Which Saint should I pray to?

[Simca]

Is there a particular Saint you would pray to if a person is asking for strength to live a more spiritual life and become fully devoted to God? Strength to really live a life of prayer, fasting and penance, not just some of the time, but a CONTINUAL, CONSTANT lifestyle?

Besides fasting, what are other penances?

Thanks

 

[Loving_disciple]

Is there a particular Saint you would pray to if a person is asking for strength to live a more spiritual life and become fully devoted to God? Strength to really live a life of prayer, fasting and penance, not just some of the time, but a CONTINUAL, CONSTANT lifestyle?

Besides fasting, what are other penances?

Thanks

Joan of Arc, Padre Pio, Ignatius of Loyola,

 

[ClearWater]

Is there a particular Saint you would pray to if a person is asking for strength to live a more spiritual life and become fully devoted to God? Strength to really live a life of prayer, fasting and penance, not just some of the time, but a CONTINUAL, CONSTANT lifestyle?

Besides fasting, what are other penances?

Thanks

St. Francis of Assisi.

Penances…saying the Stations of the Cross, offering up masses for an intention, the rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Here in Mexico, they sometimes have people walk on their knees across the entire church. Don’t know if I’d recommend that, though.

Corporal or spiritual acts of mercy…giving drink to the thirsty, good to the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the prisoner, …etc.

Praying for souls of purgatory and sinners, etc.

Going to adoration would also be a good penance, reading scripture.

 

[JamesTheJust]

I don’t really think there’s a patron saint of faith itself, so I would recommend that you pray to whichever saint you admire and wish to imitate the most.

 

[Avila123]

As there have been some good suggestions about saints, I will turn to your other question on penances. I would suggest seeking spiritual guidance before undertaking penances to ensure that you can “stay on course” by undertaking sensible penances for the right reasons. It maybe that there is a more fruitful way of journeying which may or may not involve penances.

Personally, I get help from my priest on Lenten penances and receive valuable, and sometimes surprising help.

Just my thoughts. May God bless, guide and enrich you on your journey of faith.

 

[fred_conty]

Is there a particular Saint you would pray to if a person is asking for strength to live a more spiritual life and become fully devoted to God? Strength to really live a life of prayer, fasting and penance, not just some of the time, but a CONTINUAL, CONSTANT lifestyle?

Besides fasting, what are other penances?

Thanks

You are free to choose any saint you want, but if I were you I would choose Mary, the highest saint in heaven, and the most powerful, besides being your own spiritual mother. As a matter of fact, you may want to look into making an act of consecration to Mary. Here is an explaination from someone on CAF.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=834781
“I would recommended the book 33 Days to Morning Glory- this book is by a Marian priest Michael Gaitley and incorporates the De Montfort aspects as well as Maximillian Kolbe and also the way of consecration of Blessed Mother Theresa and Blessed John Paul in an easy to follow group of meditations over 33 days. Just like the De Montfort way you start on a certain date so that you end on a Marian feast day. This book really makes the consecration make sense to modern ears and hearts who have difficulty with the Baroque language of the De Montfort consecration while taking nothing away from what the consecration means.”

In addition to the consecration to Mary, I would suggest that you wear a blessed miraculous medal of Our Lady of Grace given to St. Catherine Laboure in 1830. Mary promised GREAT and ABUNDANT graces to those who wore it, trusted in her, and asked for graces. Being the Mother of God, she can obtain the graces you need and the direction you should take in your spiritual life. She will guide you in making the right decisions whatever they may be in your particular case. After a while you will know what you should do and and the corrections you should make in your life. She will live up to her promises for she remains immaculate and someone who loves you deeply.

May God our Father give you grace and peace.

 

[animalis]

Before he became Pope Benedict XVI, he wrote in his Introduction to Christianity, that the apprehension of the faith of the Church, which always precedes our individual faith and thereby purifies it by our subjection, this apprehension or understanding is not an individual mediation like philosophy would consist in - rather the faith of the Church is the belief in a way, which is Jesus Christ, he said “I am the way, the truth, and the life” - the way of the saint is the trust in Christocentric approach to his life which precedes our own and purifies it, as does authentic faith.

You may of heard of the terms latria, dulia, hyper-dulia, and proto-dulia. We give hyper-dulia to Mary, proto-dulia to St. Joseph, and dulia to the other mortal saints. Latria is given to the way, who is a person, namely Jesus Christ. It is by him that we learn communion, which is the unity of the mode of ways of the pilgrim church that all the baptized are set out. Hyper-dulia is given to Mary. For she is the representative of humanity at the incarnation of Our Lord. Pope Leo XIII said, “no man goeth to the Father but by the Son, so no man goeth to Christ but by His Mother. How great are the goodness and mercy revealed in this design of God!” (Octobri mense, 4) Hence, we approach the way “but by His Mother”, and on this way we meet the saints inasmuch as we trust in the Christocentric approach as they did.