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Hello,

Please pray for me and my faith . . . or lack there of. I am feeling like I am going through a real dry spell and apathy in my faith. I have been very fickle and non-committed in the past, but I know that Jesus Christ is Lord and that there is one God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and I believe in One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. But I just . . . this apathy and emptiness.

Manuel

Lord, have mercy.

"I do believe, help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24 [vatican.va])

That you ask for prayers in your present situation indicates you have A LOT of faith. I think every religious believer goes through the experience you describe. Like all participation in the Cross, it can be very unpleasant. Good news: faith does not always make you feel better about yourself or your personal circumstances. After all, while undergoing His life-giving death, Christ Himself cried out "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?"

I sometimes feel like I believe all this Catholic "stuff" but I derive no consolation from it whatsoever. I sometimes believe in these things the same way I believe that Tokyo is in Japan or that Cairo is in Egypt (or in Missouri).

There was a poster depicting a Raggedy Ann doll being run through the wringer of an old-fashioned washing machine. The caption said, "The truth will set you free but first it will make you miserable."

Fear not.

Prayers for our brother, Manuel, that his faith be sustained and strengthened, that any doubts be driven from his mind, and that his soul be at peace with God

Prayers for you..for grace, mercy, and peace about this. And for an increase in the gift of faith.

peace and blessings at Christmas.

Manuel:

Christ is in our midst!! He is and always will be!!

We all have dry periods; even the greatest of saints. Fr. Ambrose of Optina in a volume of his sayings advises us to persevere. When you cannot pray, he says, force it because the Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force.

I have had many times when the most I can get out is a few verses from Psalm 50/51: "Take not your Holy Spirit from me." and "Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation and establish me with Your guiding Spirit."

Know that when you have this, it is the time to hold tight to the Hand of Jesus Who extends His Hand to you so that you don't think it is by your own efforts that you are walking with Him. It is by His grace, His help, and His mercy that we walk. He has come for those who are in need of Him. And when we have a dry period we know most starkly that we are in need of Him.

Be at peace and also know that when you are dry and cannot pray your brethren in the Body of Christ, the Church, pick you up and carry you by their prayers. That is whatbeing part of Christ's Body is all about--we carry each other as Simon helped Jesus carry the Cross.

My prayers for you to experience the joy of His salvation again.

Bob

Prayers for Manuel, that he may find the peace of the Nativity and know that God through his human birth became our brother.

Fr Deacon Paul
Pray simply. Do not expect to find in your heart any remarkable gift of prayer. Consider yourself unworthy of it. Then you will find peace. Use the empty cold dryness of your prayer as food for your humility. Repeat constantly; I am not worthy; Lord, I am not worthy!. But say it calmly, without agitation. Macarius of Optimo

Manuel you will be in my daily prayers.
Lord have mercy.
g