Reorginizing Life

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I want to reorginize my life. I am a few days from my 40th birthday, and I am not at all happy about where I am in my life. I am not at all happy with where my spiritual life is, which is the most important, and must be addressed first. I want to change, however I do not know where to even begin.

There are many faults that I have fought half heartidly and have not yet conquored. I want to conquor myself, but I do not know where to begin. Do I begin by memorizing scripture that has to do with the problems that I am trying to overcome? Should I start with the study of humility, then move on to repentance? Should I study the doctrine of justification, so I know how I am to be justified? Or should I start with a study of the atonement of Christ?

I want to makeover my life, and I want to start the makeover in the most basic way, but I do not know where to begin. I have tried to do this before, but I end up confused because I do not know where to begin. I wish there was some spiritual program that I could follow and do, but I don’t know if there is even such a thing.

What scripture should I read first? It seems to me that proverbs and Sirach have a lot of practical wisdom to give. Should I pray through these scriptures first, or should I start with something in the New Testament?

Regarding prayer, how should I do it? What prayers do I pray?

I just feel lost, exhausted, and beaten. My mind is confused and fuzzy. I have soooo much sin in my life, that I don’t know what to attack first. I am kinda at my wits end. If anyone could suggest anyhting I certainly would appreciate it…
 
  1. Go to Confession and then ask a Priest for Spiritual Direction, he can direct you in the direction you should go.
  2. Go to Mass as often as possible.
  3. Go to Adoration.
I am sure that there are people MUCH smarter than me who can probably help you more than I can. The above is just my suggestion. Will pray for you.🙂
 
Gospel said:
Do I begin by memorizing scripture that has to do with the problems that I am trying to overcome? Should I start with the study of humility, then move on to repentance? Should I study the doctrine of justification, so I know how I am to be justified? Or should I start with a study of the atonement of Christ?
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Well, it seems obvious you are feeling called, you desire a better understanding and want answers-- that’s BRILLIANT!!!

Have you thought about some serious study?
Gospel said:
I want to makeover my life, and I want to start the makeover in the most basic way, but I do not know where to begin. I have tried to do this before, but I end up confused because I do not know where to begin. I wish there was some spiritual program that I could follow and do, but I don’t know if there is even such a thing.
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Boston have a Catholic university- I wonder if they offer correspondance degrees? maryvale.ac.uk/ do and the degree course offers a full spiritual program, along with residentials to live in a Catholic community.%between%
Gospel said:
What scripture should I read first? It seems to me that proverbs and Sirach have a lot of practical wisdom to give. Should I pray through these scriptures first, or should I start with something in the New Testament?
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What about something like the Pope’s new book which explains Jesus in the Scriptures. You can then look up the Scripture the Holy Father refers to and start to study that way. The same goes for the OT with great books like this one by Lawrence Boadt or this one by Michael Duggan.
Gospel said:
Regarding prayer, how should I do it? What prayers do I pray?
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All of them. 🙂 Pour your heart out to God. Lay all this at the foot of the cross. Give it to Jesus, tell him you don’t know what to do and that you are finding the burden of this hard to bear.

Pray the way Jesus taught us to pray Matthew 6:5-15
Gospel said:
I just feel lost, exhausted, and beaten. My mind is confused and fuzzy. I have soooo much sin in my life, that I don’t know what to attack first. I am kinda at my wits end. If anyone could suggest anyhting I certainly would appreciate it…
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My dear brother (or sister), we all are sinners. We all have things we need to redress. Well done to you for being enlightened enough to see the issues in your life that you need to address! Thank God for that and the insight and vision you have!!

Have faith! All is well! We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song!!
 
Gospel said:
I want to reorginize my life. I am a few days from my 40th birthday, and I am not at all happy about where I am in my life. I am not at all happy with where my spiritual life is, which is the most important, and must be addressed first. I want to change, however I do not know where to even begin.

There are many faults that I have fought half heartidly and have not yet conquored. I want to conquor myself, but I do not know where to begin. Do I begin by memorizing scripture that has to do with the problems that I am trying to overcome? Should I start with the study of humility, then move on to repentance? Should I study the doctrine of justification, so I know how I am to be justified? Or should I start with a study of the atonement of Christ?

I want to makeover my life, and I want to start the makeover in the most basic way, but I do not know where to begin. I have tried to do this before, but I end up confused because I do not know where to begin. I wish there was some spiritual program that I could follow and do, but I don’t know if there is even such a thing.

What scripture should I read first? It seems to me that proverbs and Sirach have a lot of practical wisdom to give. Should I pray through these scriptures first, or should I start with something in the New Testament?

Regarding prayer, how should I do it? What prayers do I pray?

I just feel lost, exhausted, and beaten. My mind is confused and fuzzy. I have soooo much sin in my life, that I don’t know what to attack first. I am kinda at my wits end. If anyone could suggest anyhting I certainly would appreciate it…
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This is the eve of the First Friday, and in Saint Margaret Mary’s third vision God told her to lie prostrate for an hour, her face to the earth, to share the “mortal Sadness for His own in the Garden of Olives. I would suggest that you start tonight at 11:00 PM for one hour until Midnight. It’s all about grace.

That should give you a sense of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and a personal union with the crucified and risen Christ. I’ll pray for you tonight while I prostrate for an hour.🙂

.
 
Thank you all for your insights I appreciate it. I know that so much needs to be corrected in my life. I want a better relationship with my wife, and my children. However to have a better relationship with them I have to get myself straightened out first, and that means getting right with the Lord.

like I said in my first post, I feel so tired and exhausted. Part of that comes from working 2 jobs, but more than that I have the weight of my sins on my conscience constantly. I want to overcome myself and conquor my bad habits that I have accumulated. My wife said something the other day that struck me. Her friends husband is dieing. He is 42 years old and had a stoke. She said that life is to short and it can all be over in a blink of an eye. I am not prepared to meet my maker yet. I have a lot of sin to try to make up for. I want to atone for my sins. I want to conquor the evils in my life, but I am soooo weak. I feel like Boremir in Lord of the Rings, I have been overcome with evil, but in the end I am trying to repent.

What is maddening, is that I have spent practically the last ten years in study of the catholic faith. Not anything organized, just kind of on my own. You would thik that I would know how to proceed from here and repent and humbly ask for light. I feel that I am in the dark, mostly from my own doing. I have developed some awful bad habits that were years in the making, and they are very hard to overcome.

Many people in my family say that I am very arrogant, and also a very angry person. Being angry, I can accept that, since I have had some tough emotional issue regarding my parents growing up. Being called arrogant…well…that is a little harder to swallow, which probably makes it all the more true. I prefer to think that I have a good self esteem, but inside I know that I am not nearly as strong as I portray at times. I like to think of myself as a very strong person. Physically, I have always been very strong, I wrestled through Highschool, and lifted weights in college. I wish I was as strong spiritually as I am physically.

Anyhow, that is kinda where I am at the present. I am trying to figure out what Ineed to do, and what I need to do first…
 
Hello Gospel,

I’d like to add a small note to this thread besides other great advices.

I must say that you are receiving a great gift for your birthday. While others might be so caught up with what kinds of gifts they are going to have, what they will do at their birthday party, you are thinking of God, desire to change yourself, and to have better relationship with your family.

I believe that those are the gifts you have received. To be able to recognize our faults, weakness, other lacks is to have a great chance to allow God change you.

God bless and you are in my prayer.

Wishing you the best birthday - mark it at the turning point of your spiritual life and family life if that sounds a good idea. 😉

Share your thoughts and desires with your family - they will be happy to hear and will be supportive.
 
I’ve found that PRAISING GOD for all that he has done for me is the way to start.

Confession is a must… You will then feel relieved and free from sin.

Study with your wife and child… You might all learn a little more if you do it on a childs level. You and your wife could continue after the child goes to bed.

RCIA class is not just for beginners… It can renew your faith and it is a great place to learn.

I’ll be praying for you and your family…
 
I’m replying not because I’m a great spiritual advisor, but because I understand being arrogant and angry. Those are two terms that definitely used to describe me.

I have to echo the advise of an earlier poster. Go to confession! Now! Ask for spiritual direction…right away! A good spiritual director will get to know you and your goals and then be able to help guide you in the right forms of prayer and devotion for you.

As you know, there are many different devotions and charisms within the Church. No one here is qualified to tell you what direction is best for you.

Studying is nice. Reading the Bible is great. Wanting to improve yourself is admirable. But action will change you. Take some action.
 
Gospel,

Okay, I just returned from my one hour laying prostrate in front of the Shrine with my face to the earth. I mentioned your handle, “Gospel”, several time during my hour of prayer, but at best, it was only an intercession for you. If you missed this evenings Thursday Holy Hour at your Parish, you still have tomorrow, because it’s First Friday. That will also be a good time to lie prostate with your face to the earth for an hour in your Parish. If you are bashful, you can go up stairs where the choir sings. The pastor will understand, because they all know about Saint Margaret Mary’s 3rd vision.

I promise you, after one hour of being in union with Jesus Christ during constant prayer you will walk out of church as a new person.

`
 
Start by saying the Rosary.

I have just started this myself a week ago and the power of this prayer is amazing. It is highly recommended and it has helped me begin to beat a sin that has been bothering me for years.

Here are some sites that I found useful:

vatican.va/special/rosary/index_rosary.htm

On the Vatican site, I recommend that you begin with Rosarium Virginis Mariae by Pope John Paul II. It’s an excellent introduction.

The Holy Rosary Site is great. I recommend that you read the whole site, especially the small book written by St. Louis de Montfort. This gives you the history of the Rosary and the reasons for praying it etc.

theholyrosary.org

This is a thread I started when I wanted advice on how to begin the Rosary. It has some excellent advice:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=180818

I strongly recommend the Rosary if you don’t already say it. It truly is a magnificent prayer that brings you closer to Jesus and helps you beat sin.

I hope this helps you in your journey and I hope that you find peace, happiness, and contentment.
 
It sounds as if the Holy Spirit is already working within you and is moving you closer to Him. Pray to Him for guidance. Listen first, then act. Don’t be too hasty and try too many things at once. You need to find out what is the best way for you. If you get stuck in a rut, a good confession will get the ball rolling again.
 
I just want to reiterate those who have said
GO TO CONFESSION!!!

I can’t imagine there is any other first step.

Call your priest and say you need a confession appointment because you think this is longer than would be appropriate for the confessional on Saturday afternoon. This will provide you with enough time (no need to feel rushed and “forget” something and think it failed somehow) and an opportunity to ask questions and converse through the confession rather than rattle off a list and move on.

Just before you go, ASK the Holy Spirit to guide you. Then tell the priest what you told us! It’s time for a good cleansing - start there. The rest will fall into place.
 
just wanted to add to one of the things that has already been suggested here.

i watched the interview called “common ground” with fr. john riccardo last week (excellent by the way) and he said we need to give jesus an hour a day. an hour block. it’s the least we can do for our lord.

in the garden of gethsemane
" 40
When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “So you could not keep watch with me for one hour?
41
Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. 26 The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (matt. 26)

i don’t think he specified an exact way to spend that hour, just let the holy spirit guide you.
 
Gospel said:
Being called arrogant…well…that is a little harder to swallow, which probably makes it all the more true. I prefer to think that I have a good self esteem, but inside I know that I am not nearly as strong as I portray at times. I like to think of myself as a very strong person.
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Gospel,

I am urged to echo some of the posts here that have counselled you to go to Adoration. You may be overanalyzing (I recognize the signs, my former career was to analyze things and it can take over your life). You don’t need to study God to know him. And you have already met your maker…every Sunday at Mass. He’s there at the Adoration chapel and knows all your faults and still loves you more than anyone, even yourself. HE will take the action FOR YOU if you LET Him. The letting Him is the hardest part.

About arrogance, or the appearance of it…you are right on when you talk about not being as strong inside as you portray on the outside. That’s what arrogance can be for some people…hiding the inner “weaknesses” because of the fear of being “found out”. Again, I say this was all kindness; I struggle with the sin of pride a lot in my life.

It’s been a gift in my life lately to notice that I’m blessed with some friends who are themselves all the time and have no walls between them and the outside world. That is a beautiful example…to trust someone enough to show them your REAL self. That’s what we do in Confession…show God ourselves, warts and all, and He does not turn His back on us. That is a great example to follow in all our relationships.

God Bless you and yours,
 
From what you write you are more than half way on the road to perfection, the only way is up and onwards and upwards on that long arduous path to Calvary that leads to Jesus and Heaven. You are walking that path.

I am not a learned person I cannot quote the Catechism to you, it is good to learn about the faith in a knowledgable way, but I am simple so in the beginning of my conversion in faith I personally made a big confession of my life then once a week I just placed myself in God’s Real Presence before the Blessed Sacrament and humbly asked Him to heal me because I am a sinner and asked Him to give me every grace He desires for my soul. I didn’t at the time know what better to do and in the long run with hindsight this was the best thing for me to do. I fast learnt to make that holy hour for others and to thank God greatly for everything.

Let God work on you and don’t worry too much what you are to do because you cannot really do anything for yourself without God’s grace so keep praying to Jesus and He will help you in everything. Trust in Him and not in yourself. It’s true if we trust ourselves we end up confused, frustrated and confounded. Trust Jesus and pray a great deal.

Pray and persevere in prayer.🙂

In the Living Prayer of my life.
 
the best book I ever read on the topic is Time Management for Catholics by Dave Durand from Sofia Institute Press.
 
Gospel said:
I want a better relationship with my wife, and my children. However to have a better relationship with them I have to get myself straightened out first, and that means getting right with the Lord.
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You’re being called to sanctity through your vocation as a husband and father. The sacraments can give you the focus you need.

Get your sorry self to Reconciliation. Don’t worry, God knows how busy you are with a family and two jobs, if you’ve only got 15 minutes for an examination of concience, He’s very efficient.

Mass is totally organized for you, all you have to do is prepare your heart and show up.

Stop and think about the sacrament you’re participating in right now, even as you read this. You have so much potential to honour God through your marriage. Once you’re in a state of grace, you’ve got some time to work on this one. Make sure your wife knows how much you love her. Validate her as a person and a child of God, even if it involves some suffering on your part.

Share what you’ve learned about the Catholic faith with your children. Teach them why you’re a Catholic family. God honours all the time and effort you put into learning about His Church.

You’ve received such a hodgepodge of responses on this thread and I don’t think any of them are wrong, I just think you need to take a good look at where you are right now. This is where God has you. This is where he wants you holy. Start with the basics and add on from there.
 
Nothing clears the head like Adoring Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament…God Bless You on your journey.
 
Good_Daughter said:
I just think you need to take a good look at where you are right now. This is where God has you. This is where he wants you holy. Start with the basics and add on from there.
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This is very good advice.

When I go before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament I didn’t go just as my ‘self’, but as a daughter, a mother, a friend, a sister, a Carmelite, an artist and a teacher. I took my whole ‘self’ and my whole life and this is where God will make me holy as He wills for my state in life.

In the Living Prayer of my life
 
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