Your favorite spirituality

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There are so many beautiful spiritualities in our Church. I love it.

I’d like to know what you all’s favorite Catholic spiritualities are and why.

I’ll start first.

Mine is easily Ignatian. I love how it’s so applicable in ordinary life. I love how it’s a spirituality of the heart for the contemplative in action. I love how it’s a spirituality for decision makers, the imaginative and for the beautiful discernment techniques.

The next surprises me a little. Benedictine. I picked up a booklet by Fr Dwight Longenecker entitled “ Saint Benedict for Busy Parents. “ I was surprised at how easy and simple Benedictine spirituality is! I guess I was intimidated by the image of praying the LOTH over the course of my day and the difficulty of reciting the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary that I’ve attempted to earlier last year.

I digress. What I see in Benedictine spirituality is the simplicity of the vows of Obedience, Stability and Conversion and how it can be applied to a lay life. And I’m only partway through the booklet!

The basic point being is Obedience can be applied to obeying God, His Word and His movements in my heart. That dovetails nicely with the Ignatian way of proceeding. Stability was explained by Fr Longenecker as not constantly uprooting my family all over the place. Allow for roots to grow and provide a stable home for my family. Conversion as Fr Longenecker explained it was that I commit to continual progress in the conversion of my soul from sin. Wow.
 
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I am reaallly drawn towards the Old Believer / Old Ritualist way of life. They are a group of Russian Orthodox who split with Moscow over reforms in the 1600s, though many have come back into communion.

Their villages (in Alaska, Oregon, etc.) have been described as “Russian Amish” - life is rustic, traditional, somewhat remote, and centered around the Church. Many still use the Julian Calendar:

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My favorite spirituality is the Little Way.
I think all of us can appreciate St. Therese’s great Pauline insight that love is at heart of all religion.

But I am blessed beyond words to live in France. I went to Lisieux a couple of weeks ago and it only reaffirmed my love for Therese’s Little Way.

I also got a copy of Dwight Longenecker’s book on St. Benedict and St. Therese - the little rule and little way. You should check it out.

Anyway, back to my favorite spirituality. What I like about this is that it is the simplest of spiritual techniques to understand and the hardest to practice. To love extraordinarily in ordinary ways and to see God’s majesty in the smallest of things.

When you adopt this spirituality, everything seems like a miracle. But becoming a child is extremely hard especially for an intellectual like myself. Which is why this spirituality challenges me as I know this is not natural to me. But I still find it very attractive and I see it as a sure path to heaven.
 
Living the mystery of the indwelling of the Holy Trinity. Also living totus tuus – “personal Consecration to Mary based on the spiritual approach of Saint Louis de Montfort and the Mariology in his works.”
 
Are you familiar with Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity? I really love her spirituality!
 
She was a young Carmelite French nun, very similar in many ways to St. Thérèse, and her spirituality was that of the indwelling Trinity. Sorry that I can’t do links at the moment but you’ll find info with a google search, including photos of her. She was canonized by Pope Francis in 2016.
 
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I feel pulled toward Dominican spirituality, although I don’t know why. I’m still in the process of figuring it all out, wading through the talks and the readings. I’ve been trying to understand St. Dominic for three years now, and he’s still a mystery.

St. Francis, however, I totally get—in a mystical sense. I think the juxtaposition between St. Dominic and St. Francis has helped me to understand the former a little more, but not entirely. St. Dominic’s still an enigma; his Order’s still an enigma; and the saints of his Order, whom I’ve been devoted to for quite some time, are also enigmas. Maybe that’s why I’m so drawn to Dominican spirituality?

Don’t get me wrong: I do understand what the Dominican saints have to say about the Order, I like it’s charism, but there’s something about the Dominicans I just can’t put my finger on.

Additionally, I find that, in Dominican spirituality, there are dashes of Benedictine spirituality as well, and I’m always ready to jive with St. Benedict.
 
I wish there were an Opus Dei center near me as I’d love to explore their spirituality in depth.

In general, I am a Jesuit at heart.
 
I never could understand Dominican spirituality. Although I’m devoted to the Rosary and a member of the Holy Confraternity.
 
One thing I get about Opus Dei is their daily offering up of their day to God: A total work as prayerful offering and sanctifying everyday life approach. I hope I got it right.
 
This gets the most interesting response for me. Though I’d probably pick Carmelite myself (esp. St John and St Teresa), I have a great respect for the Eastern Church, and the Old Believers in particular. There are actually two main branches: priested and priestless - it looks like you love the former. Years ago I visited an Old Believer church in Erie PA and it was very dynamic, most impressive. Thank you for reminding me of them!
 
Yeah, totally. I examined the Opus Dei approach in my search way back in the day. I had forgotten it in my discovery of Ignatian and Benedictine spirituality. Maybe God planted it in my mind for a reason right now? 😏
 
I remember reading about the Old Believers. Cool group who resisted innovation within Russian Orthodoxy. I didn’t know there were Old Believers in Alaska. Cool.
 
Franciscan. Almost all of my favorite saints are Franciscan. I realized that and learned more about their spirituality and charism.

St. John of the Cross, St. Padre Pio, St. John Vianney, St. Pius X, St. Didacus, St. Junipero Serra, St. Thomas More, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Maximilian Kolbe…
 
Carmelite OCDS with an emphasis on St. Therese of Lisieux.

I have looked at Ignatian spirituality but it seems to me to be ordinary common sense dressed up as an MBA-style religious business model. Some people find such models to be very helpful so I’m not knocking it, I just always think such models belabor obvious points and I can get insights without going through all that.
 
Since you mentioned about St. Therese de Lisieux, I’d like to share this prayer with you:

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Sancti Patris Benedicti: Ora pro nobis.

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GOD bless!
 
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