Where's my zeal?!?!?!

[Paris_Blues]

Okay, I was glad that I came home to the Catholic Church…BUT…

Is there a reason why I don’t have my zeal anymore? I mean, before coming fully into the Church, I remember my big zeal but now after I got confirmed (after the priest put the oil on my head), my zeal has left me and now I feel like oh, it’s just another religion I’m in.

What’s the deal here? I know our Lord is in my after receiving Him in the Holy Eucharist but what is going on?

Is this normal for converts?

 

[jrabs]

Paris Blues:

Is this normal for converts?

It is normal for everyone - even Mother Theresa - but now you must rely on your faith in these times.

 

[Didi]

Our faith cannot be measured by our emtions; otherwise it wouldn’t be faith if we always got warm fuzzies for everything. Faith is believing when it’s hard to believe.

Understand as well that you are a prime target for spiritual attacks because you’ve just done something to make satan very upset. When I find myself feeling as you do, I hear things in my head like “You’re blowing it. You’re being a hypocrite. Who do you think you are?,” etc. I spoke to my priest about this and he said these voices never come from God. He will never demean you or pull you down.

Do you know the St. Michael prayer? Pray it often during these difficult times and ask other saints for their prayers for you.

Each time we make a step or two forward in our faith, our spiritual enemy tries to drag us back. But He is not stronger than our Lord! Jesus is right by your side helping you through all of this! Say often during the day “Jesus, I trust in You.”

 

[Church_Militant]

Hey Lil sister of mine!

Don’t confuse your emotions (which have been running at a wide-open high lately) with your zeal for the Catholic faith that you have come to love. No one runs around yelling “Praise God ! Hallelujah!” all the time.

It’s not about how we feel…it’s about a spiritual reality that exists within us now Nicole. You know it’s there and that isn’t the problem. The problem is now…What do I do with it? In other words sister of mine…it’s time to find your spot in the church and get to work.

Your zeal is still there and all it needs is a “victim”. Time to talk to the director of faith formation and your pastor and find your “job” within the Body of Christ. (Can anything be thought of as “a job” that is as full of joy as sharing our faith and helping to build up the faith of others? )
Pax tecum,

 

[Sherlock]

Hi Paris,

What other folks have said is accurate: don’t be ruled by your emotions, or make much out of their lack.

Think of it as a marriage. Courtship is heady, exciting stuff, but a successful marriage means developing constancy and faithfulness even when the honeymoon feelings aren’t there. Feelings come and go. Faith persists despite feelings.

 

[Melchior]

Paris Blues:

Okay, I was glad that I came home to the Catholic Church…BUT…

Is there a reason why I don’t have my zeal anymore? I mean, before coming fully into the Church, I remember my big zeal but now after I got confirmed (after the priest put the oil on my head), my zeal has left me and now I feel like oh, it’s just another religion I’m in.

What’s the deal here? I know our Lord is in my after receiving Him in the Holy Eucharist but what is going on?

Is this normal for converts?

Perhaps the anticipation was so great that when you actually became Catholic there was sort of let down. Often the build up to an event can be more exciting than the event itself. Like Christmas or ones wedding.

Now that the anticipation and excitement have come and gone you get to learn the aspect of perseverence in your faith.

Sunday is coming and you have the rest of your life to go through the cycles of the wonderous and the mundane. This is the Christian life in general.

It’s the day after Christmas for you, Paris - New Years is just around the corner!

Mel

 

[johnshelby]

Church Militant is right…

you have been running wide open for weeks… remember it’s natural for this to happen… it can almost be like post-partem depression or like the let down after any tramatic, eventful, period…

but, in a short while, you will start to feel your fire growing again,
if you continue to feed the flames with prayer and study…

again, do like Church Militant suggested and speak to your
priest and others in your church…

and finally, again… pray…

i kind of envy you… i haven’t been confirmed yet… i was baptised
last Easter, but they only have confirmation every other year at
my church… so, i’m looking forward to Easter…

 

[Paris_Blues]

Melchior:

It’s the day after Christmas for you, Paris - New Years is just around the corner!

Mel

Huh? What’s going to happen?

Oh, yeah, taking back gifts that didn’t fit or need to be exchanged from Christmas presents on the 26th…then New Years will come and will celebrate 2006!

 

[SPOKENWORD]

Paris Blues:

Okay, I was glad that I came home to the Catholic Church…BUT…

Is there a reason why I don’t have my zeal anymore? I mean, before coming fully into the Church, I remember my big zeal but now after I got confirmed (after the priest put the oil on my head), my zeal has left me and now I feel like oh, it’s just another religion I’m in.

What’s the deal here? I know our Lord is in my after receiving Him in the Holy Eucharist but what is going on?

Is this normal for converts?

If you want to be renewed and on fire for the Lord do now what He has commanded. Go and be the Light of Christ… Be His hands extended.Pray that God will put a Zeal in your heart to reach many in this lost world. Submitt,surrender and yield to His Spirit.Do what ever He tells you. Draw close to Him and He will draw close to you.Read your bible. Ask for wisdom and understanding,and revelation knowledge. Then you will see Gods will in your life working. God Bless

 

[KatarinaTherese]

Paris Blues:

Okay, I was glad that I came home to the Catholic Church…BUT…

Is there a reason why I don’t have my zeal anymore? I mean, before coming fully into the Church, I remember my big zeal but now after I got confirmed (after the priest put the oil on my head), my zeal has left me and now I feel like oh, it’s just another religion I’m in.

What’s the deal here? I know our Lord is in my after receiving Him in the Holy Eucharist but what is going on?

Is this normal for converts?

I was exactly the same way after Confirmation last May. I was baptized as a baby, went to confession, recieved the Eucharist. I was soooo excited that I would be Confirmed that when Confirmation actually came, I was left saying “Now what?” Since May, I’ve gone through my periods of zeal and the dryness, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. I don’t even know where I am right now with that (how’s that for confused?).

Everyone else here posted such great advice, I won’t try to say what they’ve already said. I just wanted to say, hey, you’re not as strange as you think.

 

[Melchior]

Paris Blues:

Huh? What’s going to happen?

Oh, yeah, taking back gifts that didn’t fit or need to be exchanged from Christmas presents on the 26th…then New Years will come and will celebrate 2006!

Lol!

All I meant was that you are having an emotional let down after a very big event. But more big events are always around the corner.