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Yes. I am sorry but from the sign I have so far, I can't share St Francis de Sales enthisiasm. As for my intention not to pray comes from Satan, well at least someone from the invisible world has actually given me something. I thought both the Good and the Bad had forgotten all about me.

I'm alone like i've always been alone. The only thing I await with enthisiasm is my death. So I can literally go to hell.

Dr. Eric, have you heard of Lacuna Coil's "Heaven's a lie"? Maybe you should...

St. Francis De Sales was not enthusiastic, you may have him confused with St. Francis of Assisi.

St. Francis De Sales was in a similar boat that you're in now. St. Francis De Sales knew that he was abandoned by God and was predestined for Hell. One day he knelt in the Chapel and prayed:

�Whatever it is Lord [salvation or damnation] at least let me love you in this life if I am unable to love you in eternity.�

He made the choice to love God above ALL things, and with this conscious decision he was set free of his dispair.

Armando, set out into the deep. Totally abandon yourself to Him who loves you more than you love yourself. (Yes, it's true, even if you don't believe it right now.) Totally trust in Him, give Him everything, He will not forsake you.

As I've written to you before, we've all been there before. You will get through this and you will see the wisdom of God in not giving you what you want right now. He has an even higher purpose for you. Pray and wait, He has something good in store for you.

All this over a girlfriend or lack thereof?

Eli

What is Lacuna Coil?

http://emptyspiral.net/

Arius spread his heresy through popular songs of the day that he rewrote the words.
Armando,

You are listening to the wrong music.

Are you a musician?

I learned early on after listening to Alice in Chains (not our Alice ) that I felt dark after hearing the music. I didn't make that mistake twice. I stopped listening to it. Music is very powerful and can lift you up or drop you down straight into hell.

There are better bands with better musicians to listen to. These goth bands are all style with no substance.

If you play guitar, try Segovia, Django Reinhardt, Heitor Villa-Lobos or others like them. Those guys could play rings around any modern guitarist.

Dear Armando,
Please believe what other people here have told you. You are not the only or the first to be in the place you are. I was also in great despair over an emotional disaster, and came very very close to ending it all. Only clinging blindly to God in the darkness saved me. That was ten years ago, now I'm better and doing God's work again in the parish where I live. God loves you so much, more than you can believe possible. I know you can't feel that now, but cling on, don't let go. You can't get through this on your own, but you and God together can do anything at all.
We care about you very much

Dear Armando:
Some years ago I felt, in many ways, lost and forgotten by everyone I loved, especially God.
It was at a Mass when a priest spoke these words: "Nothing is so lost that it can never be found; Nothing is so broken that it can never be healed". I cried and cried for days. Today is Pentecost Sunday. I pray most fervently before the Altar of God for you. I pray that the Holy Spirit Himself will descend upon you to show you just how much God truly loves you. Don't give up!! Don't you ever give up!! You have the prayers of everyone on this Forum. You ARE loved!! God holds you to His Sacred Heart. He rocks you in His arms. Let Jesus love you. May the love and blessing of God the Father + God the Son + and God the Holy Spirit + descend upon you,
convince you that you are loved more than you can possibly fathom and give peace and healing to you!
We also pray against the Evil One who seeks to devour you. Satan will NEVER, NEVER win your soul. We commit you to the powerful intercession of Mary Most Holy, Terror of Demons and Queen of Peace +
We love you! your brother Silouan, poor monk

Dear Armando you said the following:

I say:

You are only 17 years old. God always answers prays, but he answers them in a way that is best for your soul.

You said:
I say:

How many people are praying for unity? Most people are praying that either the Orthodox go under the Pope, or the RCC becomes exactly like the Orthodox...and by that I mean, tradition, liturgy, etc. :rolleyes:

When they truly pray for unity, God will answer them.

You said:
I say:

Jesus said that there will always be the poor among us. Just look at us in the U.S. You would think that with all our wealth, that there would be no poor, yet if we were to become socialist and distribute the wealth, the outcome would be less wealth and even more poverty.

The important thing is that we must feed the poor, for caring for others is good for our souls.

You said:

I say:

Don't ever believe that. It is satan saying it to you so that you will stop praying. Furthermore, I can't help but wonder if you are under pressure and you are becoming confused? Do your parents, friends, etc. feel that maybe you have been indoctrinated to become Catholic? Of course your parents, being Greek, would not want you to become a celibate priest...you might be an only child and they wouldn't have grandchildren? Then again, Greeks are never willing to give up their children to a Church... even an Orthodox Church. :rolleyes:

But there is another problem. I recall you saying that you had a problem with your weight. Now I know that your parents work, and I can't help but wonder if you are eating 'junk' food...MacDonalds and things. Be careful because not only will they make you gain weight, but they could be the partial cause of your depression.

So if you are, shame on you. :p You live in Crete where there is the tastiest and healthiest food in the world, and you can't even eat right? Well, when you go to Rome, make sure you eat what the Italians always ate, and not junk food.

So that's my grandmotherly advice.

Zenovia

You know what I wish? Something going right in life... Like meeting with the girl that is the one, or dating with the one I so far think is the one...
So I can for once sit back, happily, just because of a kiss on the cheek and thank God with all my heart. I know would, I know I wouldn't ask for anything else... I would just be the happiest man on earth and I would thank God from the bottom of my heart. And I wouldn't care about the next day. I would just be able to enjoy the present.

This time has yet to come. And forgive me for saying so but I doubt it will ever come.

Some words of St. Isaac of Nineveh to ponder Armando...

"At the time of darkness, more than anything else kneeling is helpful. Even if our feelings are dark and cold, we should persevere in kneeling; even though our heart is dead at such times, and we cannot pray, and do not know what to say since no words of prayer or supplication come to us, nevertheless we should continue to remain prostrate on our faces, even though we are silent."

The author knew whereof he spoke - below is a portion of one of his own prayers...

"I have no broken heart to start me on the quest for you, no penitence, no tenderness. I have no tears with which to pray to you. My spirit is in darkness, my heart is cold. I know not how to make it warm again by tears of love for you. But you, Lord Jeses Christ, my God, may you give me complete repentance, the breaking of my heart, that with my whole soul I may set out in quest of you. May the Father who in his womb begot you in eternity renew me in your divine image."

Some years ago I thought I had completely screwed up every opppurtunity I ever had in life. I always went after what I wanted, and got it, and then found that even though I had it I had no conceivable reason to get up in the morning, it all became routine, dull, boring, I hated going home, I hated getting up, it was all the same.

I must have been doing something wrong, right? Or maybe the fact that I had tried everything meant that I was looking in the wrong place.

One ting I had never really tried was to read my bible. Not just skim through it, actaully sit down and read it in light of my life and what God was trying to tell me about my life through his words. And be man enough to listen and to do something about it.

If God isn't there when you try to pray, don't worry. It may not sem like it. He is. Read your bible, not chapters, just a little. WHen you like something, when you don't like something, anything you read says something to you, stop. WHy does it say that to you? WHat does it say? DOn't jump around either, read a Gospel from start to finish. I'm lucky to get through a chapter a week of Marks Gospel. After seven years I still do this every day (or most..I try though!)

It will help, not immediately, but if you try to keep reading your Bible even when you don't want to, it will help. Take it from one who was there a little bit older than you.

Ned