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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Dryness of Faith at Home Only	Monica	Sunday, November 14, 2004
Question: Greetings.. Distressing issue for me. When I am at Mass, both daily and Sunday, I feel such a closeness to our Lord. I wish Mass could last all day. My problem is at home. I don't have these same feelings. I pray and still love our Lord and live my faith, but I don't feel the same "closeness" that I do when at Mass. My faith feels DRY when I am at home. I was received into Holy Mother Church April of 2004, a convert from atheism. So I know I have alot to learn, (I figure a lifetime should do it). Is this normal?...Is there anything more I can do? I don't have a Spiritual Advisor at this time and our priest is sooooo busy I feel guilty taking up his time with this. But this is leaving me with feelings of guilt, like there is more I should be doing. Our Blessed Mother lead me to Her Son, now I feel like I am letting Her down in some way. Please help me with this and thank you for answering. Monica jmj
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+ Dear Monica: Welcome to the Church and to our Lord Jesus Christ. I praise and thank God for your conversion. Most of us feel closer to God when at Mass. This is because God is there in the Eucharist. Thus it is normal to feel close to God at the celebration of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I think it is great that you are draw so to the Mass. This is wonderful. I too wish I could spend all day in the parish church in Mass, in adoration, and in prayer. One of the things you can do to continue your worship at home is to build a prayer altar. This can be done in an extra bedroom, a corner of any room, a converted closet, etc. My prayer alter has a large crucifix with 18" statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and St. Michael the Archangel. There are also a variety of icons, holy cards, relics, medals and other religious items on the altar as well. All of these things provide a wealth of sacramental imagery to bring my mind to God. Here are some bad pictures (old ones-missing the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart statues) of my prayer altar. I'll have to take some new ones. St. Michael House Hermitage Chapel Build a prayer altar and develop devotions to your favorite saints. This will go a long ways in feeling closer to God. I also recommend that you read Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux St. Therese of the "saint of the ordinary person". She was recently made a Doctor of the Church (the highest honor the Church can bestow upon a saint) due to her profound "Little Way". All the things we see, hear, feel, touch, smell, etc. in Mass are all designed to bring our entire bodies into a state of worship. St. Therese and other saints teach us that we can find that closeness with God in the little things. Even scrubbing the floor can be an act of closeness with God. As you continue in your journey of spiritual growth, you will come to learn these things and will eventually find all of life, and even the daily routine of life can be an opportunity for profound closeness with our Lord. We will be praying for you. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Dryness of Faith at Home Only

Monica

Sunday, November 14, 2004

Question:

Greetings..

Distressing issue for me. When I am at Mass, both daily and Sunday, I feel such a closeness to our Lord. I wish Mass could last all day.

My problem is at home. I don't have these same feelings. I pray and still love our Lord and live my faith, but I don't feel the same "closeness" that I do when at Mass. My faith feels DRY when I am at home.

I was received into Holy Mother Church April of 2004, a convert from atheism. So I know I have alot to learn, (I figure a lifetime should do it).

Is this normal?...Is there anything more I can do? I don't have a Spiritual Advisor at this time and our priest is sooooo busy I feel guilty taking up his time with this.

But this is leaving me with feelings of guilt, like there is more I should be doing. Our Blessed Mother lead me to Her Son, now I feel like I am letting Her down in some way.

Please help me with this and thank you for answering.

Monica

jmj

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM+

Dear Monica:

Welcome to the Church and to our Lord Jesus Christ. I praise and thank God for your conversion.

Most of us feel closer to God when at Mass. This is because God is there in the Eucharist. Thus it is normal to feel close to God at the celebration of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

I think it is great that you are draw so to the Mass. This is wonderful. I too wish I could spend all day in the parish church in Mass, in adoration, and in prayer.

One of the things you can do to continue your worship at home is to build a prayer altar. This can be done in an extra bedroom, a corner of any room, a converted closet, etc.

My prayer alter has a large crucifix with 18" statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and St. Michael the Archangel. There are also a variety of icons, holy cards, relics, medals and other religious items on the altar as well. All of these things provide a wealth of sacramental imagery to bring my mind to God.

Here are some bad pictures (old ones-missing the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart statues) of my prayer altar. I'll have to take some new ones.

St. Michael House Hermitage Chapel

Build a prayer altar and develop devotions to your favorite saints. This will go a long ways in feeling closer to God.

I also recommend that you read Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of the "saint of the ordinary person". She was recently made a Doctor of the Church (the highest honor the Church can bestow upon a saint) due to her profound "Little Way".

All the things we see, hear, feel, touch, smell, etc. in Mass are all designed to bring our entire bodies into a state of worship. St. Therese and other saints teach us that we can find that closeness with God in the little things. Even scrubbing the floor can be an act of closeness with God.

As you continue in your journey of spiritual growth, you will come to learn these things and will eventually find all of life, and even the daily routine of life can be an opportunity for profound closeness with our Lord.

We will be praying for you.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum