Living a Catholic lifestyle

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What are some ways that I can live a Catholic lifestyle at home, at work , just daily?

I am new to the faith will be going through Rica on the 16 of this month!

Thank you for your help
 
You can start by praying the rosary and reading the Catechism. 🙂
 
As my priest emphasised this Sunday in his homily, regular Mass attendance (and where able to receiving Communion) has to be top of the list. As the local bishop recently said, regular confession is also a vital part of leading a Catholic lifestyle.
 
What are some ways that I can live a Catholic lifestyle at home, at work , just daily?

I am new to the faith will be going through Rica on the 16 of this month!

Thank you for your help
If you are already living a Christian lifestyle (your religion says “protestant”), then perhaps you pray and read scripture regularly. If not, start there.

Reading the Catechism might be helpful…or confusing… Depends on which section you read.

As for prayer, Catholic prayers include the mass, the Rosary, adoration, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Liturgy of the Hours.

There are many little things Catholics do, like making the sign of the cross – when praying, when passing a Catholic church (recognizing the presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament), when in need of a quick reminder of Whose we are.

God bless you, dear one, in your journey!
 
It sounds like you are asking for ways to live as a catholic besides mass and the sacraments – like day-to-day life. A priest once told me “Daily, weekly, monthly”. Daily prayer, weekly mass, monthly confession. But what about hourly? Minute to minute?

First, pray. All the time, actually. Pray before making a decision or taking on a task. Pray for yourself, and for others. The daily commute to school or work is a perfect time to pray…you are usually alone and can be with the Lord in your thoughts (keep focus on the road of course though!).

Treat others with not just respect, but with love. Treat your daily challenges like opportunities. They are a cross you should be honored to bear – for God, for others, or for your own edification. Give thanks and glory to God in your successes. Offer yourself to Him humbly in your failures – and again pray. Pray for a lesson learned or the strength to try again.

Read in your spare time. Spiritual reading and meditation are so good for you. I don’t read enough, but I’ve starting with C.S. Lewis and it’s so much better than just watching TV or hanging out on a computer in the evenings. Enrich your mind and feed your spirit with good things.

Strive to keep the Lord with you all the day long! In your thoughts, and to guide your actions. Put Him first, and the needs of others next. Of course take care of yourself as well - but the best way to do that is to work on the building of spiritual virtue!
 
I converted at Easter 2015. During RCIA I mostly focused on actually doing the recommended reading- they had a few books such as “Catholic Christianity” by Peter Kreeft that we read. It broke the Catechism down into a more readable format. And I attended Mass weekly and read the scriptures and prayed.

When Lent rolled around, I decided to start a daily Rosary for the period of Lent, which became a habit I kept.

What I would caution against is doing too much at once- don’t burn yourself out. There are so many things to read, so many devotions you might adopt, that you could easily overwhelm yourself. Take it in baby steps, and if you find that you don’t like one devotion type, try another until you find one you really like.

You might also consider doing some volunteering in some type of ministry that appeals to you, such as serving the homeless at a soup kitchen or something.
 
I found “lightning prayers” helpful to cultivate a life of prayer. A “lightning prayer” is a quick prayer for someone in need. For example, I pray a quick prayer every time I see an ambulance with lights and sirens on the road, I pray for the patient, their family and the EMTs. This habit has helped me develop a life of prayer. If someone comes to mind during the day, I say a lightning prayer for them.

As a convert (Tiber Swim Team 1987), I found this helpful to become accustomed to the life of prayer we are called to.
 
Remind yourself that your works of love–prayers and helpful acts, but also sacrifices and suffering–are helping people in any way Jesus chooses to use them.

If you accidentally hurt your finger, offer that pain up. Jesus unites your suffering with his for the good of you and others.
When you feel you are falling short, go out of your way to do small acts of kindness or say a quick prayer for others. The Bible says love covers a multitude of sins.
When you see or hear about people suffering, make the sign of the cross, and know that that is a prayer honoring the Holy Trinity and trusting God. The Devil hates it.
 
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