How to grow when I'm stuck?

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newangela

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Greetings-

I am a new Catholic (joined the church at Easter), and I am feeling a bit stuck in my spiritual growth. I come from a very simple, basic Protestant background, and I am, frankly, overwhelmed by all of the devotions, prayers, books, feasts…I don’t know how to begin incorporating all of these things into my life. I am a busy stay at home mom with not a lot of time for myself, and I’m not sure what to “do” with the little time I have, in terms of my faith life. I do manage to do the Mass readings for each day, and I pray multiple times throughout the day, and I of course attend Mass on Sundays. I want to create a routine, but I have no idea where to begin…pray the Rosary? Liturgy of the Hours?

Anyone who can offer a new Catholic some advice? I am so in love with the Church, but I don’t know what would be of most value at this point. It all sounds good:)

Thanks!
Angela
 
My advice is to pick one thing, that hopefully moves you. Try it and see if your called to continue or to move on to the next. Finding a ministry calling is a wonderful thing try lots have fun, dont get discourged if you dont click on one right away. Get involved thats so important even if you have little time you can find something. Bless you, go with God! blue 👍
 
I agree, you don’t have too seize on to every devotion that others suggest to you or that you see others follow. Of primary importance is the Bible and the Sacraments.
There are so many ‘devotions’ because there is such a variety of persons in the Catholic Church. Some are especially pious with novenas and devotions, and if that’s their way, that’s great, so long as the Mass and Communion and the other Sacraments are the basic fabric of their lives. A simple visit to the Church and just spending a little time with Jesus might be your preference, and that’s perfectly okay!

As blue said, choose something, if you wish, that personally appeals to you as a vehicle of growth and prayer in your own particular life.
As it is, from what you’ve related, Angela, you’re doing very well!
 
newangela said:
Greetings-

I am a new Catholic (joined the church at Easter), and I am feeling a bit stuck in my spiritual growth. I come from a very simple, basic Protestant background, and I am, frankly, overwhelmed by all of the devotions, prayers, books, feasts…I don’t know how to begin incorporating all of these things into my life. I am a busy stay at home mom with not a lot of time for myself, and I’m not sure what to “do” with the little time I have, in terms of my faith life. I do manage to do the Mass readings for each day, and I pray multiple times throughout the day, and I of course attend Mass on Sundays. I want to create a routine, but I have no idea where to begin…pray the Rosary? Liturgy of the Hours?

Anyone who can offer a new Catholic some advice? I am so in love with the Church, but I don’t know what would be of most value at this point. It all sounds good:)

Thanks!
Angela
Click to expand...
As a one-year-in convert, I can relate to your situation. Here are some things you can do:
  1. If you haven’t yet gone to confession after a thorough examination of conscience, do so. Download one of the many free examinations of conscience and go through it, or grab a Bible and go through the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. Size yourself up, figure out where you may be lacking (we all are), and then go to confession. You’ll come out with not only absolution but hopefully also great advice.
  2. Now that you know your point of improvement, get to know a saint whose patronage is in that area. For example, I often recommend St. Dymphna to those who are fighting a mental issue such as depression or anxiety, but she is also a great choice for developing self-control. For discipline, there is St. Therese; for courage, Joan of Arc; and so on. Get to know your saint and practice a devotion to that saint.
  3. Yes, pray the Rosary. Also get a brown scapular, get enrolled by your priest and ask for permission to use the Rosary to fulfill the brown scapular obligation. Both the Rosary and scapular are of great value in developing discipline and self-control. And when you pray the Rosary, contemplate the mysteries! They will help you to draw closer to Jesus by putting you beside Him as He was presented in the temple, suffered the agony in the garden, was scourged, crucified, and rose again. Talk about a personal relationship!
  4. Consider a retreat. Since you are busy this may not be easy but a retreat is a great way to not only grow closer to the Lord, but to get connected to friends and families within your parish. God doesn’t expect us to walk this path alone: that is why there are saints and parishioners, not to mention clergy.
Hope this helps. 🙂 Merry Christmas!
 
Same sentiments as blue. There’s no rush and there’s no need to get into all of them. I don’t know of any devotional that is mandatory, and the variety is there because there is a variety of people. If you can hold on to even just one of them that you are fruitful with, I think that would be fine, with the Sacraments being at the core, of course, i.e., the Eucharist and Reconciliation.

If you’re already comfortable with reading the Bible everyday, for example, then that’s a safe place to be. It might be that you will be or are being moved by the Holy Spirit to explore other things, but it need not be something to stress you. Take it easy, pray, explore calmly, and just make yourself spiritually available.

Oh, and if you ever hear of the Called and Gifted Workshop in your area, run by the Catherine of Sienna Institute (Sherry Weddell), it’s something worth exploring. It is helpful in exploring the gifts that the Holy Spirit is bestowing upon you. That was instrumental in discovering where I could grow and be fruitful.
 
I say go for the rosary. It’s a relatively simple devotion that contains the entire Catholic faith. You can say a rosary anywhere. I try to say one every night before bed.
 
newangela said:
Greetings-

I am a new Catholic (joined the church at Easter), and I am feeling a bit stuck in my spiritual growth. I come from a very simple, basic Protestant background, and I am, frankly, overwhelmed by all of the devotions, prayers, books, feasts…I don’t know how to begin incorporating all of these things into my life. I am a busy stay at home mom with not a lot of time for myself, and I’m not sure what to “do” with the little time I have, in terms of my faith life. I do manage to do the Mass readings for each day, and I pray multiple times throughout the day, and I of course attend Mass on Sundays. I want to create a routine, but I have no idea where to begin…pray the Rosary? Liturgy of the Hours?

Anyone who can offer a new Catholic some advice? I am so in love with the Church, but I don’t know what would be of most value at this point. It all sounds good:)

Thanks!
Angela
Click to expand...
i think you got a lot of good advice. The rosary is one way to start. As some have said, the devotions are not mandatory. Once you discover the saints, you may find one who will be your favorite, but take your time. One additional prayer you may want to explore is the Chaplet of Divine mercy. It is prayed using the rosary, and usually takes about ten minutes or less.
 
I agree with the posters who say start with the rosary and grow from there. You can’t go wrong with the rosary, I’d also recommend the divine mercy chaplet.
 
It is a good thing that there are many different types of devotions, and we certainly are not expected to make use of all of them.

It sounds like what you are doing now is very good. Allow time and some exposure to other ways of prayer help you to see what types of devotions do you the most good.

Have a blessed Christmas!
 
newangela said:
Greetings-

Anyone who can offer a new Catholic some advice? I am so in love with the Church, but I don’t know what would be of most value at this point. It all sounds good

Thanks!
Angela
Click to expand...
how did you pray before you came into full communion? That is a good place to start. For instance if regular scripture reading was important to you before it should remain so, and the daily lectionary readings or at least the gospel, give a structure to your reading that keeps you praying with the Church even when it is impossible to attend daily Mass. And as you probably already know the best springboard for further prayer and meditation. If you are already comfortable with praying in your own words keep on doing so (it is a skill most Catholics have to learn). Continue to learn some of the formal prayers of the Church beloved for private devotion, especially the rosary. If you find a guide that includes the scriptural source for each mystery of the rosary that also maintains your tie to that most excellent part of your heritage, praying with scripture. You may also be drawn to the Liturgy of the Hours or any prayer guide based on it, again because of its scriptural basis in the psalms, canticles and readings.

Ask for a Christmas gift of a subscription to Magnificat which has the order of the Mass, the daily readings, and a short version of morning and evening prayer, plus another meditation and saint for each day, as well as a devotional article each month. New subscriptions usually come with a rosary guide, and include a guide for Lent and Advent as well. A great way to get started with a basic structure for daily prayer that you can use, as you can now, and build on.

Less is more. Commit to what you can do, such as grace before meals and eveing prayers with the family, even simply the Lord’s Prayer together and of course teaching basic prayers to your children. Look for opportunities in prayer that the whole family, Catholic or non, can have together, another reason psalms and other scripture are so great.
 
newangela said:
Greetings-

I am a new Catholic (joined the church at Easter), and I am feeling a bit stuck in my spiritual growth. I come from a very simple, basic Protestant background, and I am, frankly, overwhelmed by all of the devotions, prayers, books, feasts…I don’t know how to begin incorporating all of these things into my life. I am a busy stay at home mom with not a lot of time for myself, and I’m not sure what to “do” with the little time I have, in terms of my faith life. I do manage to do the Mass readings for each day, and I pray multiple times throughout the day, and I of course attend Mass on Sundays. I want to create a routine, but I have no idea where to begin…pray the Rosary? Liturgy of the Hours?

Anyone who can offer a new Catholic some advice? I am so in love with the Church, but I don’t know what would be of most value at this point. It all sounds good:)

Thanks!
Angela
Click to expand...
devotions are good things to have, but not if they are overwhelming you,
the two most important things you can do each day are, first and most important - spend alone time with God, at least a half hour a day, in silence somewhere you won’t be distracted, and just speak with God, about really anything you want.
and second most important, meditating on the rosary,
the most important devotion in your catholic faith is your devotion to God, meaning, your relationship with Him, learning to know, love, and serve Him,
just take it slow, if you feel you’re getting stressed then skip a devotion or two, or however many you need to,

and actually, everything you do you can turn into a prayer just by offering it up to God, so the first thing to do every morning is wake up with the sign of the cross, and the prayer -
Oh my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, i offer Thee my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, for all the intentions of Thy sacred heart, in union with the masses being said throughout the world today, in reparation for my sins, and especially for the intentions recommended this month and this day.
there are other variations of the daily offering, so whatever one you like best you can use.

here are some sites that will help you very much with your daily spiritual routine(and much much more) -
audiosancto.org/
alabamacatholicresources.com/archbishop_fulton_j_sheen.html

another important thing to do each day is reading good catholic books, like the lives and writings of the saints, especially nowadays when there are so few good catholic examples out there for you to learn from on how to actually be a good catholic(inwardly)

and here are some trustworthy catholic books sites you can order from -
www.tanbooks.com
www.fraternitypublications.com

alright, hope this helps, take care.
 
The key to your situation is your lack of time. I think you are doing a lot already.

I’d start and finish the day with the basic prayers (Credo, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, Fatima Prayer, Guardian Angel, Act of Contrition, and petitions). Maybe in the future the Shorter Christian Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours for morning and evneing).

Perhaps a chapter or two of the Gospels/New Testament ‘from cover to cover’ though you already do the daily readings.

The rosary. Start with one decade and work up to five per day.

That would be plenty. Start off small or you will get overwhelmed.

God bless you.
 
Thank you to everyone! I really appreciate it. This gives me some ideas of what to expect of myself…I think I’m trying to “do it all” because it’s all so beautiful, but I have duties to my family and can’t sit and contemplate all day, as much as I’d like to:)
Angela
 
newangela said:
Greetings-

I am a new Catholic (joined the church at Easter), and I am feeling a bit stuck in my spiritual growth. I come from a very simple, basic Protestant background, and I am, frankly, overwhelmed by all of the devotions, prayers, books, feasts…I don’t know how to begin incorporating all of these things into my life. I am a busy stay at home mom with not a lot of time for myself, and I’m not sure what to “do” with the little time I have, in terms of my faith life. I do manage to do the Mass readings for each day, and I pray multiple times throughout the day, and I of course attend Mass on Sundays. I want to create a routine, but I have no idea where to begin…pray the Rosary? Liturgy of the Hours?

Anyone who can offer a new Catholic some advice? I am so in love with the Church, but I don’t know what would be of most value at this point. It all sounds good:)

Thanks!
Angela
Click to expand...
The spiritual life can be a lot like winter driving. 🙂

When you’re stuck, the best thing to do is to stop. Then, back up until you find a place where you can get some traction, and then move forward again, ve-e-ery slowly, at a steady pace, until you get past the stuck place.

I agree with the ideas of picking one thing to do - something “interruptible” and not too long, so that you won’t feel frustrated if your child needs you in the middle of it - and don’t stress out about it too much. As others have mentioned, the devotions are optional.

There may be times in your busy life when all you can manage is the minimum - and that’s fine, because God has called you to your ministry as a wife and mother, and He understands perfectly, what the demands are, and that you are doing it all for Him. Your life is, itself, a prayer, and He is surely very pleased with it. 🙂
 
newangela said:
Greetings-

I am a new Catholic (joined the church at Easter), and I am feeling a bit stuck in my spiritual growth. I come from a very simple, basic Protestant background, and I am, frankly, overwhelmed by all of the devotions, prayers, books, feasts…I don’t know how to begin incorporating all of these things into my life. I am a busy stay at home mom with not a lot of time for myself, and I’m not sure what to “do” with the little time I have, in terms of my faith life. I do manage to do the Mass readings for each day, and I pray multiple times throughout the day, and I of course attend Mass on Sundays. I want to create a routine, but I have no idea where to begin…pray the Rosary? Liturgy of the Hours?

Anyone who can offer a new Catholic some advice? I am so in love with the Church, but I don’t know what would be of most value at this point. It all sounds good:)

Thanks!
Angela
Click to expand...
Find a church or a chapel that has Eucharistic adoration- go an hour a week. It was so helpful to me when I was a recent convert to the Faith- and is today. You can do many things during it- pray the rosary, read scripture, spiritual, or prayer books (there are too many to count and many are made to help you pray for an hour of adoration), and sometimes- when you’re able to focus, and don’t feel like doing anything, you can just sit there and contemplate the Eucharistic presence of God.
 
m134e5 said:
Find a church or a chapel that has Eucharistic adoration- go an hour a week. It was so helpful to me when I was a recent convert to the Faith- and is today. You can do many things during it- pray the rosary, read scripture, spiritual, or prayer books (there are too many to count and many are made to help you pray for an hour of adoration), and sometimes- when you’re able to focus, and don’t feel like doing anything, you can just sit there and contemplate the Eucharistic presence of God.
Click to expand...
I can’t believe I forgot to mention Eucharistic adoration! :doh2:

I agree 100% with what m134e5 said. 🙂
 
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