Keeping the faith

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Willma

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How do you keep your spirituality up? I have come back to the church and dont want to get in a long funk again.:o
 
I like to read about saints (Teresa of Avila and Padre Pio are my favorites) and the Blessed Mother. I also enjoy teaching my children through the daily readings and praying the rosary with them. It keeps me centered on Christ.
 
Willma said:
How do you keep your spirituality up? I have come back to the church and dont want to get in a long funk again.:o
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Its good to have a love and zeal for what is holy, but obedience will bring you back during a long dark night. A daily devotion in prayer, cling to the Eucharist and the Church. The weekly Eucharist was forgiving, refreshing, a preperation for the week, but now I desire it more often. To do that you have to stay out of mortal sin, even for a short period, so frequent confession is good. That is a reliance on the Lord’s instruction through a Priest. This humility is pleasing to the Lord. I was away in sin for 3 months recently, but I continued to stay as close to the Lord as I could. I just could not face a certain sin, so they stacked up and that distance grew. I was choosing this out of fear, pride and shame. “But were else are we to go?”. There is no other option. Prayer started to break that wall down. Someone close ask me to pray with them. In doing that they forgave me and my hope began. This is when a partner can help. Whether it is a family member or a spiritual adviser. We need each other’s help sometime’s. As long as you keep turning toward the Lord, He will provide a way. That is faith. Tim
 
what got me out of the doldrums was returning to regular Mass attendance and breaking the habit of making excuses, and returning to regular confession, breaking the habit of “well I only have venial sins and I am a good person so I don’t need confession”, and daily prayer, mainly the rosary. from making these habits I was gradually able to break spiritually harmful habits and finally makes some progress. I also took advice on spiritual reading from a truster person, instead of reading anything that caught my eye, and stuck with one spirituality (Benedictine) rather than trying each new thing (before I would try different prayers, devotions, retreates, “movements” etc. in succession and never commit to anything).
 
I go to daily Mass (I can’t IMAGINE how people get along without it when I go every day usually and I’m still so awful! Don’t mean to sound Jansenist there…) and Confession once monthly or more “as needed.” I have to say I haven’t been keeping this one up, but if you are close to a church it’s very good to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament at another time of day besides Mass, at least if you can’t stay long before or after Mass. But I’m not one to talk, I haven’t been doing as well lately as I used to.

Like Claymont, I find reading Lives of the Saints to be a big help.
 
I have just recently been invested with the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, and this with the Rosary and the Divine Chaplet keep me in line :). Having so many prayers that I am obligated to pray helps keep my mind in the present and not let my mind wander to sinful thoughts. That, and having Our Lady so close to me that I can grab her for help if needed at a moments notice is amazing. If that is too much, I highly suggest praying the rosary daily or as much as you can. This has helped my family and I through some tough times.
 
I had been in a “failure to pray” slump for a long time. When I finally confessed it, I resolved to do some form of prayer every day. Being the lazy person that I am, I chose to go often to daily Mass, because most of the praying is done for you. I got totally hooked on that, and soon found myself making time for mental prayer and the Rosary as well.

Betsy
 
Prayer every day. When I don’t pray, all kinds of bad habits creep up on me. The prayers don’t have to be long or elaborate, but I have to pray daily or I become lax and slothful.
 
baltobetsy said:
I had been in a “failure to pray” slump for a long time. When I finally confessed it, I resolved to do some form of prayer every day. Being the lazy person that I am, I chose to go often to daily Mass, because most of the praying is done for you. I got totally hooked on that, and soon found myself making time for mental prayer and the Rosary as well.

Betsy
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I chuckled when I read your post because it is so me! I used to go days without so much as a prayer. It was something I brought up in confession a few times. I started a couple of years ago attending daily Mass several times a week during Lent, and like you it hooked me. I NEVER expected I would look forward to getting up at 5 am to go to Mass. Even during the summer, (I teach) I’m up at 5:30. I was a nightowl! An unexpected blessing, our previous pastor would have called it. Now I can’t imange not praying during a day - whether it be for someone or the Divine Mercy Chaplet or whatever. I told my priest that daily Mass is a well-kept secret - what a treasure!
 
Willma said:
How do you keep your spirituality up? I have come back to the church and dont want to get in a long funk again.:o
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Pray pray pray.

Go on a week-end retreat.
Retreats recharge my spiritual batteries.

Then, find some source for fellowship. Teach CCD, or become involved in your parish at some level. Being with people who share the faith is rewarding.

I’m fortunate that my wife and myself are on the same level spiritually and we have each other for fellowship and we pray together daily.

God Bless
Jim
 
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