Hey all,
I haven’t been around here much lately but I feel the need to post today.
Basically, I have no motivation to go to church, Confession, or even lead a good (moral) life. I know what I must do, and what I should do, but I don’t want to do it. I don’t think it’s laziness to be honest. I just don’t have any motivation, thus I don’t want to do anything.
Has anyone been where I am now? Can anyone offer some advice?
Thank you,
coolduude
one thing the church recommends for motivation is reading the lives of the saints on a daily basis, and for that i would recommend these books, which are cheap to buy but some of the best you can find -
store.saintbenedict.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=12&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1
the best thing you can do is pray, which you must force yourself to do since you don’t have the motivation, do it because you know it’s right, and that will lead you on the right path, because you cannot do good on your own, so you need to ask God for the help, and although you must pray whether you have motivation to do good or not, you should especially pray when you don’t have the motivation, because you need Gods grace, without His grace we can do no good, we are utterly dependent on Him, and although He helps us without our asking sometimes, we still must ask.
and perhaps it will at least inspire you to know, that God is more pleased with you for doing something good without the motivation to do it, because then you are showing that you’re doing it not because you feel like it, but because you do love God,
love is in our actions, and even if you don’t feel it, if you do good then you have love.
so pray, go to mass, do good(don’t just avoid evil, but DO good) despite how you feel…and just learn from the stories and writings of the saints why and how to be good and love God,
and also, practice mortification daily, that will help you to gain control of yourself and have more strength over your sins, and here are some articles to help with that -
gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=13047443
these are suggestion for mortification, they are not to be all taken on at once, so don’t overdo it -
gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=19085149
in regards to mortification and penance, you should never take on to much, and you should always ask for Gods help to carry out the penance or mortification, and if you feel overwhelmed, then just stop for the rest of the day and rest.
other than that, just be patient with yourself, and try to set some time aside each day where you can be alone with God just to talk, because that will also help you very much.
and ask Our Lady to help you to, because what we can’t get by asking on our own, she can always find a way to get for us(in regards to our spiritual well-being)
ok, so i hope this helps, take care.