How much is enough?

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byronious

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How do you know that you are doing enough to nurture your faith?

Let me explain a liitle. My wife and I are new Catholics. (Last Easter Vigil) I am 50 and she is right behind me at 49. We have 6 adopted kids 5-11 currently. (This is our 2nd go round, we had 2 boys and adopted a sibling group of 3 years ago. They are all grown now) All 5 boys are mentally disabled. We go to Daily Mass at 7:00 AM, say the rosary, read saint of the day, homeschool the kids, pray the Angelus at noon, bedtime prayers with the kids. Noon Rosary on Mondays, prayer group on Thursday morning for me, Bible study Thurs evening if we have a sitter, and I teach 4th grade Religious Ed.

Why do i feel guilty that I am not doing enough? Sometimes the guilt overshadows the joy. Didn’t Jesus say …"my yoke is light.??

I want to be holy, but I need HELP!!

Thank you
 
I don’t see why you should be feeling guilty.
What you do is a wonderful example of what a Catholic family should be doing.

Give thanks to the Lord that he has brought you to this, and continue to do what you are doing. As the children grow up some things will take the place of other things.

Ask our Lady and the Holy Spirit to guide you in all your decisions.

A Blessed Easter to you and all your family!
 
If you are not sure whether or not you are doing enough, then perhaps you should try to find a spiritual director to meet with occasionally for advice.

This practice is recommended to many people, but I suggest it particularly to you because there is a fairly common… condition? (might not be the best word, but it’s close) among Catholics called scrupulosity. This is characterized by compulsive worry over the little things and feelings of never having done enough.

This may or may not apply to you, but if despite being so active in your church and faith you still feel such a large amount of guilt that it covers the joys, then it may - and if it does, then finding someone who is used to helping those with scrupulosity to help you is nearly essential. Even if you are not scrupulous, however, a spiritual director can help you answer your question.
 
I think that getting a spiritual director is a great idea. I am going to check into that asap.
 
If you need one spiritual director, than I need three!

My friend, you cannot change the world on your own, although you are making a gallant effort. You and I can only do what we can do, and we can only do so much. What you are doing is so much more than many of us. Your selflesness is admirable and your efforts, your work and your life are certainly appreciated by God almighty. IMHO, you are living the Christian ideal that Jesus set forth for us and you have no need to do more.

Maybe you need to convince others to do more, instead of you yourself trying to do more?
 
byronious said:
Why do i feel guilty that I am not doing enough? Sometimes the guilt overshadows the joy. Didn’t Jesus say …"my yoke is light.??
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You sound like great parents! If you find a spiritual director - a priest - and follow their advice, you can be sure of doing God’s will. As one saint said: “An obedient soul has never been lost.”

Bl. Henry Suso: “God demands no account from us of things done under obedience.”

St. Philip Neri: “Let such as desire to advance in the way of God submit themselves to a learned confessor, and obey him in God’s stead; let him who thus acts assure himself that he will have to render no account to God for his actions.”

Jesus St. Veronica Giuliani: “I confide you to him who represents Me, that is to say to your confessor; you should obey him as Myself.”

I could multiply such quotes, but these few should bring you some peace, I hope. You might also like to read the lives of saints who were married. Here are some books that you might like (can’t say I’ve read them though):

amazon.com/Married-Saints-Blesseds-Through-Centuries/dp/0898708435/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427679134&sr=1-1&keywords=married+saints

amazon.com/Marriage-As-Path-Holiness-Married/dp/1878997521

Take care and God bless.
 
Remember that your life is a prayer.
Be like St. Therese. She chose the Little Way. Every small and ordinary thing in her life was an offering to God.
You, my friend, are doing great things with those children. THAT is your vocation and your prayer.
Pray for strength to persevere, and strength to understand what God has tasked you with.
Be at peace.
Those children are certainly reaping the blessing of Almighty God through your hands and your words.
 
One thing which has helped me with these issues is the idea of one’s state in life. A monk has a state of life which focuses on prayer and contributions to his community (like cooking).

A parent has a totally different state of life, which involves spouse and (hopefully) children, as yours does. You must not neglect your family for the spiritual life, but you must keep your family doing that which is necessary for their own spiritual lives. Your family is not keeping you from doing the work of God–your family is your work of God.

But I third or fourth getting a spiritual director–that is very helpful 🙂
 
Try reading Searching for and Maintaining Peace by Father Jacques Philippe
 
Hi, Byronious, The only thing I see missing from your schedule is your own time alone for contemplation and private prayer with God. Spiritual reading…little bit a day…could be included in that.

Other than that, you sound like a saint in the making! :getholy:
 
Seems to me your doing just fine ,you have your hands full,
Remember you need a bit of U S. Time as well, or you might burn yourself out,
Take your wonderful wife out to lunch and Movies,
 
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