Ways to Build Faith? My Faith is the Size of an Atom

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Melodeonist

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I feel my faith is very weak. Although my faith is weak, I am very loyal and I will never leave God even if I have no faith left at all.

How can I build my faith? I have tried reading some holy books such as St. Theresa of Avila’s book, but it just seemed like an autobiography. Please mind that I am not very fond of reading and I never get much out of it.

I have tried praying, but the more I pray the more it feels like a tedious chore. Saying the same words everyday for even just a few minutes can feel like a few hours. Not enjoyable or even interesting in the least. I also feel my prayers are totally useless a lot of the time, which is possibly why I feel prayer is so boring.

I also never feel guilty when I commit sins. For example, I may commit the sin of lust, I may get very mad at my parents and start yelling, or commit the sin of detraction and I still never feel guilty. I wish I went to Confession out of the love for God, but I only go because I don’t want to burn in Hell. How do you love God? What is “love” for God? :confused:

What are some hands-on ways to grow in faith for people who don’t have much time to do things like volunteer work?

I think one disadvantage I have in regards to faith is that I was raised by non-religious parents. I don’t have any truly religious relatives, only those who are somewhat religious (i.e. Catholics who don’t follow all the teachings.) As an adult who is in college, I feel I have very little time to do faith based stuff besides quick prayers in the morning and at night.
 
I can sympathize with what you are going through. For me, reading a chapter in the NT every day really, really helped!

Hebrews 4:12

*Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. *
 
faith is how you live. I see so much good and kindness in you… worry not! Praying for you…

the anger etc is however a different matter; you are hurting others and no one has the right to do that. Think of it as lack of love, failure to love… and think of how to show and live that love. Small ways that will be huge… Small kindnesses…

OK?

OK!
 
Hi
Its seem to me like your doing great, your praying in the morning and at night, writing all this stuff down, keep that up bother. Stay on this path, don’t sin and love other people around you, especially in your mind.
Your awesome,
God bless you.
 
Melodeonist said:
I feel my faith is very weak.
Only you can change that feeling.

I have tried praying, but the more I pray the more it feels like a tedious chore. Saying the same words everyday for even just a few minutes can feel like a few hours.
There are many ways of praying. So, repetitive prayers are not your thing. Find someypthing else. Prayer is a conversation with God. Sometimes, you speak, sometimes, you listen.

I also never feel guilty when I commit sins.
I don’t know where you heard that you are supposed to feel guilt. You should probably feel sorrow, or contrition, or yes, even disgust. But I don’t know that guilt is what will move you toward changing your ways and repenting.

What are some hands-on ways to grow in faith for people who don’t have much time to do things like volunteer work?
Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day that you have. People have full time jobs, families, obligations to elderly parents, coaching responsibilities, travel etc. And yet, they are able to volunteer. You don’t have to view it as a part time job, you know. Look for something small, it will change your life.

Again, I suggest you take your accordion and go visit a nursing or retirement home. I **know ** they would love to hear your music. Really. Once a month for one hour even? Surely you spend more time on the computer or tv than that. It will change your life. Do it. No excuses.
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Melodeonist said:
I am very loyal and I will never leave God even if I have no faith left at all.
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This ^ is the part of your post that matters. You don’t have to remain in a Catholic bubble if you get no growth from it. I would gather that your faith in God is actually fairly strong though you may not be able to perceive it because your doing things that you think you are supposed to do instead of doing what God wants you to do. If your praying to God for guidance and giving thanks and all that good stuff, then you should follow the direction that your being continuously pulled; your obviously not being pulled towards books and novenas. If you trust in God then don’t be afraid of where He wants you to go.
 
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Irishmom2:
Well stated.
 
Melodeonist said:
I feel my faith is very weak. Although my faith is weak, I am very loyal and I will never leave God even if I have no faith left at all.

How can I build my faith? I have tried reading some holy books such as St. Theresa of Avila’s book, but it just seemed like an autobiography. Please mind that I am not very fond of reading and I never get much out of it.

I have tried praying, but the more I pray the more it feels like a tedious chore. Saying the same words everyday for even just a few minutes can feel like a few hours. Not enjoyable or even interesting in the least. I also feel my prayers are totally useless a lot of the time, which is possibly why I feel prayer is so boring.

I also never feel guilty when I commit sins. For example, I may commit the sin of lust, I may get very mad at my parents and start yelling, or commit the sin of detraction and I still never feel guilty. I wish I went to Confession out of the love for God, but I only go because I don’t want to burn in Hell. How do you love God? What is “love” for God? :confused:

What are some hands-on ways to grow in faith for people who don’t have much time to do things like volunteer work?

I think one disadvantage I have in regards to faith is that I was raised by non-religious parents. I don’t have any truly religious relatives, only those who are somewhat religious (i.e. Catholics who don’t follow all the teachings.) As an adult who is in college, I feel I have very little time to do faith based stuff besides quick prayers in the morning and at night.
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Hi Melodeonist,

I think that having self-awareness about yourself is half the battle, so to speak, and you have a lot of self-awareness about what is going on in your spiritual life, so I think that is really great, right there! 👍

I think that if you want to change anything about it, if I were you, I would just do it in small steps that you can handle, doing/changing one thing at a time.

I know that for me personally, if I try and change too much at one time, then I’m “all over the place,” and then I feel really scattered, and then I start to get overwhelmed, and then I lose focus and then nothing works out for me. But…that’s me, and how I personally operate.

So, think about what you DO like to do, regarding your faith/spiritual life.

What kinds of devotions do you like?

Do you like to sit quietly in church, for example?

That’s what I like–that kind of peaceful quietness that comes with Adoration, or sitting quietly in church and just praying before Mass starts when the church is quiet during Confession time before Mass starts on the weekend.

Can you fit in an extra week day Mass some time?

Can you go to Adoration some time?

These are just some things to think about doing, and adding in at extra times. They don’t cost anything to do, and you can just work them in around your work schedule and your school schedule.

As for volunteering, I think that I mentioned in a past post that there are parish volunteer activities that you can do on an as-needed basis, like setting up/cleaning up before or after a fund-raising dinner/breakfast, or helping out with the coffee and donuts after Sunday Mass, or doing something like that. 🙂
 
Confession is not meant to be an obsession of fear (you seem to already understand this).
I admit I also have this problem.

Yes, prayer is sometimes plain, but sometimes plain and simple is all that is necessary…
then you must continue with your life normally without worrying.

I also don’t feel “the guilt”. Perhaps, this is caused by one becoming desensitized…but I would’t worry, as you still have a conscience.

You can help others by being a considerate, friendly person… you are a young person and need to also help yourself by studying and taking a break (like everyone else uses their time).

You are an overthinker and judge yourself too harshly (because no-one else
can understand your head, so you assume the worst… I’ve been down that road and it is sickening)
… give yourself a break this Christmas…(you need it).
 
Thank you all for the great replies! Reading them made me feel a bit better towards my faith. 😃

I often attend mass on Friday at a nearby church (not my church that I go to on Sunday and read at every now and then) and sometimes attend their Adoration, which they have after almost all their Friday Masses.

I feel my struggle with prayer is not exactly with the written prayers, but with my own intentions that I keep repeating in the same order time after time again. For example, one used to be asking God to help Trump win the election, but now I’ve changed it to thanking God for helping him win. Another one is praying for my Grandmother’s Soul and my Grandfather’s health and faith. I wish I didn’t keep praying these prayers so many times, but I feel if I stop/change my prayers then I am doing something wrong. On the other hand, I feel adding prayers would make it even more of a chore. 🤷

I don’t know if this is a form of prayer, but when it’s warm outside I like to sit out and ponder God’s beautiful creation. It really boosts my faith and makes me respect God a lot more. I even tried doing this at the store I work at by pondering all the wonderful food items God has given us. If this is indeed a form of prayer, it is my favorite. I am a big daydreamer and if it is a form of prayer it seems that this may be a gift from God that He has given me to honor Him.
 
This is why a spiritual director/mentor is such a blessing.
They can help you when you get stuck like this.

As far as reading- jumping into Teresa of Avila might not be the best idea. There are lots of other books and writers. Bishop Sheen might be a good place to start.

There are also all sorts of apps & websites that can help you to pray.

As far as volunteering- I agree with Irish Mom- take your accordion and go to a nursing home! The residents will love you for it, and so will the staff. I work 2 jobs, am active in my parish, have a household full of animals to care for and I still can find a couple of hours a month to do some volunteer work. It’s all about priorities and making the time.
Melodeonist said:
I feel my faith is very weak. Although my faith is weak, I am very loyal and I will never leave God even if I have no faith left at all.

How can I build my faith? I have tried reading some holy books such as St. Theresa of Avila’s book, but it just seemed like an autobiography. Please mind that I am not very fond of reading and I never get much out of it.

I have tried praying, but the more I pray the more it feels like a tedious chore. Saying the same words everyday for even just a few minutes can feel like a few hours. Not enjoyable or even interesting in the least. I also feel my prayers are totally useless a lot of the time, which is possibly why I feel prayer is so boring.

I also never feel guilty when I commit sins. For example, I may commit the sin of lust, I may get very mad at my parents and start yelling, or commit the sin of detraction and I still never feel guilty. I wish I went to Confession out of the love for God, but I only go because I don’t want to burn in Hell. How do you love God? What is “love” for God? :confused:

What are some hands-on ways to grow in faith for people who don’t have much time to do things like volunteer work?

I think one disadvantage I have in regards to faith is that I was raised by non-religious parents. I don’t have any truly religious relatives, only those who are somewhat religious (i.e. Catholics who don’t follow all the teachings.) As an adult who is in college, I feel I have very little time to do faith based stuff besides quick prayers in the morning and at night.
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Oneofthewomen said:
This is why a spiritual director/mentor is such a blessing.
They can help you when you get stuck like this.

As far as reading- jumping into Teresa of Avila might not be the best idea. There are lots of other books and writers. Bishop Sheen might be a good place to start.

There are also all sorts of apps & websites that can help you to pray.

As far as volunteering- I agree with Irish Mom- take your accordion and go to a nursing home! The residents will love you for it, and so will the staff. I work 2 jobs, am active in my parish, have a household full of animals to care for and I still can find a couple of hours a month to do some volunteer work. It’s all about priorities and making the time.
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Oh no! Did I say Avila? I meant St. Teresa of Liseaux! 😦
 
Melodeonist said:
Oh no! Did I say Avila? I meant St. Teresa of Liseaux! 😦
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St Terese of Lisieux is probably much better for you at this time 🙂

Your appreciation of God’s creation is great, maybe it is time for you to start mental prayer? Start with just a few minutes and work your way up.
 
I would suggest that you look into Contemplative Prayer.

Faith is a gift from God, it is His revelation of Himself to us, however that may happen.

Building a relationship with God is the only way this can happen and I have found that interior prayer is the only way to experience God as He is, rather than the image we create of Him.

Also, St Theresa of Lisieux, is an autobiography and she was hypersensitive, often breaking down crying over little things.

She’s not for everyone.

The saint who led me to Contemplative Prayer, was St Francis of Assisi.

If you’re familiar with the saint, a good book which is deeper but, short and easy to read is "The Journey and the Dream, by Fr Murray Bodo.

Reading isn’t your thing, at least read the Bible, especially the New Testament.

In all, learn Contemplative Prayer, I think you’ll find it more enriching than reciting written or memorized prayers.

Jim
 
Melodeonist said:
I don’t know if this is a form of prayer, but when it’s warm outside I like to sit out and ponder God’s beautiful creation. It really boosts my faith and makes me respect God a lot more. I even tried doing this at the store I work at by pondering all the wonderful food items God has given us. If this is indeed a form of prayer, it is my favorite. I am a big daydreamer and if it is a form of prayer it seems that this may be a gift from God that He has given me to honor Him.
Click to expand...
This is a form of prayer. I guess I would call them prayers of thanksgiving. St. Paul’s instruction to pray ceaselessly would not make any sense if such things were not prayer. St. Francis of Assisi enjoyed the same type of prayer. It is a gift.
 
I’ve struggled with this before too. I’m not sure if your faith has always been like this but if it hasn’t then it’s extremely normal and common to lose faith for a while so don’t worry if this is your case!

On the other hand, if you have always been very distant from God I have some advice and a really good book that you can try! The book is called “Jesus Calling” and I think it’s written by Sarah Young. 🙂 It is a few short passages that are intended to be read one a day but it’s so good I couldn’t put it down!! It is written as Jesus talking to you and it makes you feel like He’s really here and He loves you so much! There are a lot of topics in the book too. One page might be written about forgiveness where the other might be about your current struggle-growing closer to God. I will be praying for you and I hope you find this helpful! :bounce:
 
My best advice is to try talking to Jesus like a friend … remember to be respectful because He is your Lord and Savior … but talk to Him about the things that bother you … even the things that bother you about your faith.
 
What can be an enemy of faith is scrupulousity.

Spending your life afraid that you might accidentally commit sin and to think it makes God happy to send you to hell on a technicality diminishes faith and robs one of joy.

No way to live.
 
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