Keeping the faith

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Lily0fthevalley

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It’s been awhile since i’ve posted here. Ever since i’ve converted it still has been somewhat of a struggle. I have actually missed mass a few times even sometimes 3 weeks straight. Last week was an excuse because i actually became sick with a nasty bug. Today i did attend mass and went into confession for it. In the back of my mind i felt guilty for not attending then there’s another part of me that thinks “what’s the point?”

I’ve stated before that i was not raised Christian and had only attended church only because my mom had converted from Buddhism.

Though as an adult it’s a different story… Recently i even said to myself " what did i get myself into marrying a Christan man" ?. Knowing that my husband grew up baptist at one point or another i would have to attend to church and i have with an open mind. But at times i feel like something is pulling me back and making me think all of this is just pointless. I suppose even for the people who have been raised Catholics or even protestants it’s a push and pull with their journey. Even the RCIA teachers said that it will happen where you’ll be facing with the struggles, and boy is that the truth.

So how do you keep the faith and just keep on going forward even if there are some days where you just wake up and think is it really worth it?.. How do you stay dedicated to praying the rosaries, reading the scriptures and attend mass every sunday even if there are days when you want to just stay home and sleep in?. In the beginning during the whole RCIA process i did my rosaries every single day and now i have swayed 😊.
 
I sympathise with you, Lily. It is tough to keep waking up early, going to pray at the right times.

It’s been all but impossible for me with this flu to say my prayers, though I do still pray in my head and read Scripture.

Maybe you are exhausted? We do not usually start out as Mother Theresa’s or Francis of Assisi’s. Maybe you are, accidentally exhausting yourself? I remember when I really used to get OCD/scrupulous about a sin I used to do with some frequency.

Perhaps… take some time to sit back. Relax. Just wait, and listen, for God. Doesn’t even have to be in Church. While you should go to Church on Sundays maybe some other day God is calling you to listen to Him rather than you talking? Prayer is a two-way street after all; He does talk now and again. 😉

Or maybe… think about what you are reading, or praying? What does it really mean to you, for your circumstances? What are you really asking for? What are you thankful for? What are you praising God for? What are your troubles you are pouring out to God in your prayers?

These I have tried to do. They help my prayers sometimes.
 
What you are going through is human and natural.
Do keep up Sunday Mass, but if you are wearing yourself out with the holy Rosary…remember that, though good, the Rosary is a devotion not an obligation. You would be better to say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be the very best you can and with full attention than to say a whole rosary unable to concentrate and feeling pressured and giving up religious effort completely. If you force yourself to continue to say all to the point you get worn out, it’s very hard to continue.

It isn’t about saying lots of prayers, it’s about relationship with God. Do you begin your day with a Morning Offering, consecrating your entire day to God?
Do you talk to God in a natural way sometimes during your day, and share ordinary things with God.

Jesus demonstrates how important and sacred are the ordinary things of life so we should dedicate our own days to God and let Him share in all our moments. The way God showed us how important ordinary daily life is often unrecognized. God could have sent His divine Son as a fully developed adult person, but instead, God incarnate lived a quiet, hidden, human life for around 30 years. I regard that as the hidden gospel of the sacredness of the least thing in our lives in God’s sight. If we really were aware of this, how much better would we act in all the little moments of our lives!

You are still a tiny plant, and new Catholic, and you could allow discouragement to kill the life of your plant before you have time to send down deep roots into your Catholic faith and your life in God. Nurture this and give yourself time, as you also continue to remain faithful to “the source and summit” of Catholic life, the Eucharist.
I hope and pray you will have wise personal guidance, to direct you to whatever prayer, whatever inspirations in Scripture and in the lives of the most suited saints that will help you to remain faithful and growing. We need the gift of your flower and perfume in our Church, Lily-of-the-Valley, and God the delight of your flowering as He designed
May God continue to bless you
 
The name you give yourself led me to think of some thoughts of a Saint who has always inspired me, St Therese of Lisieux.
Saint Therese rightly asserted that individual souls are different, with small simple souls scattered amongst great souls contributing towards making a glorious and colourful garden. And it was with this in mind that I said we need the unique ‘flower’ that you are…on this earth, and for all eternity.

“*I wondered for a long time why God has preferences, why all souls do not receive an equal amount of graces. I was surprised when I saw Him shower extraordinary favours on saints who had offended Him. For instance Saint Paul and Saint Augustine…I was puzzled at seeing how our Lord was pleased to caress certain ones from the cradle to the grave…helping them with such favours that they were unable to soil the immaculate beauty of their baptismal robe. I wondered why poor savages died in such numbers without ever having heard the name of God pronounced. Jesus deigned to teach me this mystery.

He set before me the book of nature; I understood how all the flowers He created are beautiful, how the splendour of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not take away the perfume of the little violet or the delightful simplicity of the daisy. …If all flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty, and the fields would no longer be decked out with little wild flowers. And, so it is with the world of souls, Jesus’ garden. He willed to create great souls comparable to lilies and roses, but He has created smaller ones and these must be content to be daisies or violets destined to give joy to God’s glances when He looks down at His feet. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being what He wills us to be.”* (Story of a Soul)
 
Later…you are still in my thought, and I just found in my journal one of my prayers that may speak to/for you at this time. Therefore, for you to drift from unity in the Church (for anyone to do so) is a loss not only to yourself but to us all, your sisters and brothers in Christ, whether or not you ever encounter most of us while on earth:

Heavenly family

Heavenly Family, please intercede powerfully for us when we are demoralized by disappointments and loss of fervor. A history of apparently ‘fruitless’ service and ‘unanswered’ prayer may lead us to discouragement and depression, deepened by remembrance of earlier zeal that seems irretrievable. The gospel way is difficult for anyone worn by years of sorrows and effort.

You also experienced dilemmas and pain of earthly trial. Even one of the dearest Saints of our time, Therese of Lisieux, endured trials of faith. She, along with all you citizens of heaven now experiences the wondrous eternal realities of God.

Pray for our renewal and growth when religious discussion seems tedious, or when intercession begins to feel almost like assiduous ‘blackmail’ instead of request to a loving God.

Help us to escape the trap of requiring God to be a ‘fairy-godmother’ deity! Obtain for us maturity of faith in life’s difficulties and tragedies. Pray that we continue to serve others in prayer and act, trusting that God will provide. Pray that we do justice to the gift of our lives and talents, and God’s will for our lives.

and another…trying to get across to you that you are not just important as an isolated individual, you are part of the communion of saints, of the Body of Christ…

Heavenly communion

Dear God, You call each person to be uniquely holy. Each is an expression of Your love, created to joyfully enrich, illuminate, mirror and reflect all of Your uniquely beloved children, bathed in divine radiance. Thus, Your love and goodness and glory blazes through all humanity in multi-faceted perfection and joy.

God, do not allow me or anyone to cheat You, or my sisters and brothers, of the brilliance of Your unique expression of Yourself in me, or in any of us. Do not let the shadows of complacency, or of discouragement, or of the darkness of sin, deny others the delight of who I am created to be forever.

Therefore, in joyful, humble trust I surrender to You, so that you will make me Yours in the holiness and wholeness of Your image. I entreat that through this fulfilment You will lead many others into Yourself also. Thank You, God, for creating each of us to share forever Your glorious love!

Please help me to live as You hope. loving God above all and others as myself.
Please help me because I cannot do it alone.

The Communion of Saints

Our brothers and sisters in the Communion of Saints, you fill Heaven and Earth with praise, gratitude and intercession.
You are resplendent expressions of God’s love.
You harmoniously enrich each other and glorify God in the perfect accomplishment of God’s image in you!

Please offer for us the fruits of your earthly fidelity and charity and your heavenly blessedness, united with Jesus’ sacrifice.

The dilemmas and burdens of temptation, sin, guilt and suffering are eternally lifted from you, yet in the vivid, passing moments of life you lived with these things as we do now. To you the love, truth and glory of God are living realities that to my best understanding remain elusive, shadowy hopes.

Please pray to God for us out of your secure place in Heaven, for we, your kin and ransomed by Jesus’ blood, may yet be saved and sanctified. We may yet become pure strong channels of love and witness to others.

Pray that we faithfully desire God’s highest will for self and for others whom He wishes to benefit through each of us, and never let us drift from His presence.

Pray that physical desires or errant spiritual aspirations do not overcome us. Heaven’s queen, our Mother, at Fatima declared that sins of flesh are the judgement of most lost souls. For sake of her maternal love, please intercede that we aptly utilize characteristics and gifts intended for others’ welfare and our own, never for egoistic purposes.

Just as physical pride can become an idol in preference to God, so also can intellectual and spiritual pride lead to self-adoration and self-deception. Therefore, please intercede for our wisdom and faith, for honesty regarding our real state before God, and our true relation to God.

Pray that our temptations, trials, sufferings and failures, along with our good efforts and blessings, become tools of God’s Spirit.

We ask wisdom and grace to live God’s will even if we remain a disappointment to others and ourselves. Even without anyone’s awareness, let God make us sacramentally whole and delightful to Him.

Dear sisters and brothers in Heaven, you are kindred to all whom God created us to benefit. Let us each receive your unique blessing, for you are rich in God and glorify in unique fashion, the love of our Creator. Please surround us with your love, protection and intercession, so that you may welcome us into our everlasting home in the presence of God, together with our Mother, and the Angels!

All saints of God please powerfully pray for us that God’s desires will be fulfilled in our lives as we joyfully anticipate the fullness of communion in heaven.

Our God, we honor and thank You for the example and teaching of Your Saints. Thank You for their intercession, requested, and voluntary, out of Your love for us.

“It is God’s will that in this world souls shall dispense to each other, by prayer, the treasures of Heaven, in order that when they reach their everlasting Home they may love one another with grateful hearts, and with an affection far in excess of that which reigns in the most perfect family on earth.” “I have often thought that perhaps I owe all the graces, with which I am laden, to some little soul whom I shall know only in Heaven.” [Saint Therese of Lisieux]

We don’t want to lose you so hang in there. 🙂
 
Life has its ups and downs, so no matter what problem comes your way, just keep your faith strong,and you,ll survie, anything that comes your way. :knight2:
 
Certain things are required and many things are not. Focus on the required things and do not worry so much about the others.

You must attend Mass every Sunday. That doesn’t mean Sunday morning though. Look around at the Mass times in your area and pick a time that fits better with your schedule. Perhaps Saturday evening and then out to dinner? Early Sunday morning and then go out for a run or a long coffee and paper date? Later Sunday and then a stroll through the park?

Don’t think of it as “getting Mass out of the way”, but placing it in a good spot in your schedule so that you always go and it becomes a habit, an expected part of your weekend.

Other devotions like the rosary, chaplets, etc are completely optional. You can find the ones that speak to you more and concentrate on those. It’s good to know how to say the Dominican rosary (most common one with 5 decades per ‘cycle’), but it is not at all required.

You may find that something like Lectio Divina (reading short Bible passages and meditating on them) is a better prayer practice for you. Other chaplets (said on rosary beads or other bead sets) may be your preferred prayer, especially ones devoted to Saints that inspire you.

There is a great wealth of Catholic devotional practices, any of them are acceptable. However, missing Mass is a serious issue and you should do your best to create the habit of attending every week.
 
Lily0fthevalley said:
It’s been awhile since i’ve posted here. Ever since i’ve converted it still has been somewhat of a struggle. I have actually missed mass a few times even sometimes 3 weeks straight. Last week was an excuse because i actually became sick with a nasty bug. Today i did attend mass and went into confession for it. In the back of my mind i felt guilty for not attending then there’s another part of me that thinks “what’s the point?”

I’ve stated before that i was not raised Christian and had only attended church only because my mom had converted from Buddhism.

Though as an adult it’s a different story… Recently i even said to myself " what did i get myself into marrying a Christan man" ?. Knowing that my husband grew up baptist at one point or another i would have to attend to church and i have with an open mind. But at times i feel like something is pulling me back and making me think all of this is just pointless. I suppose even for the people who have been raised Catholics or even protestants it’s a push and pull with their journey. Even the RCIA teachers said that it will happen where you’ll be facing with the struggles, and boy is that the truth.

So how do you keep the faith and just keep on going forward even if there are some days where you just wake up and think is it really worth it?.. How do you stay dedicated to praying the rosaries, reading the scriptures and attend mass every sunday even if there are days when you want to just stay home and sleep in?. In the beginning during the whole RCIA process i did my rosaries every single day and now i have swayed 😊.
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Dearest Sister,

Set a schedule for your prayer life. If you don’t discipline your prayer life, it will suffer from being inconstant (“I only pray when I FEEL like it…”) That is a deception from the devil. Do not listen to it. Pray daily, but beware an emotional sort of reason for it, rather than the true good it does for your soul. For if we pray this way, our prayer life will be like a strong chain, rather than when we feel, which is like a yarn string tangled all in knots.

You must pray the Holy Rosary every day. Our Lady is a great defense against sin and affliction, do not forget! Also, say the Morning Prayers (Liturgy of the Hours/Divine Office) every morning with a Morning Offering (O Jesus, I offer thee through the Immaculate Heart of Mary…).

Faith is a gift, friend, don’t throw it back at God by abandoning your prayers.

At the same time, you can’t keep the house of your spirit clean when you keep the door by which filth enters wide open! I’m referring here to willful mortal sins. Firmly resolve to avoid evil/do good and avoid sin and its occasions.

Sin holds us back from having great faith! Don’t be tricked by the devil or the world!

Continue to return to confession, for every time you commit sin, God is waiting to forgive you. His forgiveness, of course implies, that you are truly sorry.

But most of all the best and most continual source for spiritual strength is the reception of Our Lord in the BLESSED EUCHARIST.

Be an every day Catholic! Go to mass more than once a week! You shall find a great source of strength from Our Lord’s Soul entering and purifying yours!

Do all these things: pray daily, not just when you feel like it, avoid sin and do good, repent of sin when committed, and try to daily receive Our Lord AND YOU SHALL CONQUER YOUR WOES!!!

May God Bless You!

P.S. I recommend also getting a wise and holy priest as your spiritual director. We are our worst enemies most times, and two heads are certainly better than one when reaching towards Heaven!

If Father is from the FSSP, all the better. The FSSP priests I find are on the whole more dependable to be holy and wise, and their prayer life is exemplary.
 
Dear Lily, sister i Christ

I also agree with the previous poster about prayer - in times of struggle we should not be given the advice “it is not mandatory”. That is a legalistic way of looking at our faith. Be tender with God, pray more often to Him and rejoice in the Holy Spirit!

However, I would try to find the root of the problem. Is it because you do not believe in Jesus? Is it because you cannot love Him? Is it because you are lazy?

Find a director, pray always and try to find God in all things. I have also heard that Priests from the FSSP are good, it is somehow a part of their spirituality to be very practical and concrete in their advice…

Yours,
Nils
 
Sounds as tho you were given a consolation from God during RCIA the way you described it.

It is a joy and a happiness experienced mainly in prayer and “feels” wonderful. This is a way that Jesus has of encouraging us to go on. Sometimes they come and go for a period of time. Then they will stop. And this is the important part. They stop because He wants to bring us closer to Him.

Sounds backward dosen’t it? Because we feel closer to him and seem to pray so much better when we have this joy and happy time being close to Him. But he does that to get your attention and devotion going. And then this consolation period will stop and then the thought comes that something is wrong since they have stopped.

Obviously discouragement comes when they stop. The idea comes that I am at fault. This could be the case. But much of the time, this is not the reason. The real reason is that he wants us to do the work when we pray. By that I mean that it is wonderful to pray with consolation, and not easy when there is only our determination to pray and no help from our Saviour. Now He is closer to us than when we were having those consolations but we don’t feel his presence, in fact we feel his distinct absence.

Now the choice is ours. We will be faithful to prayer because we love him and not because we are being rewarded. Then prayer becomes more pure and pleasing because we are being obedient and faithful, going against our natural tendencies to quit when prayer gets tough.

It is important to understand that you may break any promise to yourself except to be faithful to

your prayer life. Prayer is where it is at, sink or swim. We must never under any condition give that up. And as far as consolations are concerned, always be grateful for them, but be even more grateful to Him when you don’t have them.

Jesus, his last night, found him in prayer saying to the Father, “thy will be done.”
Mary said, “be it done to me according to your word,” in submitting her will.
And Joseph, all the trials he was sent, and never once complaining, only doing.

Someone once said, to seek the God of consolations, not the consolations of God.

One final thought,
get a Miraculous Medal, have it blessed, and wear it.
Whenever you experience a trial in your life, take the gift of Mary in your hand, and just say something like, “Mary, I’m asking you now for great graces to overcome this trial, and I know you will answer my prayer as you said. Thank you, and I love you for being so kind to me.”
 
Keeping faith is easy, First -Pray to Jesus ,and let him tell his Father in Heaven,to send the Holy Spirit ,to strenght you, Keep saying the Rosary, for OUR LADY will also help you.
Just because you miss Mass, contine too,go but before receiving OUR LORD, go too confession,and don,t be afraid. God Loves you. I pray that you will become stronger. Amen.
 
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