Too Many Devotions?

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Hi all! So I’ve heard that one can have “too many devotions” but I’m not quite sure on the extent. For example, I wear three medals, am enrolled in the Brown Scapular, and I try to pray a Divine Mercy Chaplet daily. In addition, I have the opportunity to be enrolled in the Angelic Warfare Confraternity, which does look pleasing to me. However, I am curious if by doing so (or getting involved in other devotions such as adding novenas or saint medals) reaches a point where one should say stop. In other words, how do we discern whether or not starting another devotion would be prudent or overwhelming?

Faithfully in Christ,
Mountie
 
Your doing great, but please try and say the rosary is sooo powerful
 
Mountie said:
Hi all! So I’ve heard that one can have “too many devotions” but I’m not quite sure on the extent. For example, I wear three medals, am enrolled in the Brown Scapular, and I try to pray a Divine Mercy Chaplet daily. In addition, I have the opportunity to be enrolled in the Angelic Warfare Confraternity, which does look pleasing to me. However, I am curious if by doing so (or getting involved in other devotions such as adding novenas or saint medals) reaches a point where one should say stop. In other words, how do we discern whether or not starting another devotion would be prudent or overwhelming?

Faithfully in Christ,
Mountie
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It is not the
“Mountie said:
Hi all! So I’ve heard that one can have “too many devotions” but I’m not quite sure on the extent. For example, I wear three medals, am enrolled in the Brown Scapular, and I try to pray a Divine Mercy Chaplet daily. In addition, I have the opportunity to be enrolled in the Angelic Warfare Confraternity, which does look pleasing to me. However, I am curious if by doing so (or getting involved in other devotions such as adding novenas or saint medals) reaches a point where one should say stop. In other words, how do we discern whether or not starting another devotion would be prudent or overwhelming?

Faithfully in Christ,
Mountie
Click to expand...

It is not he wearing of metals or scapulars which is of primary value, but the prayers offered which are associated with them. So, if all the associated prayers are being offered daily, then it is not excessive.
 
If you can manage all of them, then you aren’t practicing too many. Just make sure you don’t get to this point.
 
Make sure you’re not tiring yourself out in terms of prayer. Like a muscle, over training can be a serious issue.
But, if you can handle it without “spiritual indigestion” and can handle all the responsibilities of daily life, while still being humble and not growing prideful, then go for it.
 
It’s a question I’ve had myself…which devotions to choose as there are so many.
Then I think back to the old days when the faithful had perhaps a lot less to choose from
but the ones they did ,they did them to the best of their ability .
 
When it feels like too much and you’re just going from thing to thing and not concentrating on anything, it’s time to stop.

I personally find limited-duration novenas to be a good way to do different devotions without stacking too many up. For example, I did a 9-day Sacred Heart novena for someone a couple weeks ago. Right now I’m doing a 9-day St. John Bosco novena. When the 9 days are up, I can maybe start something else, but not before. I am also doing the St. Bridget 1-year prayers which mean I will not be starting any daily Office devotions until the year is up, at which time I will start a different devotion.

I do not wear anything other than Miraculous Medal and Brown Scapular, and I don’t plan to add any to that. If I wish to have additional devotional medals nearby, I will put them on the two or three Rosaries that I use. I love medals and I have a lot of them but I do not wish to wear them all day every day and be like a guy I used to work with who actually jingled when he walked from all the Catholic medals he had on. When I mentioned the jingling to him in a lighthearted way, he got mad at me and accused me of disrespecting his faith. I decided he was a little off and left him alone after that.

Angelic Warfare Confraternity to me looks like it would require strength and concentration, so I decided to hold off for a couple of years until I am more experienced at prayer.
 
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I think we all have days when we struggle with them. I have had weeks where I can easily get my prayers done on a daily basis and other days when I am going from morning till night and barely have time to eat meals let alone pray. Then you spend the weekend catching up. I have noticed however that it gets better the more I practice at it - I become more disciplined and get less behind on the prayers.
 
Are the devotions bringing you closer to God? If so, fine. If you’re spending more time worrying that you have to say x prayer, then complete y before moving onto z it may not be spiritually beneficial.
 
When you become a “human doer” instead of human being you are doing to much. Being silent in God’s presence is my favourite devotion and it could be that because the level of noise at work is very, very high so I just need silence around me.

Focusing on different kinds of prayers during the church year seem to fit me. The sequences sung during the Easter octave and the Pentecostal one, a novena or litany to prepare for Pentecost, Way of the Cross during Lent, meditate on Our Father when walking to church, reading Ps 139 every Sunday evening before going to bed etc etc etc. I never pray the rosary with other people as that stresses me more than keeps me focused on praying. (I guess it has to do with people racing the prayer in about 5 different languages at the same time and not praying the same part at the same time.)
 
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