Lately I no longer feel like praying or go to church anymore

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rutherford2
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Rutherford2 said:
Because… I do not feel motivated inside. Maybe getting bored.
Click to expand...
Faith is not always exciting. Much (perhaps even most) of the time it seems like a lot of hard work and hard work can feel like a chore, it can feel boring. There are indeed moments of amazing joy, but a lot of the time it can feel boring.

But it isn’t about feelings, it isn’t about getting some sort of emotional ‘payback’. I think faith is about endurance, it is hard work and doesn’t always feel inspiring. I guess it is a bit like life in general, it isn’t always easy.

But it isn’t about us and how we feel. How we feel isn’t relevant to us personally, but only as a means for God fulfilling His plan of which we are a very, very tiny part.

Perhaps in those ‘dry spells’ we should be grateful that maybe God is testing our faith. Is it easier to have faith if we are flooded with spiritual feelings and inspiration, or when we feel ‘dry’? Perhaps in the future times will come when it really will be very difficult to keep our faith. How will we cope then?
 
Last edited:
Brendan_64 said:
Perhaps in the future times will come when it really will be very difficult to keep our faith. How will we cope then?
Click to expand...
Perhaps it’s like child being taught how to ride a bike.
At first they need a lot of support but as they gain the skills and balance they need less and less until finally you can let go and they’re away. And we never seem to forget the skill either do we.

God never fully lets go though.
 
Rutherford, are you familiar with the idea of the converts fervor? It’s basically the idea that new converts to a religion or philosophy have extraordinary enthusiasm and jump in with both feet. There’s nothing wrong with that, but then when the novelty wears off they find it hard to sustain their faith on a more day-to-day level.

I think halogirl is right that you need to dial it back a bit. Set all this stuff about exorcism aside for a long time and just focus on being an ordinary lay Catholic. I just wonder if maybe you were drawn to the Church by fantasy depictions of exorcisms in movies, and then when you encountered the reality of day in, day out reality you feel a little disappointed.
 
Not specifically related to the OP, but rather on the issue of boredom in general, I think we have an issue in society today where boredom is considered something that ought to be avoided. We want to be inspired, enthused, engaged, invigorated and boredom is to be avoided. You can see it in society i general, but I think particularly with children and young people.

I think this may be a symptom of a society that encourages us to want a positive payback for what we do, that we ought to be inspired, engaged and fulfilled. However as much of life is indeed quite boring, is this marginalisation of the normality of boredom something healthy, or is it setting us up to fail through our over-expectations?
 
Last edited:
BoomBoomMancini said:
I just wonder if maybe you were drawn to the Church by fantasy depictions of exorcisms in movies, and then when you encountered the reality of day in, day out reality you feel a little disappointed.
Click to expand...
Nah… I am not fooled by any exorcism movie or games. I am also aware that real exorcism is nothing like those shown in the movies or games but, it would be so cool if they do but its not. Like I said before in one of my previous replies, my life belongs to God. If He has other plans for me other than being an exorcist, I would accept it.

My heart felt sorry for people whose lives had been destroyed by the Evil One. I see how families are broken, innocent lives are taken, people being possessed, etc. There is a strong steering inside me to fight beside God and to rid of demons that dare to make His poor children suffer. Priest nowadays do not want to take up exorcism and that is a real pity. They think the Satan is nothing but a made believe evil.
 
Last edited:
I have found that my relationship with God goes through natural cycles of devotion and “meh”.
To be clear, I’m the one cycling, God stays the same.
It’s just because we’re human, and humans tend to cycle through peaks and troughs of everything (hunger, energy, sexual interest).
So don’t worry about it.
You can even bring it to God “I’m afraid I’m not feeling it today, God, but I’m going to pray anyway.”
God isn’t mad at you. Continue to pray, without pretending anything and without trying to force the kumbaya feelings, and your relationship with Him will develop naturally.
 
You could try giving Jesus this listlessness you have and you lack of motivation. You do realise this is either a ‘dark night of the soul’ sort of thing in which God is moving you towards him by your trails or temptations which God is also moving you forward in your spiritual life. Your duty is to fight this as a Christian. I know it sounds like a platitude but we all have this sort of thing now and again. We are not made for comfort in this life but in the next. In this life it is all battle, one after another. This is life, we are in constant spiritual battles with our own will, the world and the devil. But the good news is we are never alone, even if like now you may feel like God has abandoned you, it is only seemingly so. He is never ever gone. As you have no doubt heard people say, the teacher is quiet during the test. He still hears your prayers though and you can trust in him to help you and he will not put you beyond your endurance. Many people say he will, but they are wrong, we just dont know our own endurance, which must be stretched in order to grow, ask any athlete they will tell you. God knows us best and knows what is best for us always. God is good always. Trust in him and ask him to help you. Remember you angel in this too, he is there to help you, especially to help you pray. God knows how hard it is for you to pray when you dont want to and go to mass when you dont want to and he will note your efforts when you do this . He wants you to love him even if he is not rewarding you with consolations, show him this honour. You would visit your parents and take care of them even if they were old and had forgotten who you were wouldn’t you? so show God the same love… even if it is very very hard. God bless you. I will pray for you. There are good suggestions others have made too.
 
Last edited:
If anyone thinks that their prayers are heard then I would ask them something.

When you pray do you flick a switch? Does saying “Our Father…” automatically connect you to God? And when you’ve finished does saying “amen” disconnect you from God? Are words like these the on off switches to God?

No. We are never disconnected, possibly because we have a guardian angel who never leaves us, or possibly because we have within us the Holy Spirit.

The dark night of the soul is a mental aberration imo.
 
Rutherford2 said:
My heart felt sorry for people whose lives had been destroyed by the Evil One. I see how families are broken, innocent lives are taken, people being possessed, etc. There is a strong steering inside me to fight beside God and to rid of demons that dare to make His poor children suffer. Priest nowadays do not want to take up exorcism and that is a real pity. They think the Satan is nothing but a made believe evil.
Click to expand...
Do you not see where you’re being a tad arrogant? You’re still in RCIA and you’re already talking about what’s wrong with priests these days. Maybe you’re right, maybe you’re wrong, but you’re getting a little ahead of yourself. You’re very much a novice in the faith. That’s fine, we all start somewhere (and I don’t claim to some wise sage myself), but you should really be in learning, not lecturing mode at this point.
 
Last edited:
Lee1 said:
40.png
Rob2:
the prayer from Sister Angela
Click to expand...
What is this prayer Rob?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
She sent me this prayer of St Ignatius of Loyola .

" O Christ Jesus
When all is darkness
And we feel our weakness and helplessness,
Give us the sense of Your Presence,
Your Love and Your Strength.
Help us to have perfect trust
In Your protecting love
And strengthening power,
So that nothing may frighten or worry us,
For, living close to You,
We shall see Your Hand,
Your Purpose, Your Will through all things."
 
There is no such thing as “the wrong mystery”. Simply pray. While the Rosary is good, for balance also pray other ways. Like steak is good, but, you also need veg and grains.

What about simply talking to God?

Have you tried praying the Lectio Divina? The Divine Office Night Prayers is a good intro to the LOTH.

We do not ever rely on feelings. Feelings lie and can deceive us. Talk to God about it.
 
Rutherford2 said:
I used to go to church even on weekdays but now I skipped it more and more. I do not even feel motivated to pray the rosary. I read the wrong mystery and did not even know. I never made mistake like this before unless I am very very sleepy. In other words, I feel like I am drifting further and further away. How do you guys stay motivated?
Click to expand...
When I start doing something new, I often overextend myself. I dive in too deep and then get burned out. Slowing down a little doesn’t have to mean you’re falling away. It may just mean you need to find the right balance for you.

Sometimes you do need to commit to doing something whether or not you feel like it or whether or not it’s convenient. There are times where you just need to do it and work through it (work, as in, not easy).

My two paragraphs may seem contradictory, but consider moderation. Maybe mass every day or the whole rosary every day doesn’t fit you right now, but maybe commit to praying for five to ten minutes every morning whether or not you feel like it. Set modest goals for now. Don’t burn out. Maybe you can “step it up” in the future.
 
Last edited:
The Eucharist is truly food for you soul, Rutherford. I would recommend you go to daily mass as often as you can and be patient as you go through this dryness. It will pass if you persevere.

From what I know, St. Ignatius said in his Discernment of Spirits that one should not relax or slacken one devotions and prayer time during periods of dryness.
 
Rutherford2 said:
There is a strong steering inside me to fight beside God and to rid of demons that dare to make His poor children suffer.
Click to expand...
That is good. But I think the fight against the evil one and his demons isn’t just about exorcism, it is about the Church militant (i.e. all of us) praying to defeat evil, day in and day out. As far as weapons go in this fight, the Rosary has got to up there as one of the best.
 
You all know the OP is still in RCIA and can’t receive yet. Can’t go to confession. He’s had three months of instruction in the Catholic faith.

He needs to stop and get back to the basics. Learning the Catholic faith, learning the Mass, learning the sacraments, learning the prayers, learning the history of the church, learning what the dos & don’ts are.

@Rutherford2 - Slow down. One, I’m offended that you presume to know how all priests think and what they will & won’t do:
Rutherford2 said:
Priest nowadays do not want to take up exorcism and that is a real pity. They think the Satan is nothing but a made believe evil.
Click to expand...
Two, get through the Easter Vigil before declaring your goal to become an exorcist. There is so much discerning that goes into determining if you have vocation to religious life there is no way you can possibly know without the help of an experience spiritual director, and that even takes a long period of time.

I’m not saying you don’t have a vocation, I’m saying you can’t be certain you do at this time.

Go to Mass on Sundays with your RCIA group. Hopefully you have dismissal for gospel breakout. Maybe when you try to pray you should stop talking, and start to listen. Sit with the Blessed Sacrament in silence, even in your mind, let God talk to you. We all experience times when we don’t really feel it, or we feel dry. It’s ok to feel that, we just have to wait it out.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top