Engaging in Spiritual Practices
Catholic Christian spirituality is a way of life, lived with a community of faith, that seeks to help you grow in loving and meaningful relationships with God, others, yourself, and all of creation. It calls you to be open and attentive to the promptings, guidance, and transformative power of the Holy Spirit, centered on the teachings, principles, qualities, and example of Jesus Christ, the human face of God for us, as revealed in Scripture and the Church's tradition. It is the recognition that God unconditionally loves you, seeks a personal relationship with you, is merciful and forgiving, wills only your good, and is present to you in each moment of your everyday life.
Catholic Christianity offers numerous practices that can deepen your relationship with God, help you to become more Christlike and more attuned to the promptings of the Spirit, and assist you in your spiritual, personal, emotional, and pschological growth. 1 Here are some of the benefits you can experience from engaging in one or more of these practices:
Prayer, meditation, contemplation, and journaling can help lead you to self-understanding as you explore and reflect truthfully on your thoughts, emotions, and values, give meaning and purpose to your life and, through God's grace, lead you to repentance, transformation, and growth.
Creating and entering moments of stillness, silence, and quiet can help you to humbly surrender and trust in God's presence, promote inner peace and serenity, maintain a sense of balance and equanimity in your life, reduce stress and anxiety, and provide resilience and hope, even in challenging or difficult times.
Connecting and worshiping with a faith community that shares similar beliefs can create a sense of unity and belonging, mutual comfort, support, encouragement, guidance, understanding, and respect.
Scripture and Church teachings can provide moral guidance, helping to shape your ethical framework and values, and guiding your decisions and actions to align with those of Jesus Christ.
Worship, nature, and present-moment awareness can help you to deepen your sense of awe and gratitude for the gift of life and God's graces, and expressing that gratitude through seeking to love others as God loves you and to selflessly minister to others, especially those in need.
These practices are not mutually exclusive, and you can engage in a number of different practices that you find helpful. Each of these practices involve one or more of the three primary forms of prayer: vocal, meditative, and contemplative. Any prayer or spiritual practice, whether performed individually or in community, requires your time, commitment, and effort. Pray and perform these practices with sincerity, faith, humility, gratitude, and persistence, centering your heart and mind on Jesus Christ, always trusting in God's unconditional love and mercy and the promptings of the Holy Spirit to guide you.
1 Follows are examples of some of these practices, each with their own benefits: participating with a faith community in liturgy, worship, the sacraments, Eucharistic Adoration, and other rituals; meditating on Scripture, such as with Lectio Divina; studying Scripture, the teachings of the Church, and other authoritative sources; conducting an examination of conscience or praying the Examen; praying the Rosary, Liturgy of the Hours, Stations of the Cross, Novenas, Chaplet of Divine Mercy; resting in silence and solitude through contemplation or Centering Prayer; reciting mantras throughout the day, such as the "Jesus Prayer"; praying with images such as sacramentals and icons; practicing fasting and abstinence; praising God through chanting, singing and dancing; attending retreats, going on a pilgrimage, visitng sacred sites, or walking the Labyrinth; communing with nature; performing acts of charity and stewardship; engaging in ministry and selfless service to others; and other practices.
This site contains links to a variety of resources concerning how to engage with many of of these "Prayer and Spiritual Practices". Alternatively, you can search the internet for links to videos, websites, articles and other resources applicable to a particular spiritual practice.