Each year, I have made what I call « Catholic Resolutions. » These New Year’s Resolutions are not centered on losing weight, eating more vegetables, or securing a raise. I make resolutions for all facets of my life, including these. Rather, these resolutions each year are centered around my spiritual life. I encourage all of you to make resolutions specifically geared toward improving your own Faith life and your own knowledge of the Faith. One’s spiritual health needs the same care – if not more – than our physical, financial, or professional health.
Some General Suggestions of Catholic Resolutions:
- Pray the Rosary every day, if you are out of the habit of it
- Pray Lauds, Vespers, and Compline (from the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary or the Divine Office) every day.
- Say a prayer for the Poor Souls in Purgatory every day, such as the St Gertrude Prayer. Getting a copy of The Purgatorian Manual: Containing Spiritual Reading and Prayers for Every Day of the Month is also an excellent idea.
- Attend Mass one day extra a week in addition to Sunday. And if you have fallen away from Mass, start going weekly again.
- Make it a habit to go to Confession every 2 weeks. Ensure that you are sincere and actually detest your sins and desire to amend your life.
- Fulfill the First Friday Devotion as well as the First Saturday Devotion.
- Start wearing the Brown Scapular if you do not already. But ensure you are properly enrolled by a priest.
- Determine what is your predominant fault and make a plan to fight it and conquer it this next year.
- Make time for a morning meditation and mental prayer each and every day before work.
- Identify one virtue to acquire and one vice to conquer this year. Make an action plan for how you will actually make progress on a daily and weekly basis to do so.
- Make it a point to learn much more about the Faith. For example, CatechismClass.com has an ideal Adult Course just for this purpose.
- Add additional days of penance in the form of fasting and abstinence and adopt the traditional suggestions in the 2024 Catholic Fasting Calendar.
I encourage you to make Catholic Resolutions. What are yours? Share them below in the comments box.