Favorite Spirituality

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I personally feel most drawn to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. It’s my dream someday to attend a 30 day retreat with really orthodox Jesuit priests (there are some believe it or not!). It’s something that works well for me.

I have to say I also do find the practice of Lectio Divina very helpful as well to go through scripture.
 
Opus Dei. Deep intimacy with God in the middle of the world. Sanctifying ordinary work. Common sense.

Poor Carmelites are relegated to “other.”

Betsy
 
How can one identify one’s spirituality? I don’t conciously follow any of the above mentioned types but I do have a very deep and devoted prayer life. I try to practice my faith in an integrated way with all aspects of my life. I’ve never really read up on the folks mentioned in the poll.
Peace, Tom
 
The spirituality I am most drawn to is Carmelite spirituality. For that reason I became a Third Order Carmelite.

The charism of Carmel is contemplative prayer. We pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the minimum is Morning, Evening and Night Prayer. We are to spend at least 1/2 in mental prayer daily, and there is strong devotion to our Blessed Mother. We study the directives of the Carmelite saints who are doctors of the Church.

Meeting with a community of like-minded people regularly is very supportive.
 
baltobetsy said:
Opus Dei. Deep intimacy with God in the middle of the world. Sanctifying ordinary work. Common sense.

Poor Carmelites are relegated to “other.”

Betsy
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Betsy,

Ooops. I knew I had forgotten something important.
That was a pretty big omission on my part.

Sorry about that.
 
Carmelite? 🙂

also, does the teaching of St Louis de Montfort count as a “spirituality”…

if so, it would be those two.
 
Passionist.

I love meditating on the love Jesus showed in His passion and death.

I love holding a crucifix when I pray.

I love to unite my sufferings to the sufferings of Christ (especially at Mass).

I love reading the letters and writings of Saint Paul of the Cross, founder of the Passionists.

I love Holy Week.

I have learned so much and deepened my faith when on retreat at the Passionist monastery in Whitesville, KY passionistnuns.org/ .
 
I checked other- Carmelite and Passionist Spirituality are the two I feel most drawn to. It is my intention, once an official Catholic, to join my local 3rd Order of Carmelites. When I am off work and school (ok who am I am fooling, I strive for this everyday), I live the day as if I am a cloistered Carmelite Nun, contemplative prayer is the base of my prayer life. And I aspire to recite the Liturgy of Hours, in the near future. Not to mention I share my birthday with John of the Cross and the Assumption of the Blessed Ever Virgin our Mother Mary (which is like her birthdate as while, well her heavenly one), and my first saint interaction was with St. Teresa of Avila. I have a very strong connection and devotion to our Blessed Mother Mary. For it was through her, that I came to her Son.

The Passionist Spirituality I am drawn to because I fit the definition. I give a great deal of my contemplative time to thinking of just that, His Passion. To be honest, this was not my intention but my heart leads me to His Passion (I just recently found out about the Passionists as an order.) And when I add the thought of the Sorrowful Mother witness to His Passion, it moves me just that much more. I would even go so far to say, that meditating upon His Passion is where I find my faith without doubt.

Mahogany
 
Dominican. The spontaneity of the prayers and the focus on learning.
 
You might have included “Franciscan” on your short list as well. Well…not so short, perhaps.

My personal favorite is Ignatian (active, discernment, Spiritual Exercises) shading toward Carmelite with regard to prayer (Teresa, John of the Cross, Therese).

I’m reminded of a Methodist friend who attended a Catholic charismatic prayer group with his Catholic wife. He referred to himself as a “Roman Methacostal.”
 
What are the differences!!?
Is there a book or article I can read? I’ve never had any experience in this arena!
 
Carmelite. With a special emphasis on the teachings of St. Therese of Lisieux… my Patroness.

God bless. 🙂
 
I’ve never given the question much thought. I’m into the rosary in a big way if that counts, however, I am seriously looking into Franciscan… so that would be it. I’ll be voting ‘other’.

Cheers,

Rove
 
Well, I guess I lose in this poll as well.

In order of frequency of practice:
Marian
Carmelite
Franciscan
 
catholic1seeks said:
What are the differences!!?
Is there a book or article I can read? I’ve never had any experience in this arena!
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There are several. I would imagine that in your area there are Catholic book stores with a wide selection.

I got into the subject while a Lutheran and found out about temperament styles and how they were related to spirituality and kinds of prayer.

A general book on the types may be a place to start, or perhaps a good basic work on Myers-Briggs types and then on to the application to prayer.

BTW I am classified as a very clear ENTP (Extravert, iNtuative, Thinking, Perceiving). This leading to a Thomistic kind of spirituality which is Dominican.
 
catholic1seeks said:
What are the differences!!?
Is there a book or article I can read? I’ve never had any experience in this arena!
Click to expand...
Spirituality is a difficult concept to define precisely, but it has to do with the manner in which that we live out our faith, namely, what aspects of Christian faith do we emphasize in practice. It’s about emphasizing certain aspects of Christian life over others and taking inspiration from certain people or writings.

In Catholicism, some of the basic spiritualities are those listed in the poll and listed by others posting here. If you join a religious order, or decide to become an associate or “third order” of a particular religious order as a layperson, you read about the life of the founder or foundress, the history of the religious order, and writings of prominent members of the order. You learn about its primary works and important spiritual practices. These shape your experience of God as a Catholic and color how you live out your faith in the world.

For example, if you have a Jesuit spirituality, you would likely read the Autobiography of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder, learn about the history of the Jesuits, and perhaps also read about Jesuits throughout that history and their writings such as Francis Xavier (missionary to India), Matteo Ricci (missionary to China), etc. You would probably do (or desire to do) the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, a 30-day retreat or an adaptation of the Spiritual Exercises for those who can’t do the 30-day retreat format. I’ve done both the 30-day silent retreat and an adaptation that took place over 9 months and involved daily prayer ro 60-90 minutes, spiritual direction, group get-togethers with talks and discussion, etc. Jesuit spirituality was focused on active ministry, the desire to “find God in all things” (including the sciences, the arts, etc.), education, and missionary activity. There is a big emphasis on a particularly approach to discerning God’s will, particularly as it relates to ministry.

Jesuit spirituality does not tend to emphasize contemplative prayer and solitude in the context of community, and devotion to Mary, as in Carmelite spirituality; lectio divina, dedication to a particular community, hospitality, liturgy and obedience to the abbot or abbess, as in Benedictine spirituality; or asceticism, withdrawal from the world, and solitude as in Desert or Carthusian spirituality; or direct, joyful service to the poor and abandoned as in the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Theresa’s order.

Just a few thoughts. I’m not sure that I know a particular book or books that describe various Catholic spiritualities, but I am aware of quite a few that describe individual spiritualities, such as Ignatian, Benedictine, Carmelite, Dominican, Franciscan, etc.
 
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