Resolutions to be holy

[Journey322]

Once you start your spiritual Journey, it is important to make resolutions.

So that we will not fall back into sin.

Some examples of resolutions are like this

Saint Gianna Beretta Molla saintgianna.org/ Resolutions:

1. To do all things for the Lord… To serve God, I will not go to the movies without being sure that the film is suitable and not scandalous or immoral…
2. I prefer to die rather than commit a mortal sin…
3. To say the «Hail Mary» every day so that the Lord might give me a holy death…
4. I wish to fear mortal sin as if it were a serpent and I repeat I would die a thousand times rather than offend the Lord.
5. I wish to ask the Lord to help me not to go to hell and therefore to avoid all that would harm my soul.
6. I beg the Lord to help me understand his great mercy.
7. I propose to obey M.M. and to study even though I don’t feel like it, for the love of Jesus.
8. From this day on, I wish to pray on my knees in the morning in church just as I do in my room in the evening at the foot of my bed.
9. The way of humiliation is the shortest way to reach holiness. To pray that the Lord lead me to Paradise.

"Resolutions made by me, Dominic Savio, in the year 1849, on the day of my First Communion, at the age of seven.

1. I will go to Confession often, and as frequently to Holy Communion as my confessor allows.
2. I wish to sanctify the Sundays and festivals in a special manner.
3. My friends shall be Jesus and Mary.
4. Death rather than sin.

St Gemma Galgani stgemmagalgani.com/ First Communion Resolutions

1. I will receive Confession and Communion each time as though it were my last
2. I will visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament often, especially when I am afflicted.
3. I will prepare myself for every feast of our Blessed Mother by some mortification, and every evening I will ask my heavenly Mother’s blessing.
4. I want to remain always in the presence of God.
5. Every time the clock strikes I will repeat three times: My Jesus, mercy.
   
   I would have liked to add more resolutions to these but my teacher would not permit it. And she had good reason, for within a year after I returned to my family I had forgotten these resolutions as well as the good advice I had received and I became worse than before.

Some examples of resolutions, taken from St. Anthony Mary Claret’s resolution:
sites.google.com/site/catholiclibrary1/catholic-books/Resolutions.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

Timetable of a typical week (taken from carthusian monks, you can adapt to your schedule)
sites.google.com/site/catholiclibrary1/catholic-books/Thisisatimetableofatypicalweek.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

Books of prayer (you can make your own):
sites.google.com/site/catholiclibrary1/catholic-books/Prayers.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

May the merciful Jesus bless you on your spiritual life.

Start makin resolutions, it will help you tremendeously to attain perfection and to be holy:thumbsup:

We are all called to be great saints, don’t miss the opportunity (Mother Angelica)

To be holy, we must read the lives of the saints, and imitate them:

saintsbooks.net

I have a genuine question. As I read through this site, it seems there are a great many things to know and do and avoid doing. Personally, I have a natural tendency toward deep anxiety. How on earth do practicing Catholics ever live in peace? How do you remember all the rules and traditions? It seems overwhelming to me.

 

[MusherMaggie]

I have a genuine question. As I read through this site, it seems there are a great many things to know and do and avoid doing. Personally, I have a natural tendency toward deep anxiety. How on earth do practicing Catholics ever live in peace? How do you remember all the rules and traditions? It seems overwhelming to me.

Start by remembering the two commandments Christ spoke about–“Love God with your whole heart, mind & soul and love your neighbor as yourself.” All Ten Commandments relate to one or the other of these. Secondly, keep a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church close at hand–and if there is something you don’t understand, take it to your pastor, associate pastor or the forums here. If your conscience is well developed & informed, and you follow it, you are less likely to go wrong; when you do, you will know it and take steps to correct the matter. If you feel you have a tendency toward scrupulosity, talk to your pastor or post here on the forums. Hope this will help you–ultimately, God desires the salvation of us all!

 

[mariafransisca2]

Don’t be overwhelmed, just go one step at a time.

Learn one bit at a time.

Go to confession frequently, and to communion.

Do regular spiritual readings.

Divide your time for prayers, spiritual readings, work, and recreation.

Pray without ceasing, that’s the most important. The Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet is a good start for beginners and for all

May the merciful Jesus bless you

Here’s how to do the divine mercy chaplet
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

 

[Stavros]

I have been trying to work on weeding out my weaknesses and faults, and I find that it helps to write them down to help keep them in focus. Recently I got a Moleskine 18-Month planner at Barnes & Noble. Each day, in the Daily spots, I write down my specific intentions for mass, for my Rosary, and the topic for the day’s Mental Prayer session. For example, today’s mass intention was for priests, my rosary intention will be for the conversion of souls, and my mental prayer topic was the Divine Praises.

On the right hand side, where there is a page of lined paper, I write down different goals for the week. This week’s goals include learning the Thanksgiving After Meals prayer and to go to bed at a reasonable hour so I get enough rest and don’t fall asleep during mental prayer. I also write down different passages that strike me during mental prayer that week, or intentions for prayers that I want to remember. I’ve even used that side page to write down some of my thoughts during an Examination of Conscience before confession.

Here’s what it looks like, to give you a better picture:

http://www.moleskinerie.com/images/various/etn.jpg

The spiritual path, I think, has stages, and when one has gone past commiting habitual mortal sin, the next stage is to be sensitive to weakeness and faults that cause us to fall into both habitual and unintentional venial sin. As my priest once said, saying Oh, it’s just a venial sin is like saying, Oh, it’s only the second most abominable thing in the universe. I find that keeping track of my goals in a prayer journal really helps me remember throughout the week on what fault I am trying to correct.

For me, this simple weekly calendar is turning into a great tool to help me with my prayer life. The more weakness I seem to fix, the more I seem to find. It’s like clearing out a garage - you empty one box, only to dig behind it and find three more. And that’s an excellent thing, as I want to get rid of anything at all, even the smallest things, that come between me and God.

Once I’ve had it a while, I plan on taking it to my spiritual director to show him a clearer picture of my spiritual path and take suggestions for goals and prayers from him that I can use to bring me even closer to God. Because that’s the ultimate goal - getting as close to God as I can, as soon as I can. As Little Therese said, “My God, I choose all! I will not be a Saint by halves, I am not afraid of suffering for Thee, I only fear one thing, and that is to do my own will. Accept the offering of my will, for I choose all that Thou willest.”

 

[Stavros]

I have a genuine question. As I read through this site, it seems there are a great many things to know and do and avoid doing. Personally, I have a natural tendency toward deep anxiety. How on earth do practicing Catholics ever live in peace? How do you remember all the rules and traditions? It seems overwhelming to me.

How do I remember all the rules and traditions? I don’t. I’m a convert, and most of my catechesis has been self-taught. But as far as anxiety in regards to my spirituality, I find that setting goals and achieving them, even small goals, gives me confidence that I am growing spiritually even if I can’t see it a lot day-to-day. Of course, I don’t want to get too confident - I often say this prayer: “Lord, make me humble, but do not let me know that I am humble. Make me holy, but do not let me know that I am holy, lest I fall into the sin of pride and lose all the grace given to me.”

Now, if I could only get through mass without bolting from anxiety … :imsorry: It’s the weirdest thing, I have anxiety about what others may think about me, but I know God understands because He made me this way.

 

[Michael19682]

Thomas Merton noted the propensity of some to merely exercise love in their souls (No Man Is An Island), as if their spirituality were a kind of ‘let’s see if I can’ game. Yet Saint Ignatius prescribed spiritual exercises, so I think those are two different things. Even if a game, however, he is likely justified by 1 Cor 9:19-23 All Things To All. Charity of course applies to his practice and our understanding of it. Regardless of whether man is a master of his own destiny through spiritual resolutions, the power of any resolutions success comes from God. Therefore, the proof is obvious. Resolutions can work, however inadvisable it is to make of them a personal theology/philosophy of a new age type, a kind of idolatry in itself. Personally, I’ve made a few and they work sometimes.