Is one Catholic devotion better than another

[WilT]

One friend of mine in a group setting suggested to us that the devotion of spending a hour before the tabernacle was more important than any other devotions such as in the rosary. Many of the group said nothing including myself but I feel that this person is misinformed. I believe that all of the most common Catholic devotions are very good and that people are drawn to one form or another at perhaps different times of their lives.

 

[CarmelJerome]

The Eucharist is, as Vatican II and the catechism have taught us, the source and summit of the Christian life; when we pray before Our Lord in His Eucharistic presence, certainly we are doing the next best thing to receiving Him in communion.

But this shouldn't be used as a disparagement of such a vital form of devotion, repeatedly commended by the popes and always requested by Our Lady as a means of conquering evil.

One might point out that praying the rosary before the Blessed Sacrament is a truly beautiful thing.

One should never disparage any form of approved devotion, just as one should never multiply devotions; it isn’t the devotion, but the grace received through it, the increase of virtue and holiness flowing from the devotion, the union of our will with God’s, that’s the vital thing.

 

[WilT]

Yes, the Eucharist in the Holy Mass is truly hard to beat. As a Sacrament it is necessary whereas devotions are perhaps secondary. We can do without devotions but we can’t do without the Holy Eucharist. Devotions can be optional whereas the Eucharist is not. Devotions are tools in our Faith and important ones but should we say one is more important than the other? I guess that is where my question begins.

 

[TheDoctor]

Let me pitch it this way. Since no devotion (e.g. Adoration, Rosary, Stations of the Cross, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, etc.) is required of the faithful, none is more important than the other for none will save you if you do them or damn you if you don’t.

If one were to choose a devotion, the most important one is the one that feeds your soul. While it is hard to imagine anything feeding the soul more than Adoration, it is quite possible that someone may be deeply moved and spiritually healed by the Stations of the Cross and get nothing from Adoration. To each his own. What is most important is that the devotion lead us to Jesus.

 

[chimo]

One friend of mine in a group setting suggested to us that the devotion of spending a hour before the tabernacle was more important than any other devotions such as in the rosary. Many of the group said nothing including myself but I feel that this person is misinformed. I believe that all of the most common Catholic devotions are very good and that people are drawn to one form or another at perhaps different times of their lives.

As I understand it, the Eucharist is God’s devotion for us or in the words of the Cure de Ars the Mass is the work of God and never ours. What we need to do is to do some work for God in response to what He had accomplished for us. Therefore any devotion outside the Mass and the Divine Liturgy is what the Lord is searching from us. Our work must work with His work. I don’t think any devotion is greater than the other except for one which I will mention soon because what counts is not the devotion but the work you give to the devotion. The more you give to any devotion the more you will get out of it and so will the Lord. Yet in these present times there is a devotion which has carried more weight because of the urgency of our times to give to the Lord some work, some devotion between our Holy Communions. It is the Divine Mercy devotions and in particular the Divine Mercy Chaplet. It is a very powerful devotion instituted by the Lord Jesus.

The key in any evangelism is to participate into some work of mercy during the week between your Holy Communions. In fact just going to Holy Communion and doing nothing during the week between them is not the correct way in utilizing the great power of God. If you are able to work and you do nothing between your Holy Communions you are in effect nullifying your Holy Communions to work for you. The key in unleashing this great power of God’s love is do some devotions between your Holy Communions.

 

[Mystical_Seeker]

Let me pitch it this way. Since no devotion (e.g. Adoration, Rosary, Stations of the Cross, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, etc.) is required of the faithful, none is more important than the other for none will save you if you do them or damn you if you don’t.

If one were to choose a devotion, the most important one is the one that feeds your soul. While it is hard to imagine anything feeding the soul more than Adoration, it is quite possible that someone may be deeply moved and spiritually healed by the Stations of the Cross and get nothing from Adoration. To each his own. What is most important is that the devotion lead us to Jesus.

 

[WilT]

very true.

 

[Ad_Orientem]

“Certainly amongst all devotions, after that of receiving the sacraments, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament holds the first place, is the most pleasing to God, and the most useful to ourselves. … It is true that in every place God graciously hears the petitions of those who pray to him … yet the disciple tells us that Jesus dispenses his graces in greater abundance to those who visit him in the Most Holy Sacrament. Blessed Henry Suso used also to say that Jesus Christ hears the prayers of the faithful more graciously in the sacrament of the altar than elsewhere. … Oh, how sweet a joy it is to remain with faith and tender devotion before an altar, and converse familiarly with Jesus Christ, who is there for the express purpose of listening to and graciously hearing those who pray to him…”

–St Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church

(From the Introduction to “Visits to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin” in The Holy Eucharist, part of the collected works of St Alphonsus edited & translated by Rev. Eugene Grimm, C.Ss.R.)

 

[Robert_Sock]

I would contend that the act of loving with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength is the best we can possibly do, regardless of where ever we might be. This is an actually commandment, and I wonder how many of us fail to take it seriously enough? It requires much struggle, but we are always bound to fall short.

LOVE!

 

[WilT]

I would contend that the act of loving with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength is the best we can possibly do, regardless of where ever we might be. This is an actually commandment, and I wonder how many of us fail to take it seriously enough? It requires much struggle, but we are always bound to fall short.

LOVE!

We will definitely fall short but since God knows us and our hearts better than we know ourselves, he has forgiven us because try to ‘act of loving with all our heart, all are…strength’.