I Need Some Practice

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Curious

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I need to practice being Catholic since I intend to convert as soon as the Catholic Church lets me come bursting through the door.

Guys, I need direction. I’m reading several different books at once, my prayer life is sketchy and sporadic since I’m out fo the habit. I don’t want to learn Catholicism as much now as I want to practice it.

How do I do this? I’ve started going to mass as often as possible. I have a rosary on which I pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy (occasionally). Do you guys have any good prayer books? Help me become hard core. I want hard core, or at least a good start.

Curious
 
Curious said:
I need to practice being Catholic since I intend to convert as soon as the Catholic Church lets me come bursting through the door.

Guys, I need direction. I’m reading several different books at once, my prayer life is sketchy and sporadic since I’m out fo the habit. I don’t want to learn Catholicism as much now as I want to practice it.

How do I do this? I’ve started going to mass as often as possible. I have a rosary on which I pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy (occasionally). Do you guys have any good prayer books? Help me become hard core. I want hard core, or at least a good start.

Curious
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Congrats on your journey into the Church. Sounds like you’re already off to a good start.

Are you in RCIA and receiving instruction yet?

I have prayer books I like, but there’s books on Saints (good role models), and of course the Bible.

Try those on for size and good luck and God Bless!
 
Where the reading meets the road, eh?

Luckily the Church outlines what a practicing Catholic is for us.

There are six precepts of the Church. To be a practicing Catholic you must follow all six precepts:
  1. To participate in Mass on Sundays, and all Holy Days of Obligation.
  2. To fast and obstain on the days commanded.
  3. To confess our sins at least once a year.
  4. To receive Holy Communion during the Easter time.
  5. To contribute to the support of our Church.
  6. Not to solemnize marriage at the forbidden times; not to marry persons within certain degrees of kindred, or otherwise prohibited by the Church.
Now, that’s by the book Catholicism. Not what you want exactly, but it is a start.

To be Catholic…to actually practice and live the life of a Catholic I would suggest to start celebrating Catholic Holidays in the Catholic manner and, more importantly, start fostering Catholic devotions.

You said you are reading books on the saints? Are you particularly attracted to one? Start praying their chaplet, or a certain prayer to them every day. Foster and build this devotion.

Whenever you loose something the first person you ask should be St. Anthony (Dear St. Anthony, please come around, my _____ is lost and cannot be found!). That’s just fun, but it’s also part of Catholic life.

You want hardcore? Give up meat every Friday and pray the Blessing before meals every time you eat, even in public places. Start praying the rosary daily. Get things blessed. Learn your prayers in Latin, recite the Divine Praises anytime someone blasphemes. Consecrate your House to the Sacred Heart. Get your house and car blessed.

Of course, not all at once, or you’ll go crazy or fail and become discouraged. Start incorporating more Catholic Culture into your life. Catholichomeandgarden.com , Fisheaters.com , Catholicculture.com , those are all good sites for you.
 
Curious said:
How do I do this? I’ve started going to mass as often as possible. I have a rosary on which I pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy (occasionally). Do you guys have any good prayer books?
Curious
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Some would recommend the Liturgy of the Hour. But, if you can pray more Rosary, that is also very powerful.
 
I would suggest The Gold Book of Prayers, published by Queenship Publishing Co. $4.95 at your local Catholic book store or online at the Queenship site. Contains many devotions, incl Scriptural Rosary (all 20 mysteries), Rosary of Jesus, Divine Mercy Chaplet, and a variety of other prayers. My dh & I use this one all the time.

Peace,
Linda
 
Rawb said:
…Fisheaters.com…
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This is the only part of Rawb’s post which I would warn you to be careful of. This site is not necessarily faithful to the magisterium. It’s just wonderful for some things, but as a beginner, I would warn you to stay with Catholic Culture’s site instead, and use their website review section. I actually love the fisheaters site, but you have to be careful of it, they don’t have very nice things to say about Vatican II.

Water suggested Liturgy of the Hours. That’s a wonderful suggestion, but if it’s a bit much, start with Christian Prayer or Shorter Christian Prayer. I try to use Shorter Christian Prayer, sometimes I’m in a good habit of it, and sometimes I can go weeks without picking it up. So I’m glad I’ve not laid down more than $100 on the full LOTH set yet!

As for prayers, aside from the Lord’s prayer (without the doxology), the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be, you’ll want to know a Morning Offering, the Guardian Angel Prayer, Act of Contrition, Saint Michael Prayer, & the Memorare. You can find prayer cards in your local Catholic Bookstore with these prayers on them which you can carry around with you, or you can print them out and keep them in your wallet. The Angelus is traditionally said @ 6 AM, noon, and 6 PM. Divine Mercy chaplet or Stations of the Cross are said @ 3 PM. Obviously you can say these prayers anytime you want, but if you say them at the designated times, then you’re praying with others who also observe these times! I also encourage you to pray the Rosary in a group at a church. It’s a wonderful experience, and can really kick start your personal practice of the devotion.

This website is a lovely place to learn some of the most common prayers in Latin. Start of course with the Pater Noster and the Ave Maria.

Then there’s Lectio Divina, which is a wonderful wonderful contemplative form of prayer, one in which I think God can really really speak directly to you. Don’t forget to have a nice Catholic Bible to use.

That’s more than enough I’m sure to get you started on a prayer life! In addition to books on the saints as others have suggested, I’d suggest you read some of the encyclicals by our Holy Father. Deus Caritas Est is a nice one by Pope Benedict XVI.

God bless your efforts! Don’t forget to look through the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well!
 
Hey!

Thanks for the responses everyone. I think I have myself a decent “schedule” worked out. I’m starting slow as my schedule is psycho and I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. We’ll see you what you guys think.
  1. Finish ONE book at a time. The priest of the church I’m going to do RCIA through gave me this little booklet that he wrote himself - full of instructional articles. He actually does RCIA from this book. First goal - finish it.
  2. Do the Rosary EVERY night - not just sometimes. To set a small, reasonable goal, I’m just doing one decade a night. I do the Chaplet of Divine Mercy on it. I do this at night.
  3. Memorize the Nicene Creed, Apostles’ Creed, and the Act? Prayer? of Contrition.
  4. Friday fasts - though I probably won’t start this until I got some of my meds straightened out.
Whaddaya think? Too much? Too little?

I also ordered a book from Catholic Answers - Catholic Handbook of Prayers I think.
 
Curious said:
Hey!

Thanks for the responses everyone. I think I have myself a decent “schedule” worked out. I’m starting slow as my schedule is psycho and I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. We’ll see you what you guys think.
  1. Finish ONE book at a time. The priest of the church I’m going to do RCIA through gave me this little booklet that he wrote himself - full of instructional articles. He actually does RCIA from this book. First goal - finish it.
  2. Do the Rosary EVERY night - not just sometimes. To set a small, reasonable goal, I’m just doing one decade a night. I do the Chaplet of Divine Mercy on it. I do this at night.
I think that’s a good start. If we try to do to much at once (like exercising) we tend to over do things and lose our motivation.

Also, once a try blue Catholic, you’re be able to incorporate the Eucharist, Confession, and participate in other ways too.

Again, good luck and God Bless…
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