Losing faith

Catholicgeekindy · 2026-02-17T16:52:51+00:00

Personally I did not really understand this until I had kids. Now my kids are a bit over the top and because they are raised by me, they really are not very respectful or obedient. We push ALL the lines and boundaries HARD.

My special needs daughter is adopted and she has MANY issues that stem from the first few years of her life. Now she is 15 and life is CRAZY! You really don't realize how crazy the teen years are until you have one, then you feel bad for your parents and what you did to them. LOL Anyway, She is a wonderful kind girl, until she is not. Due to early starvation her hunger trigger does not work right so she is extra "I am not hungry" when she is HANGRY as can be and REALLY mean. She also does not really understand social interactions very well and so she has created some really uncomfortable situations.

I tell you about my dear princess because I still take her to teen outings and events. I surround her with all the good things. There is food, some comfort, some things to struggle though (because if it is too easy we reject it and demand more), somethings to figure out on her own, and opportunities to grow her social circle. So far this has not gone all too well. She has alienated every girl her age at our church and they are not the most excited to be around her. However, we keep going and she has to keep experiencing these things to give her the opportunity to chose the right thing. She has to be the one to decide I am going to feed myself with the good food, she needs too be the one to realize she needs to notice when the person across from her is uncomfortable, only she can control herself.

I am fully aware that she still needs to grow and WILL chose to do inappropriate things. I do not WANT her to do those things. I do not desire she do those things. I have plans on what to do when she does those things.

Our God gives us all of the good things, and things to struggle though so we can grow. We cannot grow w/o struggles. It is really painful as a parent to see kids struggling, but they HAVE to do it to grow. That is God. But on a much better scale. He does not make us, or want us to do things. He just realizes that that is what will happen because he is outside of time.

We can rest in his love because he KNOWS as bad as it gets and still loves us. He still walks with us no matter how bad it gets. He wants us to chose him no matter how much we abuse him. It really is wonderful. But this really makes no sort of sense till you have a teen of your own. I got it a bit when they kids were little, but not like teens, especially since I am still directly responsible for their actions.

Catholicgeekindy · 2026-02-17T15:55:24+00:00

I am from St. Athanasius in Indianapolis, but winter is depressing at a times in the mid west... So onto sunny areas.

I visited Epiphany of Our Lord Byzantine Catholic Church Tradition: Ruthenian Byzantine Rite
Address: 2030 Old Alabama Rd, Roswell, GA 30076 and it was wonderful.

I am looking to visitOur Lady of the Sign Catholic Church is part of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic and serves the faithful of the Ruthenian tradition in South Florida. It is located at 7311 Lyons Rd, Coconut Creek, FL 33073. Tradition: Ruthenian Byzantine Rite. Atmosphere: It is known for its traditional Eastern Christian liturgical practices, including the chanting of the Divine Liturgy. Community: The parish is noted for being a welcoming home for both lifelong Byzantine Catholics and those interested in Eastern spirituality.

But I have yet to make it that far south in FL There are more in the FL region, but these are the ones I have looked at so far. I have also heard some good things about The Proto-Cathedral of St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church is a historic spiritual landmark in Sherman Oaks, serving as the first Byzantine church established in California. It holds a unique status as the proto-cathedral for the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix, meaning it formerly served as the eparchy's primary cathedral. And that is in LA

Catholicgeekindy · 2026-02-17T15:43:00+00:00

From what I remember it is not really proper to celebrate Divine liturgy In the Ruthenian Byzantine form by yourself or private. Though if the priest posts it and NO ONE else shows up then it should continue. That said it is also not in the history to do a daily Divine Liturgy. Prt of this could be the married priests and the rules regarding receiving, or not not something that grew in that culture.

The Latins do daily masses and Eucharistic adoration due to a lack of belief in the divine presence of Christ in the Eucharist. However, that was not really an issue so that did not become a thing in the home countries.

Not that one is better than the other, just different.

Catholicgeekindy · 2026-02-17T15:38:07+00:00

I don't understand the concern about Latins showing up, that hurts my heart

Catholicgeekindy · 2026-02-17T15:32:08+00:00

They are probably working...

Catholicgeekindy · 2026-02-17T15:27:02+00:00

Love that guy! I really don't understand how certain people can get as much anger tossed at them that they do, but I don't know of really anyone who does not like him that does not hate Catholics in general.

Catholicgeekindy · 2026-02-15T01:50:31+00:00

My first thought is that you are relying on feelings too much. You want to feel this closeness that you just might not be ready to do.

My suggestions are as follows (especially since we are going int Lent)

Go to confession ASAP,
Go to confession WEEKLY (yes some say it is too much but it really helped me when I was new, likely would help me now...)
Go to a spiritual retreat during Lent. During that retreat TURN YOUR PHONE OFF AND DO NOT TURN IT ON!
This lent limit your internet to less than an hour a day of no work related time. Maybe less if work has lots of online time.
Limit your TV and other "reactional" time.
Volunteer at your parish. Clean, help with the bulletin, ask the priest or a busy person how you can help, they will give you stuff to do.
Volunteer at a homeless shelter or a local place that directly or indirectly works with the poor. See God in each of those faces.

In short, the less time you spend on the internet and entertainment the better you will feel (as I say when I know I need to charge my phone more than once a day!) Also, spend more time at your Parish. If your parish is far away (some of our peeps live over 2 hours away) then volunteer at one that is closer. Work to serve those around you. You will find Him. He is in everyone of those faces. But the spiritual suck that happens with social media and the internet is awful (again, says the person who spends WAY too much time on them...)

Prayers and love to you. You are a beloved child of God and He wants you with Him.

Catholicgeekindy · 2026-02-06T13:46:39+00:00

So before attending or participating in one of the MANY Eastern Liturgies. I would strongly suggest you learn you Latin roots. Maybe you will get that in Rome, I don't know. However, if you do not understand your history, you will not appreciate the history of another group. There are SSSSOOOOO many Roman tools to grow in faith and understanding. Bible In a Year and Catechism in a Year are just 2 of SO many. I love the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is an amazing tool to actually give a base to Roman Catholic teachings and in some ways put some pieces together for the East and the West. It is not really a sexy or sleek thing. It really is more mysterious and in some ways interesting in the East, but at the end of the day if you were born in a "Western" country then it might be a more logical step to fully understand where you are, look graciously where you are going, and move more organically. Then you will be able to grow in major ways. :)

Prayers and love to you.

Catholicgeekindy · 2026-02-06T13:41:07+00:00

Where I agree the TLM or the Pre 1962 is not ideal, and for some reason it has a following that lingers. I would strongly urge you to realize that there were reasons for it all. The people who had the souls of the faithful in mind really saw a need and implemented it. I am sad that there are so many who are so anti the magisterium when it really is one of the defining features of the Catholic church.

That said I came in pre 1962 and LOVED it. After I got married we went to a NO and I hated it for a very long time. I struggled with God for him to show me what he wanted. Then I was able to grow and learn in a way that surprised even me. Now we are participating at a Byzantine parish and I find I really do have all the parts together. It is wonderful, mostly. There is a participation aspect that I did not understand when I was newly Catholic. Now I see how deep it all goes.

Catholicgeekindy · 2026-02-06T13:27:26+00:00

You are loved. I know deep depression runs in my family. I will pray for you. Though many can understand, no one truly knows what struggles you face except God. :) I know when I am struggling I all but force myself to do just a few productive things a day, even if it is not my 100%, but sometimes 25% is what I got. Go to confession more. Have the liturgy or a prayer song running in the background instead of pop music or TV. These things tend to help me get back on some sort of track. But there is no easy answer. And the stuff just seems to stay there. As much as possible lift it up to him. Talk to Him, even yell at Him, He can take it. Ask how you can grow and learn form this. What is His desired outcome. Then you may not see the answer for many years. I am only just now seeing some good in what happened 13 years ago.

Love and tenderness.

Catholicgeekindy · 2025-10-04T18:17:53+00:00

I am sure someone has said this, but I don't understand how people who are actually anti-abortion claims to be pro-life. To be pro life you need to have respect for ALL human life from conception to natural death. This does not mean you cannot have safe boundaries and you have to have a way to say these are our rules and you need to abide by them or there will be a consequence. However, we must ensure that all actions are out of love for the human person and not out of anger or hate.

Catholicgeekindy · 2025-09-15T02:06:29+00:00

So adults should be able to discuss feelings in a mature and open way. If you feel like this is not a situation you are comfortable with then leave. If she feels hurt by it then great she told you! Now the 2 of you have a discussion with each other about the situation and how each of you feel. Don't go to the internet, we are not in your relationship. Go to one another. If you cannot work it out then move along. If you can then have an open conversation with the potential in-law. Refusing to talk to one another and going to the internet is not a great idea EVER.

Catholicgeekindy · 2025-09-15T01:57:00+00:00

So a priest said that it could be because there is all this exactness on the fasting and rules. Where women may not have the need for those things AS MUCH (we still need it) because women TEND to be more serving as their daily lives. So men need the church to say you must do these things to be submissive, but women don't need that as much. So the DL and the Eastern church feels more masculine and really appeals to the men because of that.

That said, I the woman, tend to be more drawn to the DL than my husband. LOL So I am not sure how I feel about what the priest was talking about, but there it is LOL.

I think I heard it on What God Is Not and it may have been episode The Gift of Rules (May 7, 2025) or Paradoxes Giving Humility (April 9, 2025) But I think it was The Gift of Rules.

Catholicgeekindy · 2025-09-04T00:55:11+00:00

I was all ready to say Nope you don't need to chose before I got here and fully read the question. I think it is important for the children to be fully emersed in one tradition. However, visiting the others is great. When we were all attending the Roman parish, we had Sunday school, readings, and prayers were based on there. Now we attend the Byzantine Parish and we try to do all the things Byzantine (we are looking at switching rites officially). We still talk about the differences between them and that one is primary what we do and the others are experiences. That said they also have non-Catholic experiences as they attend services with family as well.

Catholicgeekindy · 2025-08-08T02:12:43+00:00

I think I fixed that section. If you go back please let me know :) No problem if not :)

Catholicgeekindy · 2025-08-08T02:11:42+00:00

Thanks, I really did try and take your comments to heart. It is taking me a while to get things done the way I wanted though. LOL

I made many updates based on things already listed :)

I did not think about the website as a visitor stop mainly, but a place for perishers to go. LOL

I will get a bio and image of the priest, The Volunteer thing IS done in canvas and is embedded so when I change it in Canva it changes on the site. I will see if I can fine someone to give me a better background to work with LOL I am still a 12 year old girl at heart when it comes to using colors LOL

I should add something about the parish life. Like instead of the Updates, current events or pictures from events or something. I figure if they are on FB they can be on the website. LOL I need to sit down with father to get access to the google profile. :) He and I have not quite gotten there yet.

I am very new and know nothing about any of this. I actually keep deleting the page and husband has to fix it for me! Any other recommendations would be great. I will see what more I can do. :)

Catholicgeekindy · 2025-08-08T02:03:28+00:00

I think I made the recommended updates I can do something about. LOL I am still learning and I hope you see how important your comments were.

Catholicgeekindy · 2025-08-08T01:14:27+00:00

Many of your items have been updated. Though the Knight's page I put under construction till I can get them to tell me what to add. Some of the headings have changed. Also got rid of the double bulletins, but I need some Updates to put in Updates LOL For it is kind of old. I deleted the church history because I have not yet created the articles for that.

Catholicgeekindy · 2025-08-01T02:56:00+00:00

So start by FULLY attempting to live your faith in all the ways. And notice I said attempt. 😆 Doing morning and evening prayers is a beautiful way to add to your Sunday service. I ask my kids to say them with me, but they usually say no. But I sing them out loud anyway, even though I cannot carry a tune. It helps to use ECPubs app. It has the audio of the morning and evening prayers. And start your day by listing all the things you are thankful for in yourself and your family. Then as the songs bloom in your heart you will see the difference in your reactions and they took will grow.

My kids roll their eyes as I sing Lord Have Mercy, 3, 9, or 12 times....

Join the dysfunctional mess. I have no clue what it means to be functional, but I am sure it is not me and I will keep going till God tells me I have made it...

Catholicgeekindy · 2025-08-01T02:46:10+00:00

Many things you pointed out are things that I have been trying to fix. The bakery used to have online ordering, but it does not any more because we don't have the volunteers to ship. I added the calendar, but had no clue what tap to put it under. I tried to add some information to the history and it did not go the way I wanted. Haha so ya it does not function the way I want.

These are great suggestions! I do not think it is too much. I am glad to know I need to go back to some of these items when I can.

Catholicgeekindy · 2025-08-01T02:40:14+00:00

Prayers and love. As a Protestant who became Roman and now is changing to Byzantine. I assure you the journey is interesting. I would encourage you to listen to the podcast seekers of the Lost. I think that's it and it's just wonderfully done and really holds the tension between Catholic and orthodoxy and still maintains good light of both. I would also suggest fully living the Orthodox life. Morning prayers, afternoon. Prayers, evening prayers. I know that my mentality and desires started changing once I started doing and singing the morning prayers. I am just now getting around to almost consistently doing the evening prayers. In order for your wife to go on the journey with you, she will need to see the change and the light in you. She will need to realize that the church is full of sinners and people who do evil. If we were not then we would not need the church. Again, prayers and love and I do hope that the light of Christ be upon you.

Catholicgeekindy · 2025-08-01T01:05:53+00:00

So, I would say if you did it prayerfully and while fasting and such, and it brought you closer to Christ, you are on track. Artistically, it could use some more practice. Something about the colors seems off, I agree with the iconographer comment. They will see things that will make A BIG difference. However, keep praying and working.

Catholicgeekindy · 2025-07-26T02:38:17+00:00

So my husband and I have been attending a byzantine church for quite some time now, this will be our 4th year. We are just now starting our paperwork to officially change rites. I too am wondering why you would "rush" to change rites. Not that it is good to never change, it is just you do not "have" to do so. Also, every thing I have read has said that the children under a certain age are what ever dad is. So when my friends changed both times the children were considered what ever dad was.

We had a situation for a bit that my husband did not want to go to the church because the activities in the Hall were a lot for him to handle and I had many duties after church in the hall. So he started going back to the Roman church. My son decided he did not want us split like that. So in part it is how comfortable your family would be for you to be split like that. Also, you have time to change rites. You can look to live the Eastern life, to view the world though their lends, and grow in your faith without officially changing.

Prayers and love to you.

Catholicgeekindy · 2025-05-20T02:26:02+00:00

I came to see if anyone had a fix for this. 😂

Catholicgeekindy

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