I'm too lazy to do my devotions!?!

[CrispSnowflake]

Do you kind, CAF members have any advice that can motivate me to say my devotions?
They are really beautiful prayers, but I just don’t have the motivation.
My list of devotions are on my phone. I would use my headphones to listen to them.
They are from the Youtube channel CatholicDevotions. youtube.com/user/CatholicDevotions
My list of devotions that I would love to do everyday are:
-The Rosary (17:55 minutes)
-Chaplet of Divine Mercy (8:22 minutes)
-Station’s of the Cross (14:05 minutes)
-Chaplet of Saint Micheal the Archangel (12:42 minutes)
So together, the prayers total about an hour of devotion.

I have did pray all of these prayers together about once or twice, but I can never get myself to do it consecutively for every day. I love all of these prayers! I don’t think I can pick one and just say that. I would have to say them all.
And school starts soon, so I don’t know how I will work it out, since the teachers are going to be giving me homework, and I have afterschool activities that I like to do.
Thank you in advance for your advice! :) :angel1:

 

[Blenderx]

Its not about how many or even what devotions you do, but the love you have for God and how these devotions help you develop that. I understand loving and being attracted to many very beautiful devotions like these, but you are practicing a kind of spiritual gluttony. St. John of the Cross warns against this. Better to do one of these devotions well than many poorly or none at all. You might try doing one or two of these each day, alternating which ones you do, and that way you can still do them all, just on different days. Though I would really recommend being faithful to just one devotion at a time if it is a challenge for you.

 

[MaryT777]

Its not about how many or even what devotions you do, but the love you have for God and how these devotions help you develop that. I understand loving and being attracted to many very beautiful devotions like these, but you are practicing a kind of spiritual gluttony. St. John of the Cross warns against this. Better to do one of these devotions well than many poorly or none at all. You might try doing one or two of these each day, alternating which ones you do, and that way you can still do them all, just on different days. Though I would really recommend being faithful to just one devotion at a time if it is a challenge for you.

Well said. I concur

 

[Windmill]

St. Therese of Lisieux had to deal with many villagers trying to introduce devotions into the Carmelite community she was a sister of. Rather than get caught up in these devotions, she just stuck with Holy Scripture.

After getting too involved with devotion after devotion, I have found that fewer is better. You don’t feel like you are overwhelmed, and you aren’t constantly disappointed in yourself. This is what can lead to burnout.

What I pray is:

Rosary
Compline (from the 1962 Breviary)
Supplement with reading the Psalms and NT whenever I have a spare moment and want to do something extra. Here is the version I read from. It is pocket-sized:

baroniuspress.com/upimages/10-237.jpg

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

I also suggest you do less. The rosary and then one chaplet after another seems too much to do in one go. You might reach a point when you genuinely desire and can pray them all, but for now stick to one or two a day.

 

[HillbillyHermit]

Its not about how many or even what devotions you do, but the love you have for God and how these devotions help you develop that. I understand loving and being attracted to many very beautiful devotions like these, but you are practicing a kind of spiritual gluttony. St. John of the Cross warns against this. Better to do one of these devotions well than many poorly or none at all. You might try doing one or two of these each day, alternating which ones you do, and that way you can still do them all, just on different days. Though I would really recommend being faithful to just one devotion at a time if it is a challenge for you.

I can’t put it better than that.

The great thing about the Church is that there are many different devotions to choose from, and they are all good. But it can be a struggle sometimes to limit the ones we practice to a reasonable amount. Been there and done that myself, and still struggle with it. We live in a world that likes to fool us into thinking we need to have more, more, more. And that can get into our thinking, even our spirituality. So, you’re not alone in this.

I remember watching Mother Angelica say that throughout the day it’s nice to just pause and simply say, “I love you, Jesus.” or something similar. Or to take a few moments to just be silent, in the presence of God and loving Him. Simplicity and silence are very beautiful things that really open our hearts to God -and our ears- so that He can enter.

 

[Zekariya]

This is a pretty good response to daily prayer and lengths from an Eastern Catholic site:

“The key is discipline and consistency. Ten to twenty minutes twice a day over ten years is better then an hour on Monday, a half hour on Tuesday and then nothing for the remainder of that ten years. Most people will overreach and either become sporadic in prayer or stop completely. That’s OK. Start again. And keep starting again. Eventually it will become second nature.”

Source: byzcath.org/index.php/resources-mainmenu-63/a-rule-of-prayer