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Question

Dear Father Angelo,

I’m writing to ask you a question about a problem one of my closest friends is currently dealing with.

He is distant from the Church, but he is coming back to the Christian life because of “necessity”.

Sometimes, during the prayer of “petition”, when he prays for important requests in his life, he starts having doubts.

From what I have understood, that does not always happen. Yet, when it does happen, he stops praying because he fears that he will not be listened to.

He remembers the words in James’s letter, verses 1:6-8, which he read on the Internet and which I am reporting here: “But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways.” (Jm, 1:6-8).

Furthermore, his mind is clouded by doubts like: “if I’m not sure that this grace is in God’s will, why should I even ask?” 

He does not pray for days and when he finally does, the problem comes back up and he stops once again.

In the meantime, he goes back to his daily life and tries to solve his problems as much as he can.

I fear that his process of coming back to the Christian life under such conditions may not last very long.

I suggested he add in his prayers the following words: “I do believe, help my disbelief!”.

At the moment, however, it seems my advice has not produced the desired effect, yet.

He has not been attending the Sunday Mass for years now and he has not approached the Sacrament of Penance.

I do not think he even practices chastity with his girlfriend. I’m writing this because I know that there is a correlation between Faith and Purity.

However, his going back to the prayer, even if driven by necessity, might be a good starting point.

What else could I tell him in order to help him?

Thank you.

I remind you in my prayers. 


Answer from the priest

Dearest,

I apologize for answering so late.

1. I’ll go straight to the point: conditions of need do in fact bring people closer to God so that they can receive help and liberation from Him.

But, if this is  the only reason behind their prayers, they will remain distant from God.

2. One comes close to God to the point of feeling Him within oneself  only when you  purify yourselves , change life, fill yourself  with Him through His  Word and the Eucharist.

3. As long as your friend remains spiritually dead, he will not be able to perceive and feel anything, just like it happens with corpses: they cannot see, hear or have feelings…

4. As you  see: his condition of sin and distance from God puts him into a vicious cycle where he holds on to and guards everything that hinders him from uniting to God.

5. True are the words of the Lord: “the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.

For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed.

But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God” (Jn 3:19-21).

6. What can be done in such a situation, where one  is morally unable to see, feel and have God in his heart?

Only a miracle, a salvific intervention from the exterior can free him.

And only the Lord can do this.

God can instantly open the eyes of the mind, enabling one to see, He can open the ears enabling one to hear and, finally, He can open the heart enabling one to welcome Him.

7. God does not use violence on anybody.

He just needs us not to put up any resistance.

And this is where we find the solution: by means of charity we are one body and one soul. Therefore, we can help your friend by praying and offering sacrifices for him.

By the power of our prayers and actions, the Lord can intervene within him mercifully.

Just like the Lord commanded Job’s three friends, who were unworthy in front of Him.

To them God said: “go to my servant Job…, and let my servant Job pray for you; for his prayer I will accept, not to punish you severely” (Jb 42:8).

8. That is also the reason why the Lady of Fátima said to pray and offer sacrifices for the conversion of the sinners.

What the Virgin Mary said is a paraphrase of what the Holy Scripture commands: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2).

The burdens represent the sins and the law of Christ is the law of love, which encloses all the others.

This law summons us to take upon ourselves  other people’s salvation.

That is what you can do, dear visitor.

I gladly join you in your mission, at least by praying.

I bless you.

Father Angelo


Translated by Chiara Midea