Is it good that I constantly think about my faith during free time?

[JustRebecca]

I have just recently had a renewal of my faith and I love it! Not that I am thinking it is a bad thing at all, but whenever I am just sitting in the car with nothing to think about, or taking a walk or any free time, I am constantly thinking about everything and anything do to with my religion. Whether it is about a movie, a person, or just thinking about it. It isn’t even that I am necessarily praying when I am just thinking, but I am at least constantly thinking about it. Before I would have just had random thoughts going through my mind, like a song or something I remembered from a tv show or movie, anything, not really important. But now I am always thinking about my faith.

That is a good thing, right? I don’t want to make it seem at all like I think it is a bad thing, it just seems kind of weird to me that I am all of sudden only thinking about faith!

 

[GloriousOrder]

Our Lord told us to pray always. Thinking about the faith is an active form of contemplative prayer in the world. The Dominican Order is very big on this notion! When you’re “studying”, even if it’s only a study of your mind and your faith while sitting in your car, you’re approaching God and saying “Father, teach me”, and “Master, show me”!

It is very good to be constantly thinking about your faith in reference to the world around you. When you are in this act, you are always applying the holy religion of God our Lord to everything you do, think, and say. In this manner it becomes easier and easier to avoid mortal sin, because your mind is always focused on Him, the all-good and all-perfect immortal God.

 

[Stavros]

You know, that’s a very good question. I too am thinking about so many things about my faith. I’m finding that my regular devotions are not only becoming more fruitful, but that my inner monologue goes between basically talking to God, examining my conscience, and thinking about things like the Precious Blood or the real presence of the Eucharist. I’ve also been carrying around a brown scapular in my purse for over a month, waiting for the nerve to ask a priest to enroll me in the confraternity.

I am finding that I wish I had a friend to really talk about some of this stuff with, but my husband, while baptized as a child, has never been a practicing Catholic, and I don’t have any friends at my new church yet. Plus one of my priests is very handsome and I get very nervous around him. So instead of talking to friends, or my priests, I end up talking to God about it. I think that’s a good thing, but it is almost overwhelming how it seems to have taken over my entire thought processes.

I think it’s a good thing, but I’m with you - is it weird to be almost OCD about it? And I’m finding that rathe than being scrupolous and fearing Hell, I’m just so thankful and happy to be able to feel like I can really talk to God again. I’m like a sponge, learning as much as I can. I’m finding that I’m learning so much from the talks at this website - AudioSancto.org. The priests are FSSP priests, and very traditional. Other than one snotty sermon I heard about confession, every one of the homilies I’ve heard has opened my mind and given me tons to think about. (Seriously, who gives a homily about confessions and turns it into a gripe fest about parishoners? Isn’t confession hard enough without getting paranoid about what you tell the priest?!)

 

[Armor_of_Light]

Plus one of my priests is very handsome and I get very nervous around him.

My sister used to call our parish priest “Father what-a-waste” I never had that problem with the nuns!!

 

[Hecares]

You know, that’s a very good question. I too am thinking about so many things about my faith. I’m finding that my regular devotions are not only becoming more fruitful, but that my inner monologue goes between basically talking to God, examining my conscience, and thinking about things like the Precious Blood or the real presence of the Eucharist. I’ve also been carrying around a brown scapular in my purse for over a month, waiting for the nerve to ask a priest to enroll me in the confraternity.

I am finding that I wish I had a friend to really talk about some of this stuff with, but my husband, while baptized as a child, has never been a practicing Catholic, and I don’t have any friends at my new church yet. Plus one of my priests is very handsome and I get very nervous around him. So instead of talking to friends, or my priests, I end up talking to God about it. I think that’s a good thing, but it is almost overwhelming how it seems to have taken over my entire thought processes.

I think it’s a good thing, but I’m with you - is it weird to be almost OCD about it? And I’m finding that rathe than being scrupolous and fearing Hell, I’m just so thankful and happy to be able to feel like I can really talk to God again. I’m like a sponge, learning as much as I can. I’m finding that I’m learning so much from the talks at this website - AudioSancto.org. The priests are FSSP priests, and very traditional. Other than one snotty sermon I heard about confession, every one of the homilies I’ve heard has opened my mind and given me tons to think about. (Seriously, who gives a homily about confessions and turns it into a gripe fest about parishoners? Isn’t confession hard enough without getting paranoid about what you tell the priest?!)

Stavros, Welcome to the club! My situation with my husband is very much like yours. I love to talk about my faith. I teach religious education classes for our parish. That helps some. This site soetimes helps. I even had a counselor tell me once that I need someone to talk to about my faith.

When I first became serious, for the second time, about my religion, it was all-consuming. My husband thaought I was having an affair with our priest. He couldn’t understand that it was God I was having an affair with. I was so obssessed that it was hard to finish the things I needed to do in secular life. ( We still hae to pay bills cook meals etc., don’t we) As time has gone by, I have realized that God wants me most of all to take care of the family He has given me. With that, my thoughts, while still thinking about doing His will, have also become a little more “worldly”. Now I sometimes think of ways to help my husband and children to grow closer to God.

Enjoy the "honeymoon, but don’t forget to take care of this earthly life, too. If it calms down a little, that’s OK; if it doesn’t praise God and enjoy!:bowdown2:

 

[Stavros]

My sister used to call our parish priest “Father what-a-waste” I never had that problem with the nuns!!

Hah! My husband actually went to the Easter Vigil Mass with me, and as we were driving away, he turns to me and says, “That younger priest, he’s a real hottie isn’t he?” So now when I’m talking about him to my husband I call him “Father Hottie.” Thank goodness he’s 2" shorter than me in flat feet or we could have a problem.



In all seriousness, though, the other priest is fantastic in the confessional, and gives great homilies as well, so I’m doubly blessed!

 

[Stavros]

Stavros, Welcome to the club! My situation with my husband is very much like yours. I love to talk about my faith. I teach religious education classes for our parish. That helps some. This site soetimes helps. I even had a counselor tell me once that I need someone to talk to about my faith.

I’ve been counceled as well that it would be good for me to reach out and actually make friends with both the parishoners and the priests. But it’s so terrifying. The priests kind of freak me out a little (I think it’s the cassocks), and most of the women my age are busy with children and family lives. Most all of my non-Catholic “IRL” friends are either not married or childless. Or more appropriately, childfree. It’s really hard for a 40-year old Catholic woman with no children to makes friends, you know? Plus I’m a convert and feel like such a spiritual novice that I wouldn’t even know where to start to ask for help with spiritual direction.

Enjoy the "honeymoon, but don’t forget to take care of this earthly life, too. If it calms down a little, that’s OK; if it doesn’t praise God and enjoy!:bowdown2:

I’m finding that I’m going to have to do some serious adjusting in my life if I want to have healthy spiritual growth and have a satisfactory home life as well. For example, I’ve been going to nightly Mass, but I’m finding that it’s really cutting into my dinner time with hubby. My parish offers a 6:30a daily mass, which is convenient in every way except the fact that 6:30a is way way way too early for me to be up, dressed, and driven anywhere. Plus to make that sacrifice, I would have to essentially abandon obligations to another hobby. Hubby barely talks to me in the morning, as he is so not the morning type. It would be much better for my marriage for me to switch my mass times from after-work to before-work. Plus I don’t have to be at work until 9a, so I could go to Mass, plus have 30-45 minutes to pray and meditate before I had to head to work. And the church is at a convenient half-way point between work and home.

But … 6:30? Really? Ugh! I do find, however, that when I go to church in the Morning, like on the weekend, and take care of my prayer obligations (morning Rosary, etc.) before I actually start my day, my day ends up so fantastic from beginning to end. Plus it gets my Spiritual Metabolism revving earlier in the day and keeps it high, if that makes sense. I know that the sacrifice would be worth it, but it still seems so daunting, you know?

Hubby has said that I can go to church all I want as long as it “doesn’t interfere with the marriage.” In other words, if the priest starts telling me to pressure my husband to attend with me. I explained it doesn’t work that way, you have to go to priests, they don’t pester you - they don’t have that kind of time.