Is this sloth?

[Mr.Blank1.5]

Hi, I’m a college student who is not a Catholic yet so please bear with me.

Upon reading several threads regarding spiritual sloth and lukewarmness, I have been concerned with whether or not I have fallen into those states.
I offer every day to God with my morning prayers and say the evening prayer as well. I usually say our fathers, hail Marys, and short prayers such as “oh my Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner” every day. However, I get intimidated by things such as the rosary and devotions because I realize that I can’t really stay focused for long periods of time during prayer.
On a related note, I find that I would rather read the daily scripture readings on the US Bishops website than open an actual Bible on my own.

Sorry for putting my current life story, but I needed to get it off my chest.

 

[revelations]

Doesn’t sound like it to me…sounds like you’re a pretty pious person. You’re doing a lot more than a lot of people

Don’t feel pressured to say the rosary. It is a very powerful prayer yes, but I think you have to come to it. If it feels like a burden when you’re saying it then don’t. The Holy Virgin isn’t holding you on the ground forcing you to say it. (if she is let me know… )

Nope, doesn’t sound like sloth to me

 

[DebChris]

Don’t become overly scrupulous. The prayer life as described is greater than that of many Catholics. It is not the number of prayers or set adherence to specific devotions that is important. What is important, as Jesus Himself stated, is your desire to follow God’s will for your life. God reads the hearts of men. The quality of our relationship is more important than the number of prayers and devotions that are recited.
I am thinking right now of a housework analogy. Each day, a person may make the bed, sweep the floor, and do a general pickup. Other days are devoted to greater housekeeping activity like cleaning out the cabinets or mopping and waxing the floor. Your prayer life will be like that. There will be days when there is more time to devote to structured prayer. You may make time for retreats, as an example. Most days, the necessity of work and personal relationships will take priority. Simply lift up those activities for God’s blessing. The activity of our day, in this way, can become prayer so that we do pray always as the Apostle Paul exhorted.

 

[water]

You are doing great! and welcome to CAF!

About praying the Rosary, it is not always easy to focus for entire rosary. Even when we just pray one Our Father, our mind can wander off somewhere many times.

You are not the one who should feel intimidated by praying the Rosary, but Satan. - he knows how powerful the prayer is!

Keep on praying the Rosary.

God bless!

 

[DebChris]

You are doing great! and welcome to CAF!

About praying the Rosary, it is not always easy to focus for entire rosary. Even when we just pray one Our Father, our mind can wander off somewhere many times.

You are not the one who should feel intimidated by praying the Rosary, but Satan. - he knows how powerful the prayer is!

Keep on praying the Rosary.

God bless!

I grew up in a home where the rosary was recited as a normal part of daily life. This is not the case for everybody. You may want to start with a single decade. Think in terms of athletic training. In order to develop physically, a person begins slowly. In the beginning running a mile may be hard but that same mile becomes merely a warmup for the conditioned athlete.

 

[water]

I grew up in a home where the rosary was recited as a normal part of daily life. This is not the case for everybody. You may want to start with a single decade. Think in terms of athletic training. In order to develop physically, a person begins slowly. In the beginning running a mile may be hard but that same mile becomes merely a warmup for the conditioned athlete.

Yes, I had started out with 1 decade per day, and my mother finished the rest of the Rosary. We are living on different states in the US but still doing this together, though I pray complete rosary as well.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

I found a quotation someplace that I use with my RCIA classes - It is good to pray well; if you can’t pray well, then pray badly like the rest of us.

 

[mercygate]

I grew up in a home where the rosary was recited as a normal part of daily life. This is not the case for everybody. You may want to start with a single decade. Think in terms of athletic training. In order to develop physically, a person begins slowly. In the beginning running a mile may be hard but that same mile becomes merely a warmup for the conditioned athlete.

Agreed. I also think the OP is doing fine. The rosary is not square one, especially for non-Catholics coming from traditions with no devotion to our Lady, or who might even have open hostility about it. She will give you the Rosary when she, and you, are ready. No rush.

 

[HeWillProvide]

When I think in terms of time, the rosary doesn’t seem so long. One rosary takes about 17 minutes. Think how fast that goes on the clock! I think, 17 minutes will pass whether I say this rosary or not, so by the time the 17 minutes is over, I’d rather be happy I said it instead of thinking, Gosh, I could’ve said the rosary in those last 17 minutes. It also helps me to just try to focus on each mystery of the rosary. You could always just start out with one decade, which, with the beginning prayers, would probably take about 5 minutes, then work your way up to five decades.

 

[onetruechurch]

My recommendation is to purchase the tiny book that fits easily into your coat pocket entitled, “Scripural Rosary”.
I carry it with me always and don’t even need beads to keep track of the Hail Mary’s. The title page says: A Modern Version of the Way the Rosary was Once Prayed Throughout Western Europe in the Late Middle Ages

As you pray each Hail Mary you read and meditate on the tiny quotes from the bible.
Example: First Joyful Mystery “The Annunciation”

Start praying the Hail Mary as you read:
The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a virgin;
and the virgin’s name was Mary…Luke 1:26, 27

Recite the second Hail Mary while reading:
“Rejoice, so highly favored!
The Lord is with you.”…Luke 1:28

Recite the third Hail Mary while reading:
She was deeply disturbed by these words
and asked herself what this greeting could mean…Luke 1:29

etc, etc, etc

 

[onetruechurch]

My recommendation is to purchase the tiny book that fits easily into your coat pocket entitled, “Scripural Rosary”.

Sorry…I forgot to proof-read my post. The book’s name should have been spelled with a “t” after the “p”

“Scriptural Rosary”