What one thing has helped you?

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Constancy

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Other than the sacraments, what is the one thing that has helped you grow in holiness and love for God? A particular book? A certain prayer or devotional practice? A favorite saint? Fasting / penance? A conference or retreat? I’m interested to know what helped you love God more?
 
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God really loves our seeking Him.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Heb 11:6

The more we exercise that faith, by seeking, the more He reveals Himself and so the more we come to know Him. And the more we know Him the more we love Him.

Prayer, fasting, Scripture and catechism reading, works of mercy and love, obedience of His will. Just plain seriousness about His existence and of His desire and ability to answer prayer and give us understanding, to give us the “knowledge of God”.

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3
 
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Liturgy of the hours ( full set )
Reading about st anthony of egypt , st macarius , st benedict.
 
I’ve thought about doing liturgy of the hours, but using the book seems really intimidating

I’ve never heard of st macarius. I’ll look him up
 
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I went on a retreat, needed that time for me and Jesus…Needed the quiet so I could listen. I was there for ten days and I left there with a gentle peace in my soul… That has never left me. God bless you
 
Giving thanks to God.
Whenever I’m hurting, to remember that Jesus also suffered like that, and to thank Him.
Reading the lives of the Saints and other strong Christians to learn how they related to God and to situations in their lives.
 
Regular confession is the most help, but outside the sacraments it’s reading the Ignatius Bible with commentary by Scott Hahn.
 
Taking up the Rosary, once I became Catholic. I pray it most nights.
 
Liturgy of the Hours, hands down. 📖
Constancy said:
I’ve thought about doing liturgy of the hours, but using the book seems really intimidating
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My advice to anyone starting out with a physical breviary is to find someone in real life who has experience with the LOTH and have that person show you. Your parish priest may be a good choice 🙂 Just one twenty-minute session with mine and I was all set. It’s kind of like learning to ski: you can learn on your own, but even one lesson taught by a pro makes a big difference.

Alternatively, as they say, “there’s an app for that” :iphone: I still think it’s a good idea to know how to use the books but the various apps can help one get started with the LOTH more easily, particularly if you aren’t very familiar with this form of prayer.
 
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Yea constant page flipping but once you get the flow , its enjoyable to flip the pages. Send me a pm ? Happy to guide you.
 
Listening to EWTN Radio while I’m at work, especially Fr. John Riccardo’s “Christ is the Answer” program. I can listen over and over and still get something new out of each program.
 
A retreat
“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her”. (Hosea 2:14)

the first vocation of the
Christian is to follow Jesus(Catechism 2232)
John 9:35
 
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Try an app. I started that way and “graduated” to a book after I got the hang of things. I would recommend iBreviary.
 
I could probably make a list with enough time and thought of moments - isolated events that were very significant for me. I know there were several. But what really does it for me on a sustaining level is getting up early and spending the first 20-60 minutes of my morning in quiet with God in prayer, reading, and (as others have said) the LOTH.
 
The book “Searching For and Maintaining Peace” by Fr Phillippe
 
Adoration. Coming to not feel uncomfortable with the idea of silence with anyone has helped tremendously. Also consecrating myself to Mary interestingly enough. The book Total Consecration was just a game changer for me. I know you said one thing and I’ve already said two but I’m going to say one more and I’m my life they all kick started in the same few months so I associate them together. But the third thing was giving up my summer. I in all of 24 hours made the decision last year to become a missionary teacher for my diocese and that involved going away from home for 8 weeks over the summer. I was put on a team with 3 strangers who are now a year later I am still friends with. But I was the most out of my comfort zone, teaching first and second graders at a bunch of different churches for a week at a time. I was living out of a suitcase and each week we were in a new host home in a different city. It took everything I had and then some more to get through that, days were long and it was just never ending. It took me talking to a priest who was close to my family and I to realize that when I’m feeling empty and like I have nothing more to give these kids I’m teaching that I need to lean more into God and let him work through me. That this was not my summer at all and I’m not going to see the fruit of the work I’m doing, I’m just scattering as many seeds as I can and hope and pray that they sprout. Yeet
 
I did the 19th annotation of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
It was life changing.
 
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