Please don't judge me or think badly of me.
Earlier, my OCD started obsessing over the question of who God really is — Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. I got curious and started searching online, and I came across the teaching about the Trinity. I learned that Christians believe in one God, but He exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit.
I grew up mostly only thinking of Jesus when I prayed, because I would always see His image in churches, on TV, and in pictures. So, when I prayed, He was the one who came to mind. As I got older, I started learning more — like how Jesus has a Father, and that there's also the Holy Spirit. That’s when my OCD started to obsess and worry.
It told me that I’ve been “wrong” in my prayers because I only focused on Jesus. It kept pressuring me, saying I should now imagine and pray to all three — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — equally, or else I’m doing it wrong. But I don't even know what the Father or the Holy Spirit "look like," and I don’t want to offend them. I truly respect and believe in all of them, but it’s overwhelming.
My OCD keeps telling me I’ve already committed an unforgivable sin just for not knowing these things before. It says I’m not praying right. It keeps bringing up the fear of blasphemy, especially about the Holy Spirit. It’s so scary.
I tried to calm myself down by reminding myself that when I pray to Jesus, I believe the Father and the Holy Spirit are included too, even if I don’t fully understand how the Trinity works. I still feel confused, but I try to believe in the Trinity because I’ve noticed that whenever I pray, I naturally say, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Even though it still feels new and hard to understand, I’m doing my best to trust in it.
Growing up, my family wasn’t very religious, so I never deeply understood these things. I used to think Jesus *was* the Father, and that He was simply God. So learning about the Trinity at 17 feels like something I should’ve known sooner. That makes me feel guilty and unforgivable — like I’ve failed as a Catholic.
My OCD keeps pushing me to get a “perfect answer” or else I feel like I’ll go crazy. It’s causing me so much anxiety. Now that I know about the Trinity, even praying feels confusing. Before, I would simply pray and feel connected to Jesus, but now my OCD is telling me I’m “leaving out” the Father and the Holy Spirit. I don't know who to pray because my OCD keeps on saying there are 3 Gods.
I’m scared that God will punish me for not knowing everything earlier, for being confused about trinity — and for not praying the “right” way. I didn’t know the Holy Spirit is also fully God. I never meant to disrespect or forget anyone in the Trinity. I just didn’t understand before.
Please help me. I feel overwhelmed, scared, and confused. I don’t want to offend God. I just want to love Him and feel close to Him again, like before. But now my mind is full of fear and anxiety instead of peace. I feel like I’m falling apart inside.
Can anyone give me advice? Religious OCD is ruining me. Please help.