Question for those who converted as adults

[Seeksadvice]

As the day of confirmation nears, I find that temptation becomes stronger. Has anyone else experienced that?

Also, as the day of confirmation nears, it should be the happiest day of my life, yet, I feel generally meh about the thing. I find that I spend less time in the church than I had before, and that other aspects of my life crowd it out. Anyone had that experience?

I used to read a lot on the church, and find that, for whatever reason I don’t. Other things, some good, some not so good, have occupied the time that I used to spend in prayer in church. Used to spend an hour at Eucharistic adoration before Monday night Mass, and now, I haven’t done that for weeks… and haven’t really hit the Mass either that much.

 

[Darryl_B]

My friend, I did not experience that, I entered the Catholic Church Easter Vigil 2014, I did not just enter the Catholic Church myself, I ended over 100 years of my family searching outside the Catholic Church for the True Church but never ever finding it outside. I was 45 years old and nothing was going to sway me away, but there were many things that tried.

What are you afraid of?

 

[Isca]

I think it might be a good idea to have a word with your priest, for reassurance. Like Darryl_B, I entered the Church at Easter 2014, and was warned by Catholic friends that my enthusiasm might waver once RCIA had finished and I was finally a Catholic. However, I don’t remember feeling less enthusiastic as I approached the Easter Vigil - just the opposite, really. I’d waited till I was in my mid-50s to take the plunge, having finally realised that I’d always been looking for the Catholic Church - all through my teenage years when I tried every church, all through my 20s and 30s when I was with someone who was fiercely anti-Catholic, all through my 40s when I didn’t give religion much thought at all.

RCIA is a lengthy (and sometimes intense) road and it’s possible you just feel a bit jaded. I see my faith as a life-long journey, and so perhaps there will be periods of waxing and waning. Sometimes you’re very engaged and your faith is at the forefront of your mind, sometimes everyday life takes precedence in your thoughts. But you’ll always have that firm foundation and the comfort of knowing that you are a small part of the Church that Jesus founded.

 

[HeDa]

I converted in 2014 and the roller coaster ride slowed down after I had been to confession the week before Easter Vigil. Then I could look forward to the whole week leading up to Easter. After the Easter Octave the roller coaster ride started again but not as bad.

After I had been to confession I went and bought 2 really lovely orchids. One to bring to our lady statue in church on Easter Sunday and the other one I couldn’t decide if I wanted to keep or give to mom as a birthday present. My parents stopped by my house during the week and my mom fell in love with the colours on the flower so it became her present. The Saturday I spent baking cakes to the gathering after Easter Sunday and I was very relaxed the whole day. It was good to have something to focus of that I also really enjoy doing.

The best advise given to me while I was converting were: “Sit still in the boat while the storm lasts! If you get out you will drown!”, “God loves you more than you can ever imagine. He created you for a very special purpose and your task is to find out what that purpose is.”

Temptations are getting stronger just because you are getting closer to God. As a very wise old priest said to me: “The devil had no interest in you while you were away from God as you were already his. Now that you are closer to God, he has to act to keep you away from God.”

 

[JoyToTheWhirled]

A few weeks ago, I realized that I had become quite lax about spiritual things. It made no logical sense given that I am literally on the threshold of entering the Church I have been dancing around for decades. But fallen human nature is a funny old thing, and it’s entirely possible to let the other stuff of life crowd out the most important things.

My advice, and certainly what helped me, was to ask God to inflame your heart again, and go with every tiny bit of enthusiasm you feel with everything you’ve got. The fact that you are noticing the malaise and aren’t happy about is God’s way of stirring your heart towards Him again. Don’t miss the opportunity

 

[TheLittleLady]

Also, as the day of confirmation nears, it should be the happiest day of my life, yet, I feel generally meh about the thing

It should be an important day in your life, but, to set your expectations so high as “the happiest day” in your life is not doing you any good.

Many Christians experience dryness and apathy during Lent.

CARA studies show that around 20% of people who come into the Church as adults will leave the Church.

ETA link to CARA Nineteen Sixty-four: How Many Catholic Converts Stay? A Quick Back of the Envelope Reality Check

This is why it is very important not to give in to feelings.

Try to enter in to Lent in a deeper way these last few days. Try to attend some special Masses; the Chrism Mass at your Cathedral is something to behold, to see the oil of your Confirmation brought forward and blessed. Ask if you can ride along with the representatives from your parish who are going if it is a long way away.

Go to Stations of the Cross. I read “The Day Christ Died” during the last days of Lent.

If you can, attend all of the Triduum liturgies.

Live each liturgy in the moment, for me it is better when I do not “follow along” in the missalette but I listen and observe with all of my senses.

 

[DarkLight]

I remember my last days before the Vigil as being a little bundle of anxiety. I was also having some issues with our RCIA director - there was a lot of “oh we also need this” that would have really helped if I’d had it a few weeks earlier, and me already being anxious that did not help at all. I think I ended up curled up crying and then sleepwalked through the rehearsal and couldn’t remember any of it when the actual service came about.

Granted, I was dealing with mental health issues at the time. But still, it was far from a blissful lead-up.

 

[simonjosiah1]

The rosary is an extremely powerful prayer.

I couldn’t get over the power of it after reading the book “secrets of the rosary”

It has helped many people, inlcuding myself, fight temptation.
Perhaps pray it to help you prepare for your confirmation?
If you don’t know it,pray along with youtube.

Good luck with your confirmation!