Send CathInfo's owner Matthew a gift from his Amazon wish list:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/25M2B8RERL1UO

« previous next »
Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 8

Author Topic: Newly Baptised and Struggling  (Read 3455 times)

2 Members and 4 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline StrivingCatholic

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 26
  • Reputation: +9/-1
  • Gender: Male
  • Baptised on the 15th April 2024
Newly Baptised and Struggling
« on: April 18, 2024, 01:37:39 AM »
  • Thanks!3
  • No Thanks!0
    • I am newly baptised and confirmed on the same day, as of 15th April 2024 and I am already struggling with praying fervently and reading the scriptures diligently daily. I also struggle with keeping the Lord in my mind throughout the day while tending to procrastinate spending time with him in prayer. All too often, the past couple of days I find myself having doubts eg., "See? There is no special incidents after baptism and I am making my life harder now than before, and for what?"

    At other times, I worry about the things that I may need to confess. Not sure if I am being overly scrupulous at all either. While it may not seem a big deal to some, the beginning couple days of my new journey has not been entirely easy and I ask for any prayers that could come my way since I am not sure what I should request for. 

    I have unsubscribe most of the channels on Youtube and left those that can help in my journey. If there are any advice or channels that the members here can point me to, that would be greatly appreciated too.

    Thank you all kind souls in advance!
    Logged

    Offline Mark 79

    • Supporter
    • *****
    • Posts: 9630
    • Reputation: +6290/-940
    • Gender: Male
    Re: Newly Baptised and Struggling
    « Reply #1 on: April 18, 2024, 01:54:54 AM »
  • Thanks!2
  • No Thanks!0
    • I cannot imnagine a practicing Catholic without struggle. After all:


    Quote
    Wherefore, my dearly beloved, (as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but much more now in my absence,) with fear and trembling work out your salvation. Philippians 2:12

    Logged

    Online AnthonyPadua

    • Supporter
    • ***
    • Posts: 1344
    • Reputation: +499/-73
    • Gender: Male
    Re: Newly Baptised and Struggling
    « Reply #2 on: April 18, 2024, 02:33:07 AM »
  • Thanks!2
  • No Thanks!0
    • Quote from: StrivingCatholic on April 18, 2024, 01:37:39 AM
    I am newly baptised and confirmed on the same day, as of 15th April 2024 and I am already struggling with praying fervently and reading the scriptures diligently daily. I also struggle with keeping the Lord in my mind throughout the day while tending to procrastinate spending time with him in prayer. All too often, the past couple of days I find myself having doubts eg., "See? There is no special incidents after baptism and I am making my life harder now than before, and for what?"

    At other times, I worry about the things that I may need to confess. Not sure if I am being overly scrupulous at all either. While it may not seem a big deal to some, the beginning couple days of my new journey has not been entirely easy and I ask for any prayers that could come my way since I am not sure what I should request for.

    I have unsubscribe most of the channels on Youtube and left those that can help in my journey. If there are any advice or channels that the members here can point me to, that would be greatly appreciated too.

    Thank you all kind souls in advance!
    2 things.

    You won't always be consulate or fervent. Sometimes you will feel disconsolate and dry.
    Distraction in prayer is normal, just make sure you get them done and when you notice you are distracted then try to focus again.
    Logged

    Offline Stubborn

    • Supporter
    • *****
    • Posts: 13827
    • Reputation: +5568/-865
    • Gender: Male
    Re: Newly Baptised and Struggling
    « Reply #3 on: April 18, 2024, 05:02:13 AM »
  • Thanks!0
  • No Thanks!0
    • Quote from: StrivingCatholic on April 18, 2024, 01:37:39 AM
    I have unsubscribe most of the channels on Youtube and left those that can help in my journey. If there are any advice or channels that the members here can point me to, that would be greatly appreciated too.

    Thank you all kind souls in advance!
    Might be you need to nourish your faith, which comes from hearing as St. Paul tells us. His channel has many great sermons:


    Here is another good one.
    Logged
    "But Peter and the apostles answering, said: We ought to obey God, rather than men." - Acts 5:29

    The Highest Principle in the Church: "We are first of all under obedience to God, and only then under obedience to man" - Fr. Hesse

    Offline AMDGJMJ

    • Sr. Member
    • ****
    • Posts: 2708
    • Reputation: +1548/-64
    • Gender: Female
    Re: Newly Baptised and Struggling
    « Reply #4 on: April 18, 2024, 05:35:58 AM »
  • Thanks!3
  • No Thanks!0
    • Quote from: StrivingCatholic on April 18, 2024, 01:37:39 AM
    I am newly baptised and confirmed on the same day, as of 15th April 2024 and I am already struggling with praying fervently and reading the scriptures diligently daily. I also struggle with keeping the Lord in my mind throughout the day while tending to procrastinate spending time with him in prayer. All too often, the past couple of days I find myself having doubts eg., "See? There is no special incidents after baptism and I am making my life harder now than before, and for what?"

    At other times, I worry about the things that I may need to confess. Not sure if I am being overly scrupulous at all either. While it may not seem a big deal to some, the beginning couple days of my new journey has not been entirely easy and I ask for any prayers that could come my way since I am not sure what I should request for.

    I have unsubscribe most of the channels on Youtube and left those that can help in my journey. If there are any advice or channels that the members here can point me to, that would be greatly appreciated too.

    Thank you all kind souls in advance!
    Welcome to the Faith!

    Try not to give yourself too hard of a time.  "Rome was not built in a day".  Perfection takes time.

    I highly recommend the book "Patience" by Father Lasance:

    https://truerestoration.org/press/patience/
    Logged
    "Jesus, Meek and Humble of Heart, make my heart like unto Thine!"

    http://whoshallfindavaliantwoman.blogspot.com/

    Offline Stubborn

    • Supporter
    • *****
    • Posts: 13827
    • Reputation: +5568/-865
    • Gender: Male
    Re: Newly Baptised and Struggling
    « Reply #5 on: April 18, 2024, 05:42:55 AM »
  • Thanks!0
  • No Thanks!0
    • Yes, thanks for the reminder AMDGJMJ - welcome to the faith StrivingCatholic! Although some of have been born in the faith, we are all still striving to grow in the Catholic faith! Good name you chose!
    Logged
    "But Peter and the apostles answering, said: We ought to obey God, rather than men." - Acts 5:29

    The Highest Principle in the Church: "We are first of all under obedience to God, and only then under obedience to man" - Fr. Hesse

    Offline Philip

    • Newbie
    • *
    • Posts: 60
    • Reputation: +30/-0
    • Gender: Male
    Re: Newly Baptised and Struggling
    « Reply #6 on: April 18, 2024, 05:45:19 AM »
  • Thanks!2
  • No Thanks!0
    • Do not berate yourself.  You have started a journey, not reached its end.

    I would schedule regular times a day for prayer and pace yourself. Grow in the faith over time.

    Congratulations on your baptism!
    Logged

    Online Ladislaus

    • Supporter
    • *****
    • Posts: 41958
    • Reputation: +23993/-4345
    • Gender: Male
    Re: Newly Baptised and Struggling
    « Reply #7 on: April 18, 2024, 06:29:35 AM »
  • Thanks!1
  • No Thanks!0
    • Congratulations on your Baptism.

    It is possible to take on too much too quickly.  If I want to train for a marathon after having been a couch potato for years, I'm not going to get up one day and run the 26 miles or even the 13.

    So just start with relatively modest goals, the minimum being, IMO, a Morning Offering followed by 5-10 minutes of mental prayer or meditation, evening examination of conscience and Act of Contrition, the 3 Haily Marys (morning and evening), and the Holy Rosary.  I strongly recommend 15 decades, the entire Rosary, each day.  I like to break it up to 5 decades 3 different times of the day.  Just stick to these practices no matter how "dry" you feel.  Dryness is actually one of the first steps toward progress in the spiritual life, and it can often develop into a "Dark Night of the Senses".  At the end of the day, love of God is in the will (informed by the intellect), not in the senses or the emotions, so God will sometimes withdraw the consolations of the senses in order to strengthen the will and the intellect, the higher faculties.  But fight through it and stick with those minimums you've set for yourself.  Once you get into a solid habit of the above, then you could gradually, little by little, introduce more, say 15 minutes of spiritual reading, 15 minutes of reading Sacred Scripture (or go back and forth), additional mental prayer, etc.

    So set a modest/minimum routine or habit of prayer, and do not deviate from it, regardless of how hard it might see or how dry you might get, realizing that the dryness does not make you farther from God but is actually working to bring you closer to Him.

    You may want to read from Fr. Garrigou Lagrange's Three Ages of the Interior Life, which discusses how one progresses to holiness, through the "dark nights".
    https://tinyurl.com/4s899vzh

    Baptism does not completely eliminate the consequnces of Original Sin, conscupiscence, a tendency toward sloth/laziness, gluttony, irascibility, etc.

    If you like Three Ages, here's a link to Volume 2.
    https://tinyurl.com/yfaneksr

    Here's a similar book by Fr. Tanquerey, The Spiritual Life, which is a bit more compact / concise / terse.  We used this text at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary as the textbook for the introductory class in "Ascetical and Mystical Theology".
    https://dn790009.ca.archive.org/0/items/MN41530ucmf_5/MN41530ucmf_5.pdf
    Logged

    Offline rosarytrad

    • Jr. Member
    • **
    • Posts: 225
    • Reputation: +158/-19
    • Gender: Male
    • St. Anthony of Padua, pray for us.
    Re: Newly Baptised and Struggling
    « Reply #8 on: April 18, 2024, 08:52:01 AM »
  • Thanks!0
  • No Thanks!0
    • Quote from: AMDGJMJ on April 18, 2024, 05:35:58 AM
    "Rome was not built in a day"
    "In your patience you shall possess your souls." - Luke 21:19

    The spiritual war is all too real, my friend. That doubt you hear in your head is the voice of the devil. Reject it.
     
    Quote from: Ladislaus on April 18, 2024, 06:29:35 AM
    So set a modest/minimum routine or habit of prayer, and do not deviate from it, regardless of how hard it might see or how dry you might get, realizing that the dryness does not make you farther from God but is actually working to bring you closer to Him.
    You're not alone, StrivingCatholic. The above quotes are crucial,  and I am also doing my best to power through my dryness. Hang in there, pray the rosary, and I'll pray for you too!

    God bless you.
    Logged
    The mercies of the Lord I will sing for ever. - Ps. 88:2a

    Offline Michelle

    • Newbie
    • *
    • Posts: 101
    • Reputation: +86/-25
    • Gender: Female
    Re: Newly Baptised and Struggling
    « Reply #9 on: April 18, 2024, 10:11:29 AM »
  • Thanks!1
  • No Thanks!0
    • Quote from: StrivingCatholic on April 18, 2024, 01:37:39 AM
    I am newly baptised and confirmed on the same day, as of 15th April 2024 and I am already struggling with praying fervently and reading the scriptures diligently daily. I also struggle with keeping the Lord in my mind throughout the day while tending to procrastinate spending time with him in prayer. All too often, the past couple of days I find myself having doubts eg., "See? There is no special incidents after baptism and I am making my life harder now than before, and for what?"

    At other times, I worry about the things that I may need to confess. Not sure if I am being overly scrupulous at all either. While it may not seem a big deal to some, the beginning couple days of my new journey has not been entirely easy and I ask for any prayers that could come my way since I am not sure what I should request for.

    I have unsubscribe most of the channels on Youtube and left those that can help in my journey. If there are any advice or channels that the members here can point me to, that would be greatly appreciated too.

    Thank you all kind souls in advance!
    Welcome to fight!  You are now in a war with the enemies of Our Lord.  Like others have stated, love is in your will, it is not a feeling.  Keep doing what you know is God's will for you no matter how dark and dry you feel.  Put yourself everyday into Our Lady care, trust her to lead you everyday and pray the rosary.
    Logged

    Offline rosarytrad

    • Jr. Member
    • **
    • Posts: 225
    • Reputation: +158/-19
    • Gender: Male
    • St. Anthony of Padua, pray for us.
    Re: Newly Baptised and Struggling
    « Reply #10 on: April 18, 2024, 10:23:36 AM »
  • Thanks!0
  • No Thanks!0

    • PETITIONS OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM
    TWELVE PRAYERS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DAY
    • O Lord, do not deprive me of Thy heavenly blessing.
    • O Lord, deliver me from eternal torment.
    • O Lord, if I sinned in thought, word, or deed, forgive me.
    • O Lord, free me from all ignorance, the pettiness of soul, and hardness of heart.
    • O Lord, save me from all temptation.
    • O Lord, enlighten my heart darkened by evil desires.
    • O Lord, because I am a human being, I am a sinner; because Thou art the Lord God, forgive me in Thy love, for Thou knowest that my soul is weak.
    • O Lord, send Thy grace to aid me so that I may glorify Thy Holy Name.
    • O Lord Jesus Christ, inscribe me, Thy faithful servant, in the Book of Life, and give me a good end.
    • O Lord my God, although I have not done any good before Thee, nevertheless, grant me, with the help of Thy grace, to be able to begin to do so.
    • O Lord, freshen my heart with Thy grace.
    • O Lord of Heaven and earth, remember me, Thy sinful servant, impure and cold of heart, in Thy Kingdom.


    TWELVE PRAYERS AT THE END OF THE DAY
    • O Lord, accept my repentance.
    • O Lord, do not forsake me.
    • O Lord, save me from temptation.
    • O Lord, grant me pure thoughts.
    • O Lord, grant me tears of repentance, the remembrance of death, and a healthy sense of my guilt.
    • O Lord, grant me humility, charity, and obedience.
    • O Lord, grant me the confession of my sins.
    • O Lord, grant me tolerance, kindness, and gentleness.
    • O Lord, place in me the source of all blessings: the fear of Thee in my heart.
    • O Lord, grant that I may love Thee with all my heart and all my soul, and that I may always obey Thy will.
    • O Lord, defend me from certain people and also from the demons and all errors.
    • O Lord, Thou knowest that there always exists agreement between Thee and Thy Will; may such also exist between us, for Thou art blessed forever and ever. Amen.

    Logged
    The mercies of the Lord I will sing for ever. - Ps. 88:2a

    Offline St Giles

    • Supporter
    • ***
    • Posts: 849
    • Reputation: +381/-65
    • Gender: Male
    Re: Newly Baptised and Struggling
    « Reply #11 on: April 18, 2024, 01:24:21 PM »
  • Thanks!0
  • No Thanks!0
    • Quote from: StrivingCatholic on April 18, 2024, 01:37:39 AM
    I am newly baptised and confirmed on the same day, as of 15th April 2024 and I am already struggling with praying fervently and reading the scriptures diligently daily. I also struggle with keeping the Lord in my mind throughout the day while tending to procrastinate spending time with him in prayer. All too often, the past couple of days I find myself having doubts eg., "See? There is no special incidents after baptism and I am making my life harder now than before, and for what?"

    At other times, I worry about the things that I may need to confess. Not sure if I am being overly scrupulous at all either. While it may not seem a big deal to some, the beginning couple days of my new journey has not been entirely easy and I ask for any prayers that could come my way since I am not sure what I should request for.

    I have unsubscribe most of the channels on Youtube and left those that can help in my journey. If there are any advice or channels that the members here can point me to, that would be greatly appreciated too.

    Thank you all kind souls in advance!
    ANY struggle you have, you can be certain many other Catholics have the same struggles even if they have been in the faith for many years.

    Remember these basic ordinary daily struggles are your cross. All you have to do is carry it. Even Jesus needed help carrying his cross, so heavy was the burden of our sins. It wouldn't be quite so difficult if Catholics would help each other carry their cross, but we are too spread out and careless to do that, or we won't accept help from others. "Bear one another's burdens, everyone shall carry his own burden." "No greater love does a man have than to lay down his life for his friends." That doesn't mean we have to take a bullet for them, but give up what you want to do with your life, even if it's just a part of the day or week you would rather be doing something else for yourself, to help someone else carry their burden. You don't make a campfire with 1 piece of wood, it takes a few to share the heat between them so they burn all the hotter in this cold world.
    Logged
    "Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect."
    "Seek first the kingdom of Heaven..."
    "Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account for it in the day of judgment"

    Offline Angelus

    • Supporter
    • ***
    • Posts: 983
    • Reputation: +411/-77
    • Gender: Male
    Re: Newly Baptised and Struggling
    « Reply #12 on: April 18, 2024, 01:25:07 PM »
  • Thanks!1
  • No Thanks!0
    • Quote from: StrivingCatholic on April 18, 2024, 01:37:39 AM
    I am newly baptised and confirmed on the same day, as of 15th April 2024 and I am already struggling with praying fervently and reading the scriptures diligently daily. I also struggle with keeping the Lord in my mind throughout the day while tending to procrastinate spending time with him in prayer. All too often, the past couple of days I find myself having doubts eg., "See? There is no special incidents after baptism and I am making my life harder now than before, and for what?"

    At other times, I worry about the things that I may need to confess. Not sure if I am being overly scrupulous at all either. While it may not seem a big deal to some, the beginning couple days of my new journey has not been entirely easy and I ask for any prayers that could come my way since I am not sure what I should request for.

    I have unsubscribe most of the channels on Youtube and left those that can help in my journey. If there are any advice or channels that the members here can point me to, that would be greatly appreciated too.

    Thank you all kind souls in advance!

    Were you baptized using the Traditional Rite of Baptism or the New Rite? Was the minister a validly-ordained priest using the Traditional Rite or someone else?

    The reason I ask is that the New Rite of Baptism removes certain exorcisms and anointings that St. Thomas Aquinas says are critical to remove the obstacles to divine grace:

    https://aquinas.cc/la/en/~ST.III.Q71.A3

    If you were not baptized using the Traditional Rite, you can have a traditional priest provide the "Supplying Ceremonies of Baptism" The process takes approximately 15 minutes. 
    Logged

    Offline StrivingCatholic

    • Newbie
    • *
    • Posts: 26
    • Reputation: +9/-1
    • Gender: Male
    • Baptised on the 15th April 2024
    Re: Newly Baptised and Struggling
    « Reply #13 on: April 18, 2024, 10:01:36 PM »
  • Thanks!1
  • No Thanks!0
    • Quote from: Stubborn on April 18, 2024, 05:02:13 AM
    Might be you need to nourish your faith, which comes from hearing as St. Paul tells us. His channel has many great sermons:


    Here is another good one.
    Thanks for the resources! I will definitely subscribe and explore them.
    Logged

    Offline StrivingCatholic

    • Newbie
    • *
    • Posts: 26
    • Reputation: +9/-1
    • Gender: Male
    • Baptised on the 15th April 2024
    Re: Newly Baptised and Struggling
    « Reply #14 on: April 18, 2024, 10:05:43 PM »
  • Thanks!1
  • No Thanks!0
    • Quote from: AMDGJMJ on April 18, 2024, 05:35:58 AM
    Welcome to the Faith!

    Try not to give yourself too hard of a time.  "Rome was not built in a day".  Perfection takes time.

    I highly recommend the book "Patience" by Father Lasance:

    https://truerestoration.org/press/patience/

    Thanks for the recommendation, AMDGJMJ! :smirk:
    Logged
    Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 8
    « previous next »