QUESTION:
This past summer I went on World Youth Day and now that I’m back I feel lost. I feel like I lost God and now I’m back to my old habits. My old habits were going to Church only once a month and not praying to God. I been writing in my journal that I got there and I feel like it is not working. Should I keep writing in my journal or should I quit? I need advice.

ANSWER:

It is common for someone who has had an awesome experience of God at a particular time in their life through a WYD experience or a retreat to feel lost after a period of time.  It is easy for old habits to resurface and for us to slowly feel the need to give up and that what we do isn?t working to get that old feeling back.

We seek to find the ?feelings? that we once felt. When we don?t ?feel? anything we often find loneliness and a sense that God is far away.  Following God is not about ?feeling? like it. It is about being faithful. God calls us into relationship with him. Through Baptism we become children of the Most High God. God is always faithful to us- He loves us, and calls us continually into a deeper relationship with him.

If writing in your journal brings you closer to God then by all means keep journaling. What experiences do you journal about? Try looking at each day and making a deliberate effort to find God in each person you meet and each circumstance.  Look at the glory of creation around you- where do you see God?s hand?

My question is- what are you doing to be faithful and to grow your relationship with God? Just going to Mass is not enough. Do you pray- alone, in community with others, at adoration, in mass?  Have you read any books about your faith or about Saints, the Catholic Church and it?s rich history. Have you ever attended a Bible Study to grow in your understanding of the Word of God?

Faith must be nurtured and watered like a living plant or it will die.  With God there is no neutral. You are either moving toward Him or away- there is no standing still.

Get more involved in your faith community, meet other people of faith your age, help with service to the needy. When we stop focusing on ourselves and start making a difference in the lives of other?s we are naturally heading towards God, growing closer to him and feeling his presence in our daily lives.

QUESTION:
One of my good friends has been going through a rough time lately and its really starting to affect her. I think she would benefit from talking to someone with more experience than someone her age but she’s very resistant to the idea. Is there anyone at the church I could recommend her to go see?

ANSWER:

Thank you for caring enough about your friend to help her get someone to talk to. There are lots of people that can talk to your friend from a trusted adult, Youth Minister at a local Church, a Priest or local Pastor to a licensed counselor. If she seems despondent, depressed or a potential danger to herself and unwilling to talk to someone than it is important that she get professional help fast. If she is just in a funk and you suggest that you could stay with her if she is uncomfortable but that you think she would benefit from talking to someone maybe she is more open to that.

There are also many anonymous help lines that she can call to speak to someone who can direct her on the path to finding help and healing.

Without more information about what she is going through it is difficult for me to recommend a phone number to call. It sounds like you have recognized that she is having a problem and that talking to someone is a good step in the right direction. Trust your instincts and help her make the first step. And as always- pray for her.