One of the graces we receive from being Traditional Catholics is that we see things of this world more clearly than others--we see them in the light of Christ's teachings and when we look at the world we find little that is in accord with those teachings which are our rule of life. This is certainly depressing. Add to that a job you don't like and other ways of temporal sufferings and it can get pretty bad. We need to find ways to handle this or else we become tempted to despair.
The books addressing this problem advise two things: For the soul, meditate on Christ's Passion, especially His agony in the garden. It is there that you will find a kindred soul who understands everything you feel. Almost everyone let Him down except His Mother, St. Mary Magdalene, and St. John. "I looked for one to comfort me and I found none" (Scripture). He even felt abandoned by God the Father, yet His dying words were "Into Your hands I commend My spirit." If you can spend time before the Blessed Sacrament, it is very helpful when you feel like this. He's usually alone there, Body and Soul. Tell Him all. Unburden yourself, place your cares into His hands. It helps.
Also pray to Our Lady and ask for help. She will help ward off temptations to despair. When dark thoughts start coming, start saying Hail Mary's. It really helps. Even if you feel totally rotten and like you can't say one decent prayer, say them. God accepts what is in our will.
For your life, do whatever is in your power to change the situations you don't like. Staying in a job you hate takes its toll on your mental and physical health. BTDT. Pray for guidance and help in finding something else. If you can't find anything, bow your head to God's Will knowing that He will sustain you and trust in Him that He has a very good reason -- your sanctification -- for the circuмstances in your life. Nothing goes unplanned by Him but we are free to ask for changes if we feel we need them but we must also be willing to accept things as they are if our petition is denied because, being our Creator, He knows what is best for us and we must trust Him.
Thinking of heaven is good as long as it doesn't depress you further -- I say "depress" because perhaps you want to be there now and you can't be. God still has plans for you here. In this case, you must bow your head to His Will and believe in His love for you.
This is a very hard time in which to live. But it is a very good time if you consider that you can offer all your suffering for your sins or those of others. And surely you are gaining merit for heaven, much more so than if you lived in easier times.
Try to find something that brings you joy -- a hobby perhaps, or some other interest like learning a foreign language -- anything that you can really delve into that will take your mind off things. It's not a waste of time if it restores peace to your soul and lightens the load a little. If you find something that you can do that will also benefit others, more the better. One sure way to forget your troubles (at least temporarily) is to think of others. Maybe there's some way you could volunteer or even find a job with a charitable organization that would make you feel like you're helping to change this world for the better.
As for praying for the chastisement to come, well, if you consider how offended God is these days and how the chastisement would put an end to that, it seems like a good idea. OTOH, if you want to pray for it to come because you're tired of living like this and want it to come to an end, that's not so good. Quite understandable, but not so good according to what I've read. In effect, you're saying "I don't want to carry my cross any longer." I think many of us know that feeling. But thoughts and feelings like these lead to despair and THAT is what the devil is after. We just simply cannot give up hope in God, hope that He will help us no matter how bad things get, hope that at the end of these times there indeed will be happiness for us beyond anything that we can comprehend, and faith in Him that He does know what He is doing and if He chooses to chastise us more than He is doing now, we must leave it up to Him to decide when that will be. We do what Our Lady asked at Fatima and bow our head in submission to God's Will for the world and for us in particular--and we hold onto our faith and hope because that's what Catholics do. We have a God Who loves and cares about us and will take care of us. When all seems dark and everything seems useless, it is precisely THEN that we need to make more acts of faith and hope in Him. It glorifies Him for us to do so and such acts keeps the devil at bay.
I once read in a book, don't recall the name, that having faith and hope is like a bird that sings before the dawn arrives. Even though the sky is still dark and the world is quiet, it sings because it knows the dawn will come.
I hope some of this helps. I've been through it and know others who have also. Spiritual reading often helps at times like this, but sometimes the Lord just wants you to sweat it out until He lightens the burden. Just keep making acts of faith and trust and you can't go wrong. God will reward you and remember that the worst thing we can do is to despair. That is the same as saying that God is not powerful enough to help you/this world. He doesn't offer Himself in the Mass every day for nothing.
Topic: Feeling Empty. This World has Nothing to Offer. (Read 1272 times)