help a catholic out

[Sirklawd]

hi all, i need some help. ive been a catholic my whole life, but i never felt that i was as serious as ive seen other people, i def want to be seriously spiritual, and live a good devout life. (like normal people devout, not talkin about becoming a priest devout )

anyway. what are some habits/things people do as catholic. like..do you pray regularly? what prayers? um...do you do other catholic stuff? say anything you do! im so curious. i just want a big list of things i can be doing to get closer to God/be more knowledgeable as a catholic, and just plain be more spiritual.

plz help!

sirK

[Catholictothecore]

the only real difference devotion wise between a priest and a layman is the mark on the soul and the responsabilities. As a confirmed Christian, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you and upon you...awesome.

You can never go wrong with the rosary, and I've found it's easier to do it often (no sin if you miss a day) if you pray for others. Like, I've resolved to pray the rosary at least 5 times a week for Papa Ben, my sister, and those God has put deep love for in my heart.

THE MASS!!!! We do this every week (or we should), and is our greatest prayer and act of worship. We unite ourselves to Eucharistic Jesus as an offering to the Father in reperation, thanksgiving, adoration, and petetion. A simple rhyme to keep it straight is...

Adore till the Gospel
Give thanks till the bell
Repair till Communion
Then all your woes tell.

[luciana]

[list]
[*]Eucharaistic Adoration
[*]Pray the divine Mercy Chaplet
[*]Pray the Rosary
[*]Read bible and good spiritual books
[*]Confession often
[/list]
1,2, and 4 have helped me improve my faith life.

[Myles Domini]

My friend I rarely speak forcefully but so you dont miss this listen very, very carefully. IF you TRULY want to live like the Lord wants then I BEG you buy this book:

"INTRODUCTION TO THE DEVOUT LIFE" BY ST FRANCIS DE SALES

IT IS THE MANUAL FOR HOLINESS. BUY IT, BUY IT, BUY IT!!

Sorry about that but trust me. It has the answers to ALL your questions synthesised and systemised by a saint and doctor of the Church who writes to counil the ordinary lay person from breaking with mortal sin to mystical union with God--ultimately. All the advice everyone else has given (minus modern devotions like the chaplet of Mercy) St Francis advocates together with ways to arrange your time and the NECCESSITY FOR A SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR WHO IS FAITHFUL TO THE MIND OF THE CHURCH.

Trust me. If you buy one book. BUY THIS BOOK!

Hehe, excitement over

Edited April 22, 2005 by Myles

[Dave D]

Other things you or anyone else could consider...

-Get involved in your local parish. I teach youth, lector and am an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist. I do none of these well, but place myself where I can be useful to the Spirit. Just call and ask what your parish needs.

-While you walk, run, ride a bike, drive to work, you could listen to "podcasts". I listen to 2 that are Catholic, "Verbum Domini" the daily Mass readings, and Vatican Radio One-O-Five Live.

-Watch a show on EWTN TV... and if you don't have cable you can listen to EWTN radio and watch EWTN TV (free!) on your computer-
Listen:
[url="http://play.rbn.com/play.asx?url=ewtn/g2ewtn/wmlive/wmradioen.asf&proto=mms?mswmext=.asx"]http://play.rbn.com/play.asx?url=ewtn/g2ew...ms?mswmext=.asx[/url]
Watch:
[url="http://play.rbn.com/play.asx?url=ewtn/g2ewtn/wmlive/wmtv500en.asf&proto=mms?mswmext=.asx"]http://play.rbn.com/play.asx?url=ewtn/g2ew...ms?mswmext=.asx[/url]

-Buy a good Catholic book. Then read it at Adoration perhaps?

-Pray the Angelus at 6,noon and 6 PM.

Make your whole day a conversation (prayer) with God.

Prepare for Mass... a good confession, fast an hour before, preread the readings (lectorprep.org is a great site for this!).

[JimFurst]

Hi Serklawd,

I can understand your consternation. I've been guilty of being a luke warm Catholic. I even left the Church for a foray into agnosticism. I feel your pain, and I'm still not that good at it (being Catholic)

But here is what has been helpful to me. I still have a long way to go. I too am impressed by the level of faith and devotion I have been exposed to on these and other boards. SO:

Read the Bulletin boards, and try to pick up the furver from others. Try to identify with that which has moved others. Avoid posts that simply annoy you or shake your faith. BUT still---"Be Not Affraid!"

Find a Catholic Church that moves you. Try several parishes and Masses; you'll find you may be more "in-sinc" with one than another. (But don't become a Church snob, all are equally valid) However if you are in trouble with your faith, I don't think it hurts to do a bit of work to find one that works with and for you. THe Mass is a gift. I try to find the one I like.

Read about and learn about your faith. Try to take an interest.

Surprisingly, I have found comfort in praying the Rosary. I tend to do it "my way"---perhaps a decade for family members, someone in trouble, one to improve the depth of my shakey faith etc. I might even add a prayer of my own composition at the end of each decade. Its like a meditaion for me. Others may disagree and say it must be said the way it has been taught, but this has been working for me, so I offer it to you.

I have certain difficulties with some teachings. If this is true for you, what I do is recognise that I may be unable to get it all down now, and I move on, and don't let the difficulties create havoc for the 98% of the teachings I am in agreement with.

Hope the above is of some help!

Jim

[Thy Geekdom Come]

I recommend (and I have trouble doing all of these myself):
[list]
[*]Daily Rosary
[*]Chaplet of Divine Mercy
[*]Liturgy of the Hours
[*]Daily Mass
[*]Frequent Confession (John Paul the Great advised a once a month minimum)
[*]Nightly Examination of Conscience
[*]Eucharistic Adoration
[/list]

[the_rev]

Spiritual Directorn

[Sirklawd]

THANKS SO MUCH. you guys rock. i will take all of your advice to heart. and i will totally get that book.!! - so much excitement for one book can NOT be ignored.

also, just a question. at adoration, how does one usually pray? like.. idunno, are certain spiritual things you do (reading, praying rosary) better to do than others? i really dont know, i just get these doubts like that.

help more plz!

ps: i love you guys.


pps: :ph34r: NINJA rap!

[JP2Iloveyou]

hey bro, that's great that you want to grow in holiness! We are all called to live more holy lives.

Holiness, like anything, takes practice. It's kind of like lifting weights. You have to start small before you can get big. You can't start out bench pressing 225 pounds, you have to start at maybe 75 and work your way up. Essentially, what I'm saying is, don't overload yourself. It is very easy to try and do it ALL and get very frustrated at first.

Definitely, find and read Intro to the Devout Life. I can't recommend it highly enough. The other things people mentioned are all fantastic. The Rosary, the Chaplet, the Liturgy of the Hours, Mass, Adoration...etc are all great, but again, be careful not to overload yourself. Start small, perhaps going to daily Mass once a week and monthly Confession. Eventually, you will find yourself naturally drawn to go to daily Mass more often until you start going everyday. You'll be surprised at how fast it goes!

The Rosary is great. Try and pray it frequently, but don't get discouraged if you don't do one every day. It is not binding and it is not sinful if you miss a day. Eventually, it will become like second nature to you.

Adoration is also a great way to grow in holiness. You asked what to do there. It really depends on the person. I am a seminarian, so I pray the Liturgy of the Hours there. Occasionaly, but rarely, I will pray the Rosary during Adoration. Sometimes I don't do anything. I just sit and stare at Jesus. Sometimes, all I can think about is when my hour is over, but it is in those moments when we are growing the most simply by being in God's presence.

Finally, read the Scriptures and the Catechism. Know your faith. Don't start reading the Bible at Genesis trying to get all the way through. Read the New Testament first, starting with the Gospels. You can read the four Gospels in any order you want, but I recommend reading Luke then Acts of the Apostles, then going back and reading Matthew, Mark, and John. Take it slow, no need to rush. One chapter a day is plenty. You'll be surprised at how quickly you get through them. Make sure your Bible is a Catholic Bible.

You will be in my prayers! How old are you, just out of curiousity?

[Sirklawd]

thanks again. im 23. like ive been catholic my whole life and have done many things (steubenville conferences, lead youth groups, ect) - i totally believe it all and follow it and defend it, i just dont think im anywhere as spiritual as i could be. and i want to be as spiritual as possible. i just have no idea what to do.

but thanks for these great tips.

[Theoketos]

Give your self totally to Jesus, even if he is calling you to the priesthood.

[Sirklawd]

my mom had part of "intro to the devout life" in a big compilation book she has, so i started reading it. some AWESOME book. /heart! i love it. its so great.

[philothea]

There is a free translation of [i]Introduction to the Devout Life[/i] available [url="http://www.ccel.org/d/desales/devout_life/devout_life.html"]here.[/url]

Though the translator removed the references to Philothea!

[MilesChristi]

I would definitely recommend that you make the Scriptures a part of your daily spirituality. God's words to mankind are found in the Holy Bible, as relevant today as it has been for thousands of years. Read a passage slowly, meditate upon it, and respond by praying to God about what you have read.

It's particularly nice to read the Scriptures during Eucharistic adoration, in the Presence of the Divine Author.