Struggling with doubt

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Annonymous99

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I have a prayer request for myself. For many years I have been a faithful practicing Catholic. But for the past couple of weeks I have been struggling with doubts about the existence of God. It goes through my mind as a fear of dying and fading into nothingness. At this point, it is so hard to see the existence of God. And I have no known health problems that I know of.

Whats more, these thoughts give me the sensation that life is purposeless. One of the reasons I came to believe in God was that the alternative was a Godless, materialistic universe. And that would mean that all my love, hopes, dreams, suffering was meaningless. And that was counter to my experience of life. I’ve always felt that the longing and loves of my heart were there to point me to God.

And now, as I struggle to believe, the sense of meaningless seems to be touching all thoughts of my life. I have young beautiful children, and a wonderful devout wife, and this feeling of meaninglessness seems to be touching the time I spend with them. I love them so much and yet it is bittersweet. The thought that all that love I have for them is just the synapses of my brain running through its programming. Then someday we’ll all die, and that will be it.

I humbly ask for your prayers. Please help me.
 
May God bless you in the way he knows you best!

Oh glorious apostle St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered thy beloved Master into the hands of His enemies has caused thee to be forgotten by many, but the Church honors and invokes thee universally as the patron of hopeless cases–of things despaired of. Pray for me who am so miserable; make use, I implore thee, of that particular privilege accorded thee of bringing visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need, that I may receive the consolations and succor of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly (Annonymous99), and that I may bless God with thee and all the elect throughout eternity. I promise thee, O blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, and I will never cease to honor thee as my special and powerful patron, and to do all in my power to encourage devotion to thee. Amen

Our Father…
AMEN+
 
Even if there were no life after death, why would you love your wife and children less, why would you treat them less kindly? Why would you do less to make the best of each moment?
Even if you did not believe, surely this one chance of existence still deserves the best you can make of it.

I ask our good God that you will receive grace to have faith even in this current desert.
Doubt, as one priest said, is a springboard to deeper faith.
Our God, this troubled man may have continued quietly in his faith from childhood. Please help him to grow in that deeper faith that develops when one truly makes it ones own.

We believe in the air, because we feel it as breeze against our face, because there is something that causes us to breathe, breathe what? We cannot see it.

Loving God please protect this man as he goes through this disturbing time, and lead him to true faith in You
 
Annonymous99 said:
I have a prayer request for myself. For many years I have been a faithful practicing Catholic. But for the past couple of weeks I have been struggling with doubts about the existence of God. It goes through my mind as a fear of dying and fading into nothingness. At this point, it is so hard to see the existence of God. And I have no known health problems that I know of.

Whats more, these thoughts give me the sensation that life is purposeless. One of the reasons I came to believe in God was that the alternative was a Godless, materialistic universe. And that would mean that all my love, hopes, dreams, suffering was meaningless. And that was counter to my experience of life. I’ve always felt that the longing and loves of my heart were there to point me to God.

And now, as I struggle to believe, the sense of meaningless seems to be touching all thoughts of my life. I have young beautiful children, and a wonderful devout wife, and this feeling of meaninglessness seems to be touching the time I spend with them. I love them so much and yet it is bittersweet. The thought that all that love I have for them is just the synapses of my brain running through its programming. Then someday we’ll all die, and that will be it.

I humbly ask for your prayers. Please help me.
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Maybe you could read Mere Christianity by Lewis or Orthodoxy by Chesterton? These books helped me when I had doubts in college. Praying for ya

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are 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 death. Amen.
 
***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 death.

Amen
 
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

:crossrc:
 
“God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.
He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work.
I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place,
while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments.
Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.”
― John Henry Newman

Lord please help our friend and grant him strength of faith.It is so hard at times to understand and have faith with this world we live in.Please replace his doubts be overcome with sure knowledge and faith and trust in Your love for him as for each of your children.Thankyou Lord for hearing our prayers Amen

Memorare (Prayer to Our Lady)
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen
 
May our Lord grant you strength, courage, peace, the deepest faith, surrender to his holy will and abandonment to his divine providence. May you hope against hope and repeat the prayers: “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.” and “Jesus, I trust in you!” May you do what St. Therese did in her trial of faith when she could not believe in a Heaven after death: she made herself believe and spoke and behaved as though she believed. May you know she died with a transfixed look of beauty and love as she gazed at something invisible above the statue of our Lady (she was probably gazing at our Lord). May you persevere in faith, and trust in our Lord. Amen.
 
Thank you all for your prayers, I do appreciate it greatly. The suggestions that have been offered are very good ones and I will be trying all of them.
 
Memorare (Prayer to Our Lady)
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen
 
“God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.
He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work.
I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place,
while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments.
Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.”
― John Henry Newman

Lord please help our friend and grant him strength of faith.It is so hard at times to understand and have faith with this world we live in.Please replace his doubts be overcome with sure knowledge and faith and trust in Your love for him as for each of your children.Thankyou Lord for hearing our prayers Amen

Memorare (Prayer to Our Lady)
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen
 
“God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.
He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work.
I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place,
while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments.
Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.”
― John Henry Newman

Lord please help our friend and grant him strength of faith.It is so hard at times to understand and have faith with this world we live in.Please replace his doubts be overcome with sure knowledge and faith and trust in Your love for him as for each of your children.Thankyou Lord for hearing our prayers Amen

Memorare (Prayer to Our Lady)
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen
 
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