Over the past few months, I've noticed myself getting more and more alienated from the Faith. I stopped going to Mass and I don't pray. Everything has been fine for over 20 years since I came to Tradition, but something has really mucked things up. Please don't tell me it's the devil. It seems most people want to blame the devil for all the ills of the world: I'm not buying it. It has to be something else.

One thing I've noticed in particular is the archaeological digs in the Middle East which show that much of the Old Testament is bunk. The sites that were thought to be there AREN'T. That rather knocks the whole religious scheme into a cocked hat and everything follows from that.

The long and short of it is that I'm just worn out. I don't know if I'll ever go back. 

Remember  George Soros and his communistic buddies want to create the nєω ωσrℓ∂ σr∂єr and George wants to see it happen before he dies and goes to his just eternity.  “They” have the money, power and whatever they need to inspire the media to say whatever it takes to destroy the Catholic Faith.
 
I remember on T.V. it was shown a common statue of St.Joseph holding the Baby Jesus and the reporter was trying to convince his audience that it was proof that Jesus had a child, by his reporting that this ancient statue was just found in a dig of Jesus holding His own child.  

“They” lie and twist whatever it is they find, therefore you will never see them report anything that will increase Faith in God, but instead just the opposite.

 
Do you see any of them reporting things like the Miracle of the sun, an anniversary we just finished, it is even in Wiki, see here: Miracle of the sun

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_of_the_Sun


OR the Incorrupt bodies of Saints

Although since Vatican II some flowers of the Church started to give in to corruption yet God has supplied the Church with this miraculous happening for a time.


https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/photographing-the-real-bodies-of-incorrupt-saints



Or the miraculous evidence from the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe Her tilma and her eyes, read about it, that too is in Wikipedia and Youtube,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_mhXe7pvsM


My suggestion is to not pray as in a formal pray, but sit and talk to the Blessed Mother as a friend, she promised to give special graces to those who ask for them, that is what you need right now a very special grace.  

Myrna,


While I'm working to try and get my head around Fatima, I've come to the conclusion that most of these "incorruptibles" are frauds.


I've seen pictures of some of these and they look like they came from Madame Tussauds. The Vatican has been a seat of corruption for centuries so it would put it past them to perpetuate some nonsense like this to fool the gullible and thus get a few extra sheckles into their coffers.


I know this sounds harsh but I don't believe it would do me much good not to express my inner thoughts to others. Otherwise, it would just be a waste of other people's time as well as my own.

How many fresh dead folks have you seen man? I"ve seen plenty and, minus the dirt and signs of violence, the incorruptibles look like those dead folks; granted, they look like well maintained dead folks, but they look like dead folks nonetheless.

You have a mortuary or funeral parlor nearby?

G-

Leaving aside the question of the credibility of the archaeological finds and opinions which have caused you to question your faith, I would only observe that there are many devout Catholic archaeologists who have not come to the same conclusions as you.

If you meditate on that, it may help.

I will pray for you.

Could you please reciprocate?

How many fresh dead folks have you seen man? I"ve seen plenty and, minus the dirt and signs of violence, the incorruptibles look like those dead folks; granted, they look like well maintained dead folks, but they look like dead folks nonetheless.

You have a mortuary or funeral parlor nearby?

You've seen plenty? That's a rather ghoulish past time mate, what? Here's the sort of thing to which I was referring.

Over the past few months, I've noticed myself getting more and more alienated from the Faith. I stopped going to Mass and I don't pray. Everything has been fine for over 20 years since I came to Tradition, but something has really mucked things up. Please don't tell me it's the devil. It seems most people want to blame the devil for all the ills of the world: I'm not buying it. It has to be something else.

One thing I've noticed in particular is the archaeological digs in the Middle East which show that much of the Old Testament is bunk. The sites that were thought to be there AREN'T. That rather knocks the whole religious scheme into a cocked hat and everything follows from that.

The long and short of it is that I'm just worn out. I don't know if I'll ever go back.

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I hear you saying "it has to be something else" and "please don't tell me it's the devil." Did you know that the devil wins when you think it's not him? His primary goal is to make people think he doesn't exist.
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I think you've done a good thing, coming to this forum, because there are a lot of members here who have good intentions and helpful suggestions. Most of us here have gone through periods in our lives like what you're facing now. The saints have as well. Have you ever heard of St. John of the Cross and his Dark Night of the Soul? Maybe you could consider reading that book. You may be able to borrow a copy from a library. A friend of mine was going through a difficult time, then she started reading that book and now years later she's still reading it. But she has kept the Faith.
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Another good one is St. Alfonse de Liguori's Preparation for Death. This book has been the turning point for thousands of readers. It's a great starting point when your faith is being challenged, because it gets you to thinking about what is really important.
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I can see you're dismayed by news of what is being found in archaeological digs. I heard a priest say about 2 years ago that all the forensic investigations all over the world, even those conducted with the intention to disprove the Bible, have only served to reinforce it and to verify what the Bible contains. There is a long list of such finds, in fact. I thought at the time, Just wait until the naysayers get organized and Fake News gets involved with funding from Soros and NAMBLA. 
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Be careful what you read in the papers. Beware of the source! I have a tape (from Keep the Faith) of Fr. Aidan McGrath, Legion of Mary, an Irish priest who had escaped Communist China. In 1957 he warned about the lies you read in the papers. That was 60 years ago. It's only gotten worse! 
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I would recommend for you to listen to recordings of Catholics who escaped Communist prisons. I can guarantee you'll hear things you really need to know about.
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You need to talk to a priest.  Faith isn't something that just happens to you, although it is a gift.  You also have to work at it.  The priest can help to identify what you need to work on.  Also, whenever I feel like I'm losing ground, I go back to first principles.  We know God exists from reason alone but that is not faith.  Faith is believing what God has revealed about Himself based on the authority of Him Who reveals.  He revealed that our purpose is to know, love and serve Him in this life and forever in the next.  Everything else follows from that.

They should give a "James Cameron Award for the Advancement of Antichrist Archaeology and Best Hipster Hajji 'Sheikh' (so to speak)"

Perhaps they could bundle it with a "Dan Brown 'Symbology' Scholarship" program.

I took the Dan Brown course and I can tell you that it's not all it's cracked up to be. 🤣

I took the Dan Brown course and I can tell you that it's not all it's cracked up to be. 🤣

That's a scary notion...

Sense of humor helps man.

Sometimes you're gonna laugh, cry, or snap, if not all three; it's better to be proactive with the first being generally preferable and so, likewise, opted for.

None are exclusive of prayer.