It’s great to have strong faith, to feel confident in what you believe.
That way you can “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
But not everybody is at that point.
Some people are still coming to faith. Other people find their faith wavering at times.
So what about then? Is it okay to pray when you have doubts?
A Real Question
This is a real question. A reader writes:
I am going through a rough time and wanted to know whether it is okay to pray the rosary while being a bit skeptic about Jesus and Mary.
I find it a bit difficult to believe that Jesus is God, that Mary intercedes for me, that God exists, and that God has no evil in him.
Do you think, if God exists, it would be okay for doubting him while praying–or praying without hoping that somebody out there is listening?
Do you think its okay to pray to the Father than going through the Son and his Mother?
I’d like to say first that I am sorry that the reader is going through a rough time. I have been through rough times myself, and I will be praying for him.
I also invite other readers to pray for him and for everyone who is suffering. Whenever possible, I like to universalize my prayers that way.
Whenever I’m praying for someone in particular, I try also to pray for everyone else facing that difficulty. One of my favorite prayers is found in the Divine Mercy Chaplet:
“For the sake of His [Jesus’] sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”
I’m also pleased to give the reader good news regarding his own prayers . . .
Why We Pray
