Misery in this Life?

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Geo17

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This may be the wrong forum for this question. If it is, then please move it.

I was born and raised Catholic, but it was in the 1950’s and 60’s, and I wasn’t taught anything beyond how to make communion, and how to get confirmed.

I’m 61 now, all alone, and I seem unable to better my situation. It’s like God is doing this to me, but I don’t know why. I know the Bible fairly well, but I know next to nothing about Catholic ideas. Isn’t there an idea withing Catholicism that says some people are born to suffer? God uses me for other things too, because I love the ways of God. When I read Proverbs, I’m always in agreement with what God likes.

I heard this happens to some people to shorten their time in purgatory, or maybe so Jesus can take such a person straight to Heaven. Not not I’m sinless, but my misery is so extreme all I want is death. But God doesn’t take me.

Can you help me with this?
 
Hi Geo17,

I am so sorry for your struggles and your suffering.

I will try and answer your post the best that I possibly can.

Catholics believe in the concept of “original sin,” where suffering, sickness and death were brought into the world through Adam and Eve, when they first sinned against God in the Garden of Eden.

We can “offer up” our own sufferings to Jesus in His Passion, to help other souls. That is called redemptive suffering. Here is a link to an article from the Divine Mercy library from the Marians of the Immaculate Conception. (St. Faustina):

thedivinemercy.org/library/article.php?NID=2677

I am so sorry that you are feeling so badly, too.

I like to read about the lives of the various saints.

Many of them suffered from various health problems that made them feel very ill. Some also suffered from anxiety and other nervous disorders, too. Others were plagued by spiritual doubts throughout their whole religious lives.

I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Hang in there.
 
Do you know what the Blessed Virgin Mary said to St Bernadette one time in her ecstasies?
" I promise to make you happy, not in this world, but in the next. "

God has a plan for each person and as he suffered , we are supposed to become like him then we need to suffer also . My grandma suffered pain for 30-40 years in all her body. Some people suffer less others suffer much… it’s the plan of God but we all have to suffer somewhere in our lifetime to live a saintly life and become like Jesus and share in His Passion.

Jesus often told Sister Faustina that He is very pleased with her pure sufferings united with Him, for they were applied to many sinners. She said, “Suffering is the greatest treasure on earth. It purifies the soul. True love is measured by the thermometer of suffering.”

Sister Faustina who was very ill, often misunderstood and humiliated was told by the Lord Jesus that poor health or mental pain are not hindrances to the advancement in holiness.

Jesus said: “My child, all that is painful. But there is no way to heaven except the Way of the Cross. I followed it first. You must learn that it is the shortest and surest way…"

"… You say that a dense darkness is obscuring your mind. But why, at
such times, do you not come to Me, the light who can in an instant pour into your
soul more understanding about holiness than can be found in any books? No
confessor is capable of teaching and enlightening a soul in this way.

Know, too, that the darkness about which you complain I first endured in the
Garden of Olives when My Soul was crushed in mortal anguish. I am giving you a
share in those sufferings because of My special love for you and in view of the
high degree of holiness I am (89) intending for you in heaven.** A suffering soul is
closest to My Heart**"
 
Hi Geo,
Welcome to CAF 🙂

Here’s what I wrote in response to your post in the thread about euthanasia:
“Offering up” our suffering (and joys, works, and prayers) is our way of contributing a miniscule amount to help Christ in His great offfering up of Himself in death so that we could have life in God.

Imagine a 6-year-old asking his mother to bake him some brownies, and she says she will, but he has to help. The child is contributing what he can contribute, but the mother is doing most of the work, right? His contribution shows how much he appreciates her making the brownies for him; if he refused to help, she would know he wasn’t all that interested.

So we offer up our sufferings, accepting them as coming from God rather than fighting against them. This is the prayer that I use: All for Thee, dear Jesus, Who has suffered so much for me.

This also recalls to my mind what Christ suffered for me, compared to which my sufferings are usually pretty small.

I don’t know what your situation is at all, but a lot of times finding people in need of company, people who are homebound or in nursing homes, and visiting them can be very noce for them and also alleviate our own sense of aloneness. There are a lot of elderly people where I live–they are usually ok financially, but feeling alone. In my area, there is also a telephone tree (remember those?) to check on people living alone to make sure they are ok, so even house ound people can give to others.

In other areas, I know a lady who started teaching immigrants English. She didn’t know their language at all, had no books or experience doing that, she just did it.

Other people I know volunteer at schools (before or after school) to help children with their schoolwork and other stuff.

I guess what turns out to be more important in life is those connections with other people which so denigrated in our world today.
 
I’ve spent almost my whole adult life helping others. I was always happy to do it. But now I’m in a situation where I need help. I can’t help anyone when I’m so sad tears come out of my eyes. I no longer have transportation, and I am home bound myself. I’m lucky I live in a place with a pharmacy across the street, and a small food market 1 block away. But some days I can barely make it to those stores.

I don’t know if priests do counseling, but I think I need one. It seems in the last 12 years of my life God cut off everyone I ever knew. What has happened to me defies logical explanation, so it must be something of God. Maybe a priest would know if it can be changed, or if I have to be alone until I die.
 
Priests are in the service of others , that is part of their vocation so of course if you seek a priest he will help you and counsel you!
 
Much consolation is to be found in reading the lives of the saints. Wisdom is a great comforter. Read constantly and participate actively in this and other forums where your thoughts will be appreciated. There are various church programs that reach out to the lonely. See if you can connect with some of these and take advantage of their offers to help you with transportation. Above all, reach out to the world. Don’t wait for the world to reach out to you. 😉
 
How do I find a priest to counsel with me?

I don’t belong to any churches. My life was not typical. At 18 I gave up on Catholicism, and I let my intellect get in the way of God. But 10 years later God proved to me He is real. I read the Bible and spent many years looking for a protestant church that practiced what they preached. I never found one. And today in America the protestant movement is pathetic. But rejoining a Catholic church is going to be a long road. And no transportation makes it harder.

I want to start with a priest who counsels people. How do I find one? That’s what I need to know.
 
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