Edith's Devotions of Choice

How can we narrow down our top 5 devotions? Part of what I love about being Catholic is that we have devotions, saints, liturgies for every season in our lives! But, I can, for the sake of Kim's challenge, narrow it down! So here goes -

5. The Divine Mercy Chaplet - I love this chaplet and the message of God's Divine Mercy. I still have not made my way through all of St. Faustina's diary (but I will!). This chaplet was made even more special for me when my old parish in Louisiana observed this novena from Mardi Gras every Tuesday until the Tuesday of Divine Mercy week. The choir director at the parish wrote the music and it is absolutely beautiful. I'll really miss that!

4. Spiritual Reading - I love doing all kind of spiritual reading, I am a reader and being intellectually stimulated is one way I relate to God. Whether it is Bible reading, prayer books, writings of saints and blesseds, I love it all.

3. Studying the Lives of the Saints/Novenas - I am obsessed with learning about the saints - (hmmm...can you tell, i.e. Edith Stein?) They remind me that human beings are not only entirely capable of holiness, but called to be holy. Learning about them gives us friends in heaven, and seriously, who can't use that??

2. Rosary - Sometimes I find the rosary difficult to pray - not in the sense that the prayers are hard, but to really focus and meditate upon them for me is difficult. So if I am having a really hard time, I try to focus on the fact that I am a child of God and a child of His Holy Mother and they love me. And then I also might picture a person's face that I really want to offer that decade for. It helps, and the rosary changes lives and hearts.

1. The Liturgy of the Easter Triduum - This is the most solemn and joyful time in the Church. The joy, fear, sorrow, and anticipation of Holy Thursday, the emptiness you literally feel on Good Friday, and the indescribable joy of the Easter Vigil Mass, especially as you watch new members become embraced into the arms of Holy Mother Church - words just cannot even express how much beauty....

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