Quiet Time and Devotions

[amandagray825]

During my morning prayer time, I’m working through reading the Bible, but I also like reading devotionals in addition to my scripture study. I’ve started using shereadstruth.com to fulfill this need, and I was wondering if this site is appropriate for Catholics? There isn’t a Catholic voice among the contributers (from what I can tell they are all Protestant…leaning toward the more evangelical side of the spectrum), but it appears to me that the content is generic enough to appeal to a broad spectrum of Catholics. The primary focus is encouragement for women (particularly mothers) and community among the readers.
Does anyone have any experience using this, and if so, has anyone found anything that is not in line with Catholicism.

 

[sjoc]

I’ve been using SheReadsTruth on and off for over a year now, but because I am just coming back to the Catholic faith, I have to admit that I still do not have enough knowledge to discern truths from biblical interpretations unapproved by the Catholic Church (I’m working on it though). From comments on a few posts, it looks like some Catholics do use it.

Anyway, I would like to know this as well. I’ve stopped using SheReadsTruth because I’m afraid I may not realize that I’m taking something said in the devotions that may not be in-line with Catholic teachings as truth. I want to be able to trust that the plans will be free from biblical and doctrinal error.

If anyone will be able to help, please do! Because I do like the approach SheReadsTruth takes and it has played a part in my conversion. Many thanks in advance!

 

[O_Sapientia]

I went over to the website/blog that you both mentioned. I’d have to say that it certainly is very generic. It would comfortably fit into C. S. Lewis’ vision of Mere Christianity. From what I read there was nothing contradictory to the Catholic faith. There was no Scripture used that could be controversial and there was no attack on the doctrine of the Real Presence, etc.

I would only say that it is somewhat shallow. The authors do not benefit from the Church’s understanding and exegesis of the Holy Scriptures. It simply lacks a sense of depth that the saints and doctors of the Church bring to the Scriptures. Using their Advent plan as an example, there was no reference to Our Blessed Lady except in the comments posted by others (which was wholly positive!). A Catholic devotional exposition of Advent and the Scriptures would not fail to make mention of Our Lady.

I do not want to put either of you off the site. sjoc I can comfortably say that you will not receive any incorrect or erroneous message. If you come across something you believe doesn’t sit well with Catholicism them you can always come to this forum for answers.

If you want a more insightful and yes, Catholic, reading of the Scriptures and devotional reading then you will find a myriad of sources online. I cannot help but recommend the works of Father Faber and Saint Aphonsus. Both have a large corpus that open source and is available online. Saint Aplshonsus’ works on the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ are exceptional reading and Father Faber’s All for Jesus will completely change your life.

Yours in Jesus and Mary,
OS.

 

[sjoc]

O Sapientia, thank you so much for your answer

SheReadsTruth appeals to me because they maintain a light atmosphere and clarify how passages in the Bible can relate to my own life. I’ve always had a trouble with that before, but after seeing their set examples, I’ve been learning more about God through my own prayer and reflections (lectio divina, in particular). Sometimes, I fear my own thoughts may be erroneous, and I always want to look up to something else that will affirm me that what I learn from my own reflections are scripturally and doctrinally sound (this is where learning more about scripture, doctrine, and Tradition will play a huge part). I understand that there are countless of works out there available for me to use, but the depth of our faith is so…well, deep that as a new-comeback-er some concepts are hard to grasp (think a child learning adult concepts). SheReadsTruth helped meet me where I was in my faith, which I had a hard time with in Catholic devotions (or maybe I just wasn’t looking hard enough…?).

Don’t get me wrong though. What I absolutely love about the Catholic faith is its depth. (I find it in no other faith than ours!) There is so much beauty in the Catholic faith (that of course reflects God’s own vastness, depth, and profoundness) that just the thought of learning about it all overwhelms me and overflows my heart with joy. I am just learning and I can only imagine what’s more to come when I learn even more!

Thank you again so much for your answer! Just a quick search on Google and I already found a free e-book of All for Jesus. I am excited to read it. I will definitely look more into both Father Faber’s and Saint Aplshonsus’ works. If you have any other recommendations, please don’t hesitate to post them all haha.

God bless!