Struggling with Doubts

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As the title states, iv’e been struggling with doubts for a while now. I still consider myself Catholic, but doubts have been crossing my mind. For example one of my major questions is How can he expect us to believe, when we don’t even see him, feel him, or hear him? Is there even a meaning to life? Does he even hear our prayers? He revelead himself many times before Jesus, why doesn’t he do it now?

Questions like these plague my mind everyday, I used to be pretty faithful but now im not so sure. What can I do to find the answers, and to restore my faith?

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
 
It’s hard to respond specifically not knowing your life situation, but I can tell you I’ve been through such times, and sometimes they lasted for extended periods, when God didn’t seem to answer even urgent prayers, and then the times came that clearly and mysteriously, He had, in His own way, at the right time.

Isaiah says, “I was thinking: ‘I have toiled in vain, I have exhausted myself for nothing.’ And all the while my cause was with God, my reward with my God.” [Isaiah 49:3-4]

For “the Lord is not being slow to carry out His promises…but He is being patient with you all, wanting nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to change his ways.” [2Peter 3:9]

Welcome to CAF 🙂
Kind wishes and prayers,
Trishie
 
CT_Man1 said:
As the title states, iv’e been struggling with doubts for a while now. I still consider myself Catholic, but doubts have been crossing my mind. For example one of my major questions is How can he expect us to believe, when we don’t even see him, feel him, or hear him? Is there even a meaning to life? Does he even hear our prayers? He revelead himself many times before Jesus, why doesn’t he do it now?

Questions like these plague my mind everyday, I used to be pretty faithful but now im not so sure. What can I do to find the answers, and to restore my faith?

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
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I’m sorry to hear that you are going through these doubts. I’m not the most educated Catholic (just came into the Church and am still learning), but you are not the only one that is going through this nor are you the only one that ever has. I’m sure there are plenty of saints that have had the same questions. The thing to do is to search out the answers. Read St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa. There are other saints too, I’m sure, but I can’t think of them right now.

I’m kind of running out the door, but I just want to say that God can expect us to believe because he has left evidence for us. You, me, the Earth, all of creation, are all examples of his majesty and power. He exists.
John 20:29 Jesus saith to him: Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.
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Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
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dje101 said:
I’m sorry to hear that you are going through these doubts. I’m not the most educated Catholic (just came into the Church and am still learning), but you are not the only one that is going through this nor are you the only one that ever has. I’m sure there are plenty of saints that have had the same questions. The thing to do is to search out the answers. Read St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa. There are other saints too, I’m sure, but I can’t think of them right now.

I’m kind of running out the door, but I just want to say that God can expect us to believe because he has left evidence for us. You, me, the Earth, all of creation, are all examples of his majesty and power. He exists.
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Yeah, its just the putting all your Faith into it part that im struggling with, i really wish i could have that Kind of faith. Also thank you for your suggestion on Aquinas, i have heard of him maybe i should go check it out.
 
CT_Man1 said:
As the title states, iv’e been struggling with doubts for a while now. I still consider myself Catholic, but doubts have been crossing my mind. For example one of my major questions is How can he expect us to believe, when we don’t even see him, feel him, or hear him? Is there even a meaning to life? Does he even hear our prayers? He revelead himself many times before Jesus, why doesn’t he do it now?

Questions like these plague my mind everyday, I used to be pretty faithful but now im not so sure. What can I do to find the answers, and to restore my faith?

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Click to expand...
Your question reminds me of that passage where Jesus is in Nazareth and because so many doubt Him, He can only perform a few healings. Because God has given us free will, God needs our cooperation and faith in order to help us. God also gave us reason. Could all of creation exist in such perfect harmony and with such detailed purposes without a perfect Creator?

St. Paul was persecuting Christians, but at the same time, he thought he was doing the morally correct thing. He was completely open to God’s will, which is why God could knock him down and blind him. God didn’t force Himself on Saul/Paul. If God did that to most of us, it would be impeding our free will. Sometimes we aren’t aware of God’s presence in our lives because our will refuses to listen.

I suggest you read St. Ignatius’s discernment of spirits. I think his teachings on this matter will help you greatly.
 
CT_Man1 said:
As the title states, iv’e been struggling with doubts for a while now. I still consider myself Catholic, but doubts have been crossing my mind. For example one of my major questions is How can he expect us to believe, when we don’t even see him, feel him, or hear him? Is there even a meaning to life? Does he even hear our prayers? He revelead himself many times before Jesus, why doesn’t he do it now?

Questions like these plague my mind everyday, I used to be pretty faithful but now im not so sure. What can I do to find the answers, and to restore my faith?
/QUOTE]

Harmony is not accidental, and the world didn’t just accidentally bubble up into existence.When atheists debate against God they always attack religion, they never use reasonable arguments, this is because philosophical arguments prove the existence of God. But every civilization since the dawn of humanity has reasoned a creator simply because reason demands it.

The reason why atheism is a waste of life is because Man was made in order to know, love and serve God because God is Truth and Love itself. Thus the purpose of you intellect is Truth (GOD) and the purpose of your will if Goodness and Love (GOD). Thus, as Christ explained, the Greatest Commandment is to love and serve God with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul, and all our strength.
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I would say pray the Holy Rosary - it is the most efficacious prayer besides Holy Mass.

Besides that, are there specific questions nagging you, causing you to doubt? Or just an overall existential ennui?

For me, in my university years I had specific questions that tortured me and caused me to fall away. I found some good books with solid explanations and, by God’s grace, I returned home.
 
Also, don’t forget to ask God himself these questions. He is there and he hears you. “Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find ]” (Mat 7:7) Even if you can’t feel his presence in a time of darkness, he still hears you, and it is my conviction that all prayers are answered. Albeit, almost always in a mysterious way.
 
CT_Man1 said:
As the title states, iv’e been struggling with doubts for a while now. I still consider myself Catholic, but doubts have been crossing my mind. For example one of my major questions is **How can he expect us to believe, when we don’t even see him, feel him, or hear him? **
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As scripture defines faith

Heb 11:1 faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Faith comes via grace 1st and hearing the word of God 2nd. We exercise our will to cooperate with grace, and desire faith.
CT:
Is there even a meaning to life? Does he even hear our prayers? He revelead himself many times before Jesus, why doesn’t he do it now?
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You know Satan is behind this sifting,… right?
CT:
Questions like these plague my mind everyday, I used to be pretty faithful but now im not so sure. What can I do to find the answers, and to restore my faith?

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
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Peter gave some good advice here

2 Pet 1:
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control,** perseverance**; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
 
One of the fallicies of this age is that science is the only way to know truth. Science can only give us knowledge of material things, not immaterial things. You cannot put your intellect on a scale and measure its weight. You cannot measure its length, depth, or height, or power either. It is immaterail. Yet it is logical that humans have intellects because we can see its effects. You can see the effects God has on the world by looking at creation and how men’s lives are influenced in a positive way through faith.

Can you scientifically prove that science is the only way to know truth? No, your cannot. You can know God through reason and faith. Pope John Paul II wrote an encyclical on that topic called Faith and Reason.
Why can we say it is reasonable to believe in God? We have motives of credibility through the Scriptural prophecies fulfilled by Jesus, the miracles He did, and the Christian witness throughout the ages to His teachings.

Perhaps it would be helpful to look at Proofs for the Existence of God of Saint Thomas Aquinas
aquinasonline.com/Topics/5ways.html

In the end, it does take a leap of faith to believe in the truths of the Christian faith. I believe so that I can understand. The Holy Spirit will teach you all truths if you allow Him.
 
One thing that always helps me is to look at the life of someone who did God’s will. I often look to Mother Teresa and think about all the good she did in the name of faith, bringing life, love, and happiness into millions of lives. Then in contrast I look at the life of someone who was hostile towards religion and intolerant of faith. They brought sadness, hopelessness, and in some cases death. And that comparison always fortifies my faith in God by contrasting deeds of good and evil. I ask myself what allowed Mother Teresa to do all the good she did, and the answer is her faith in God. Her example of faith helps to fill my desire for visible proof, and more importantly, cast out any doubt in my own faith in God.
 
Trishie said:
It’s hard to respond specifically not knowing your life situation, but I can tell you I’ve been through such times, and sometimes they lasted for extended periods, when God didn’t seem to answer even urgent prayers, and then the times came that clearly and mysteriously, He had, in His own way, at the right time.
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          Yes!! I have had this exact same experience more than once in my life. What has always worked for me is to persevere- keep praying, going to Mass, receiving the sacraments. Maybe talking to a priest or spiritual advisor would help, too.
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CT_Man1 said:
As the title states, iv’e been struggling with doubts for a while now. I still consider myself Catholic, but doubts have been crossing my mind. For example one of my major questions is How can he expect us to believe, when we don’t even see him, feel him, or hear him? Is there even a meaning to life? Does he even hear our prayers? He revelead himself many times before Jesus, why doesn’t he do it now?
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I very much understand where you are coming from. I am sure that every believer deals with such doubts, often more than once.

You might find some benefit in reading the Dark Night of the Soul by St John of the Cross. I have been dealing with similar questions by very slowly working through the Philokalia.

Thinking about your particular questions, God can expect us to believe when we do not see, feel, or hear Him because that is belief. We do not have empirical proof of the existence of God (for very good reason, I believe), and so we are faced with the option of choosing to believe, or choosing not to. It is that very lack of proof which makes the choice a choice, and makes that choice important. Choice is also important with respect to your other questions.

There are as many meanings to life as we choose to give it. Some of us choose to make the meaning of life the acquisition of as much wealth or fame as possible. Others choose to make it helping others.

Does God hear our prayers? I believe so. Evidently, He does not always answer them in the way that we want Him to answer them, and I have to say that I do not yet understand why I have had to go through my various personal traumas, but I choose to believe in a God good enough to have good reasons for this. I choose to believe that God hears me when I pray to Him to help you through all of this, even if neither one of us is aware of that help.

God has revealed Himself in various ways at various times, but consider this: all of the miraculous things in the Bible were scattered across a time-span of about 1400 years. There were a lot of gaps in there when none of those things was going on.
 
CT_Man1 said:
As the title states, iv’e been struggling with doubts for a while now. I still consider myself Catholic, but doubts have been crossing my mind. For example one of my major questions is **How can he expect us to believe, when we don’t even see him, feel him, or hear him? “But without faith it is impossible to please him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6) **Is there even a meaning to life? God created us to know, love and serve him and be happy with him forever in heaven. Does he even hear our prayers? God hears all your prayers and no prayer is ineffective. God knows what is best for you and he answers prayers at the time he knows best. He revelead himself many times before Jesus, why doesn’t he do it now? Jesus, the God-Man, reveals himself everytime we hear Mass. For the bread and wine are changed into the very body and blood of the risen Christ. The whole Christ, both his divinity and humanity, take the place of the bread and wine. I would suggest you make visits to the Blessed Sacrament and firmly believe that Christ is truly present there and talk to him as a friend to a friend. I would also suggest, as another poster did, to pray the rosary every day. Mary loves us very much for she is our spiritual mother.Questions like these plague my mind everyday, I used to be pretty faithful but now im not so sure. What can I do to find the answers, and to restore my faith?

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
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CT_Man1 said:
Yeah, its just the putting all your Faith into it part that im struggling with, i really wish i could have that Kind of faith. Also thank you for your suggestion on Aquinas, i have heard of him maybe i should go check it out.
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I get that. I had that trouble in the past, and to be honest, every now and then, a random thought will pop up and say “this is all ridiculous, what if God doesn’t exist”. The thing to realize is that faith in not unreasonable. We have faith in many different things on a daily basis, yet have no qualms about it. We have faith that when we apply our breaks, the car will stop. We have faith that when we divulge personal information to a friend or family member, they will not tell others. We have faith that our significant other won’t cheat on us. We have faith in so many different things.

I don’t think faith is a complete, 100% blind belief in something “just because”, but is about an 80/20 ratio, meaning that 80% of faith in knowing, while 20% is hoping and having faith in what is unknown (that’s not to say that faith isn’t necessary, it IS, and is required for our salvation. But in the broad scheme of choosing to believe in something, or “putting all your faith into it”, I think knowledge and logic are very prominent) God gave us a brain and the ability to reason because he wants us to use it, to be so completely convinced of God’s existence. You just need to do your research, read the arguments that are put forth by good Catholic theologians and apologists, and most of all pray. When we see the evidence and the reasons for our faith laid out so clearly, and we begin to understand those logical conclusions, faith doesn’t seem all the unreasonable. Once your mind is convince of the existence of God and his love for us, it’s a rather easy step to say “I believe.”
 
No one can prove God does not exist. You cannot prove a negative because you’d have to assume it was true before you could say it isn’t. Instead, you woudl have to prove that it is impossible for God to exist, which is impossible. It takes a lot of faith to be an atheist. We have to have a reasonable explanation for why creation exists. It is very obvious to me that it could not have been an accident. The facts do not point to that. It is mathematically impossible. It is a miracle. It appears to be designed, so where there is a design, there is a designer.

I have to humble myself to admit that my limited intelligence cannot fathom God’s design. The problem is that many people do not want God to exist because they would have to submit to His moral law. They have a mistaken idea of freedom.
 
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