a calm and understanding approach is needed. I found I was developing a higher self which treated my more basic self with kindness, patience and understanding. Knowing that you want God and fidelity to the Church try holding the hand of the recalcitrant child within and leading him to the peace to be found in Christ.

 

[Finn]

Well said.

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

There’s nothing wrong with you.
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

If your relationship with God is important to you, then you need to find a way to make prayer happen, even if it’s by writing a reminder on your calendar or setting an alarm.

 

[Reuben_J]

I have this desire to be with God. I want to pray to him with more desire and with heart. When I do this on occasion, the next day I stop. I pray the rosary one time, then I stop praying it for a couple of months. I look at myself as weak. I know i have this desire to love God, but what is wrong with me? What can I do to make this go away?

Perseverance in prayers is very apt here.

Lack of desire for prayer may not go away, that is why perseverance is called for. You prayer does not depend on your state of mind but rather it is something that you have to do because you understand its importance in your relationship with God.

You already have a good disposition. You have a desire for God. Start from that.

Make prayer your routine and better still make a schedule for it - when you do it in your day. Then do it regardless of your feeling about it.

 

[Mary888]

Try reading the prayer instead of saying it out of memory. Write down the whole Rosary with every repetition and read it.It is not a lesser type of prayer.
Sometimes the demons trick us into pride that we are spiritually awesome and we can do many things and then we trust ourselves and make goals for ourselves and when we try they come in a large group to distract us and rejoice is our sadness when we fail our own goals. So we can move above them by using crops in prayer such as reading.

 

[Seagull]

Revelation 3:16 King James Version (KJV)​

16 So then - because thou art lukewarm,
and neither cold nor hot,
I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Be more diligent - that’s if you really do have a strong desire to be with God.
He - does expect more from us - than to - stop praying for months.

 

[Sedona]

I think it’s normal. There are no static states, and everything works in a state of flux and change. The times when you pray are just part of a larger aggregate that makes up your being, and your being is part of a larger whole that in turn is characterized by an endless succession of change. Breathing in implies breathing out, and there’s a rhythm to most everything. If anything, I would think that the spaces between the times when you pray may serve to punctuate the experience when you do pray or practice whatever devotions you find meaningful. Just my very unqualified but considered opinion.

All the best!

 

[otrrl]

We are in trying times in the Church. There are sexual abuse crises across the globe. The secular culture presses on us, too.

We’re told to pray for the Church so that the Pope and the Bishops do the right thing. THAT alone can make you wonder why do we have to pray for what those men are supposed to do, anyway?

Personally, i think prayer takes practice. And, prayer has to be personal, too. It’s conversation with God, not recitation (necessarily) of somebody else’s written prayers.

Pope Benedict XVI said we have a right and duty to pray for our needs, and we should express thanksgiving to God for each blessing – getting to work or school, and back, safely, for each and all of the blessings we receive each day. We should distance ourselves from the idea that we have earned this or that. It all comes from God and, if nothing else, we should, as the priest says at Mass, “always and everywhere” give God thanks and praise.

Another scriptural prayer is the “sinner’s prayer” O Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.

 

[TK421]

I have this desire to be with God. I want to pray to him with more desire and with heart. When I do this on occasion, the next day I stop. I pray the rosary one time, then I stop praying it for a couple of months. I look at myself as weak. I know i have this desire to love God, but what is wrong with me? What can I do to make this go away?

Yes, this is completely normal.

Learning to Profit from Your Faults

IMO if you haven’t already I would read or do the audiobook of Imitation of Christ.