Spiritual uniqueness?

[Neithan]

Does each of us have a unique spirituality? If this is true, how is that reflected in our spiritual life with respect to our use of sacramentals, private devotions, mortifications, or the frequency of our use of the Sacraments, attendance at Mass, Liturgy of the Hours?***** Or any combination of these?
Is it true that what ‘works’ for some people doesn’t necessarily ‘work’ for others? That some good spiritual practices are not good for everyone? So not every sacramental devotion - the Rosary, Divine Mercy etc. - is necessarily a good ‘fit’ for everyone? Or that some people would do well to receive Communion everyday, but others perhaps less often? Some should confess weekly, but others monthly, or yearly?

Basically, if we are all spiritually unique, then there must be a degree of subjectivity to our ‘means of Grace’; how do we discern what is objectively (i.e. always, absolutely, for everyone) beneficial or efficacious to us spiritually, and what is subjective (i.e. sometimes, relatively, for some people)?†

*****note that I’ve implicitly divided private (sacramentals, devotions) from public (Mass, Hours, Sacraments) worship; assuming that the Mass and Sacraments are objectively efficacious (ex opere operato) whereas private use of sacramentals and devotions are subjectively efficacious (ex opere operantis). [Not to confuse the privacy of confession itself or the spiritual efficacy viz. praying of the Hours publically vs. privately!]

**†**to wit, the private use of sacramentals or devotions per se, as opposed to the frequency of public participation in the Mass, Hours, Sacraments, as noted.

 

[Trishie]

Hi Neithan…the Sacraments aren’t optional,
but sacramentals and devotions are.

You’re not obliged to follow devotions just because they exist. Unless you are a Priest or Religious or you belong to a lay Order, you’re not obliged to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. But you should pray even if in your own way to deepen relationship with God. Any of the devotions can be helpful but I guess you need to find the balance between the question, do I find them a chore due to self indulgence, or are they not particularly helpful in my prayer life?
My focus is with the Sacraments, although I pray as needed in the Prayer Intentions Forum.

1212 The sacraments of Christian initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist - lay the foundations of every Christian life. “The sharing in the divine nature given to men through the grace of Christ bears a certain likeness to the origin, development, and nourishing of natural life. The faithful are born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life. By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity.”

You’d certainly go to Confession if you had serious sin on your soul, but you’re not obliged to go to weekly Confession. I’ll get some of the specifics for you.

 

[Trishie]

Reading this how could one not want to go to Mass,and Communion, not value it or wish to avoid it! From the Catechism of the Catholic Church

1323 "At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet 'in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.
1324 The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” "The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch."

1325 “The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God’s action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit.”
1326 Finally, by the Eucharistic celebration we already unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all.
1327 In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith: “Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking.”

1382 The Mass is at the same time, and inseparably, the sacrificial memorial in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated and the sacred banquet of communion with the Lord’s body and blood. But the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice is wholly directed toward the intimate union of the faithful with Christ through communion. To receive communion is to receive Christ himself who has offered himself for us.

For a more complete understanding of the Sacraments you might like to go to
vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s2a4.htm

 

[Trishie]

Confession…From The Catechism of the Catholic Church

1457 According to the Church’s command, “after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year.” Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unless he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to confession. Children must go to the sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time.

1458 Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church. Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit.By receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the Father’s mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful:
1422 “Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion.”
1455 The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others. Through such an admission man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby opens himself again to God and to the communion of the Church in order to make a new future possible.

1456 Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: “All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly.”
When Christ’s faithful strive to confess all the sins that they can remember, they undoubtedly place all of them before the divine mercy for pardon. But those who fail to do so and knowingly withhold some, place nothing before the divine goodness for remission through the mediation of the priest, “for if the sick person is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor, the medicine cannot heal what it does not know.”
vatican/va/archive/catechism/p2s2a1.htm

http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s2a4.htm

 

[gardenswithkids]

Does each of us have a unique spirituality? If this is true, how is that reflected in our spiritual life with respect to our use of sacramentals, private devotions, mortifications, or the frequency of our use of the Sacraments, attendance at Mass, Liturgy of the Hours?***** Or any combination of these?
Is it true that what ‘works’ for some people doesn’t necessarily ‘work’ for others? That some good spiritual practices are not good for everyone? So not every sacramental devotion - the Rosary, Divine Mercy etc. - is necessarily a good ‘fit’ for everyone? Or that some people would do well to receive Communion everyday, but others perhaps less often? Some should confess weekly, but others monthly, or yearly?

Basically, if we are all spiritually unique, then there must be a degree of subjectivity to our ‘means of Grace’; how do we discern what is objectively (i.e. always, absolutely, for everyone) beneficial or efficacious to us spiritually, and what is subjective (i.e. sometimes, relatively, for some people)?†

*****note that I’ve implicitly divided private (sacramentals, devotions) from public (Mass, Hours, Sacraments) worship; assuming that the Mass and Sacraments are objectively efficacious (ex opere operato) whereas private use of sacramentals and devotions are subjectively efficacious (ex opere operantis). [Not to confuse the privacy of confession itself or the spiritual efficacy viz. praying of the Hours publically vs. privately!]

**†**to wit, the private use of sacramentals or devotions per se, as opposed to the frequency of public participation in the Mass, Hours, Sacraments, as noted.

We are all called to prayer, but we have great freedom in the way we pray our private devotionals. There may be spiritual similarities towards devotions for some people, but we are not all alike, nor will we always stay the same way that we are right now.

I recently discussed devotions with my confessor. I was having difficulty staying focussed on a spiritual devotion that once fit. Since this is private devotion rather than a rule of the Church (like for instance Sunday attendance at Mass, which is not optional), my confessor reminded me that I am free to pray another devotion that I think better suits me now. I wouldn’t go so far to say that some spiritual devotions “aren’t good”–prayer is always good–but some devotions may not be as attractive to someone or fit as well as another devotion might.