Need Prayer and Advice

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Rachel_1

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Hi,
I’m having the most difficult time right now.
I was baptized Catholic as a baby but not raised Catholic. God drew me to the Church in a kind of supernatural way and now I’m in RCIA. I’m about to be confirmed (I think my priest is going to confirm me and do everything before Easter now), and I’m having the worst time of my life with all the crazy trials I’m going through suddenly.
I’ve been reading how a lot of people before entering the Church have bad stuff happen, but with me, it’s just one thing after another… like seriously. My life would make a good reality series at this point, that’s how much drama is going on!
Nobody believes me when I tell them the crazy things that are happening.
First, I investigate my dad’s murder case, we got an arrest back in Sept and since then I’ve had hate mail. Well, the hate mail has increased, that’s one thing that is bothering me.
On top of that, my marriage is all messed up, my husband seems upset again (he calmed down about me entering the Church for a bit), my one daughter is always mad (she’s 26), my other daughter is now in an abusive relationship and keeps taking off with the guy even though he abuses her (she did it again in the middle of the night last night), my one son almost lost his twins (his gf is preg), my other son this morning got into a serious accident.
I just feel like the stress is so much right now. Everything that happens, they come to me (mom), for help.
On top of that, I have others needing my help too, others with murder cases they want investigated (I do this for free to help others since I have the contacts and know the legal system). I don’t hardly have time to breathe either.
Today I’m really feeling the stress, so I guess that’s why I need prayer. I’m not going to back down in joining the Church, no matter what happens, but it just seems like since I’ve started going to Mass the stress started, then every step closer to being confirmed, it gets worse. The more I pray and seek God, the worse it seems to get. I don’t know what to do to make all of this stop.
 
I don’t have any advice, but this little prayer/blessing from Teresa of Avila helps me when I’m feeling overwhelmed.
Let nothing disturb thee,
Nothing affright thee;
All things are passing,
God never changeth!
Patient endurance
Attaineth to all things;
Who God possesseth
In nothing is wanting;
Alone God sufficeth.

Nada te turbe,
Nada te espante;
Todo se pasa;
Dios no se muda.
La paciencia todo lo alcanza.
Quien a Dios tiene
Nada le falta.
Solo Dios basta
Praying for you!
 
Dear Rachel, I’ve had years like that, one thing after another, except for the awful murder of your Dad. I think you would find that most of these things would have happened anyway at this stage of their lives. Nothing makes one suffer more than some of the choices ones grown children make, and the consequences, and sometimes it takes a few years to sort out, and in the meantime your feelings are often pure torture. And when things were at the earliest worst with the young ones, my husband, also became very unsettled

I’ll keep you, your husband, and your children in my prayers and Masses.
Hugs, Trishie
 
Rachel,

Take a deep breath, close your eyes and then ask Jesus to take all of the things that have been bothering you and nail it to the cross. And then just leave them there.
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Matthew 11:28-29
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I will pray that He gives you strength to handle any new obstacles to your faith …
 
I have a theory for when trials like this happen. It’s a way for us to fall from God. And it’s a way to pull Him close. The devil knows when you’re just about on a breakthrough to God, so he really piles on the stuff to get you to ‘give in’ to the easy route.

If we can trust in God, and just accept His everlasting love. Then He’ll make sure that we see the light at the end of the tunnel, so that when we look back at those ‘horrible’ events, we can see why they had to happen for the good things to happen.
 
I went to Mass tonight, it helped a lot.
I feel that what is going on is some sort of spiritual attack or something. It’s like when I don’t pray a lot, things settle down, when I pray a lot though, things get worse (and I start praying a lot before all the stuff happens).
Things were going great before I ever started going to Church. Every time I get closer to God, things get worse though. I’ve been going to Church since August so I’ve had weeks were I just do whatever and don’t pray or whatever (especially when I first started going to Church), those times everything seems fine, but when I feel like “I need to start praying again” and do that, within a day or two all sorts of bad stuff happens again.
1 week ago I started praying the Rosary daily again (after about 3 weeks of not praying the Rosary)… and MEANING IT, when I pray. I’ve been praying A LOT, I’ve been doing everything I can to get close to God, and boom, all sorts of bad stuff happens again.
I’ve tested this a few times to see if things would get better and they do…
I dunno, maybe I’m completely wrong here, maybe it’s all coincidences over the last 6 months?
 
Rachel said:
I dunno, maybe I’m completely wrong here, maybe it’s all coincidences over the last 6 months?
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No, especially with re-dedicating yourself to praying the rosary. Those who devoutly pray the rosary are given 15 promises, one of them receiving signal graces.

Your determination to move forward with your relationship with Christ and His church is annoying the adversary.

That is a good thing, Rachel. Dont let it get to you.
I have developed a deeper devotion to the rosary. It does make a difference 🙂

I will keep you in my prayers as I pray it. 🙂
 
I don’t mean to sound like I’m complaining… I just re-read this and I sound like I’m complaining a lot… I didn’t mean it to sound that way. I just feel overwhelmed sometimes. It just feels like the more I give myself to God, the worse things get.
 
You sound okay, Rachel! There are a lot of us who know where you’re coming from. 🙂
And you really do have a lot of things happening.
I’d have asked you around to coffee and chats if I’d thought you lived near. 🙂
I’ll keep you in my prayers and Masses.

And if there is anything to the “under attack for converting” suspicion, what that actually says to me is that God strongly desires you to become Catholic, and deeply values the kind of Catholic you will be. And if ‘anyone’ is going to attack us, of course it will be through the people we love most. However, it is a time in your family life where uncomfortable things are likely to happen.

I honour and praise You, our God for Your love of Rachel, and for choosing to call her to the Sacraments, and I ask You to protect her and her loved ones, and her marriage relationship.

Angels of God please fill Rachel’s house and surround her family members
 
Trishie,
Yes, I know I’m supposed to be Catholic, beyond a shadow of doubt. I knew I was supposed to be when I first went to the parish and told them.
It all started with my heart attack 4 years ago and a near death experience. After that, I knew God existed, and I knew I was supposed to serve Him, but I didn’t know how or what to believe as far as religion. I prayed for four years (just in my own words) to get an answer. Then one day someone mentioned the Rosary in a chat room (protestant), and I remembered I had a glow in the dark Rosary when I was a child, but I never knew what to do with it, I thought it was just a necklace.
So after that I went searching online about how to use a Rosary and found a ‘virtual’ Rosary with instructions. I taught myself how to pray it with the picture online. I did that for a few weeks and started getting very strong feelings that I was supposed to go to a Catholic Church but I sort of ignored them. Then the dreams started where I was being told that I’m supposed to be Catholic.
After a few days of the dreams, I showed up at my local parish in the parking lot and a woman showed up right after me. I told her about my dreams and how I’d been praying the Rosary with a picture online, I also told her that my dreams said I am supposed to be Catholic. She gave me a real Rosary and set me up for RCIA. She is now my sponsor. I found out later that she wasn’t supposed to be there that day, but that she had a strong feeling to go to the parish and there I was.
The person that mentioned the Rosary that one day in the protestant chat room, I told him later how his mentioning it set off the chain of events that drew me to the Church. He joined RCIA shortly after that himself and will be baptized and enter the Church at Easter.
My coming into the Church was supposed to take 3-4 years because of a previous marriage too, but the tribunal said that I can go right into the Church after some paperwork is filed locally because I was baptized as a baby, even though I wasn’t raised Catholic. The previous marriage was ‘lack of form’, so now they are speeding me through RCIA.
There are a lot of other things that have happened, that I know are of God, things that when I doubt if it’s God or not, I get tons of signs. Like with my investigation into my dad’s murder, I’ve had witnesses come out of hiding telling me that they feel God wants them to talk to me. These are witnesses that have been in hiding for 28 years. We got our first arrest in my dad’s murder case after 28 years the week I started RCIA.
I don’t exactly know what God wants me to do for Him, but I’m willing to do anything. Things that have happened, that I know God has done, have put me in the public eye (I have reporters calling me and emailing me all the time). I can only assume God wants to use me somehow like this.
Even during the periods where I skipped out on praying the Rosary, I still prayed, I feel I have to. God is already so much offended by sin in the world, I can’t just ‘not pray’ at all.
 
Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Amen
 
Rachel said:
Trishie,
Yes, I know I’m supposed to be Catholic, beyond a shadow of doubt. I knew I was supposed to be when I first went to the parish and told them.
It all started with my heart attack 4 years ago and a near death experience. After that, I knew God existed, and I knew I was supposed to serve Him, but I didn’t know how or what to believe as far as religion. I prayed for four years (just in my own words) to get an answer. Then one day someone mentioned the Rosary in a chat room (protestant), and I remembered I had a glow in the dark Rosary when I was a child, but I never knew what to do with it, I thought it was just a necklace.
So after that I went searching online about how to use a Rosary and found a ‘virtual’ Rosary with instructions. I taught myself how to pray it with the picture online. I did that for a few weeks and started getting very strong feelings that I was supposed to go to a Catholic Church but I sort of ignored them. Then the dreams started where I was being told that I’m supposed to be Catholic.
After a few days of the dreams, I showed up at my local parish in the parking lot and a woman showed up right after me. I told her about my dreams and how I’d been praying the Rosary with a picture online, I also told her that my dreams said I am supposed to be Catholic. She gave me a real Rosary and set me up for RCIA. She is now my sponsor. I found out later that she wasn’t supposed to be there that day, but that she had a strong feeling to go to the parish and there I was.
The person that mentioned the Rosary that one day in the protestant chat room, I told him later how his mentioning it set off the chain of events that drew me to the Church. He joined RCIA shortly after that himself and will be baptized and enter the Church at Easter.
My coming into the Church was supposed to take 3-4 years because of a previous marriage too, but the tribunal said that I can go right into the Church after some paperwork is filed locally because I was baptized as a baby, even though I wasn’t raised Catholic. The previous marriage was ‘lack of form’, so now they are speeding me through RCIA.
There are a lot of other things that have happened, that I know are of God, things that when I doubt if it’s God or not, I get tons of signs. Like with my investigation into my dad’s murder, I’ve had witnesses come out of hiding telling me that they feel God wants them to talk to me. These are witnesses that have been in hiding for 28 years. We got our first arrest in my dad’s murder case after 28 years the week I started RCIA.
I don’t exactly know what God wants me to do for Him, but I’m willing to do anything. Things that have happened, that I know God has done, have put me in the public eye (I have reporters calling me and emailing me all the time). I can only assume God wants to use me somehow like this.
Even during the periods where I skipped out on praying the Rosary, I still prayed, I feel I have to. God is already so much offended by sin in the world, I can’t just ‘not pray’ at all.
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That is amazing! I love praying the rosary too. It’s a great devotion.
Continuing to pray that God gives you strength …
 
Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Amen
 
Ryzeke said:
The devil knows when you’re just about on a breakthrough to God, so he really piles on the stuff to get you to ‘give in’ to the easy route.
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Rachel,

Ryzeke said it as well as anyone. The powers of darkness are working overtime on you. Please do not give in. I have upped my consecration in prayer for my brothers and sisters lately; and I too have noticed a barrage of bad things that were not present in my life before. But as I have persevered, these things are being broken through by our Lord, Jesus.

Please remember the Memorare:

Remember,
O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help or sought thy intercession,
was left unaided.
Inspired with this confidence,
I fly unto thee,
O Virgin of virgins my Mother;
to thee do I come,
before thee I stand,
sinful and sorrowful;
O Mother of thy Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in thy clemency hear and answer me.
Amen.
 
Rachel said:
So after that I went searching online about how to use a Rosary and found a ‘virtual’ Rosary with instructions. I taught myself how to pray it with the picture online. I did that for a few weeks and started getting very strong feelings that I was supposed to go to a Catholic Church but I sort of ignored them. Then the dreams started where I was being told that I’m supposed to be Catholic.
After a few days of the dreams, I showed up at my local parish in the parking lot and a woman showed up right after me. I told her about my dreams and how I’d been praying the Rosary with a picture online, I also told her that my dreams said I am supposed to be Catholic. She gave me a real Rosary and set me up for RCIA. She is now my sponsor. I found out later that she wasn’t supposed to be there that day, but that she had a strong feeling to go to the parish and there I was.
Click to expand...
This just blows me away! Wonderful experience!
 
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