Throughout all the reading I’ve done and homilies I’ve attended, it seems a big theme that stands out is the necessity to spend time in Adoration. For those of you new to Catholicism, that means time spent in front of the Blessed Sacrament, which is Jesus present in the Eucharist.

Most churches have Blessed Sacrament chapels where the consecrated Eucharist (made flesh by the Priest) is held reverently. There are also times for Eucharistic Adoration where the Eucharist is exposed (otherwise, it is covered) for set periods of time, such as during Lent or Advent, though some churches offer Perpetual Adoration where it is continually on display always with some one to “sit” with Jesus.

In the Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus asks his disciples to sit with him while he prays, but they fall asleep. He asks them “Can you not sit with me one hour?” This is where the concept of a “holy hour” comes from. Jesus asks us if we can sit one hour with him. Not to much to ask :).

So, for a Holy Hour, you can sit with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament or in Eucharistic Adoration, praying, meditating, sitting in silence, reading, etc. Can you believe we actually have the opportunity to sit WITH Jesus? That’s beyond amazing when you think about it. Why would we pass up that opportunity?

I am personally fascinated by reading stories of how people came to be called to their vocation (priesthood, married life, etc.) and so often you’ll hear them say they began to discern their vocation after time spent in Adoration. It seems to be an incredibly powerful thing :), no doubt about it!

I am making it one of my religious resolutions for 2013 to spend one hour with the Lord in Adoration each week and see where it takes me. I’m studying a book right now called Into the Silent Land about Christian contemplation/meditation and what better place to practice than in Adoration?

To this point, I’ve had good intentions of going to Adoration but keep telling myself “as soon as I get caught up…” I’ll start this practice. Well, surprise, surprise, I never got caught up and probably never will :). So it’s officially scheduled on my calendar and other things will have to work around it.

I’d love to hear from others about their experience in regularly going to Adoration. How has it changed your life for the better?

Today I thought I’d share thus far my favorite Bible verse that I’ve come across. While the Bible isn’t new to me, knowing it intimately and well is and I feel like I’m discovering it for the first time.

We all have a passage or two that speaks to us and this is one that has spoken loudly to me when I’ve come across it in reading and in Mass. It provides me with a sense of comfort, calm and peace and reminds me THIS is the right path.

The verse is spoken by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 11, Verses 28-30:

“Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

We all carry heavy burdens in life. Don’t we want a way to rest, to allow someone to take the load for a little bit? My favorite is the last sentence which I repeat to myself in times of worry, in times of noise and in times of uncertainty. It is so very calming. I find myself declaring, “Yessss….!!!”

“Gentle” and “lowly” also stand out to me as key words. Humility is something I am working on and this is a reminder, and I love the thought of “gentle” Jesus. It makes Him seem so approachable.

How does this verse speak to you? What is your favorite Bible verse? Thanks for reading today and sharing your thoughts!

As we begin 2013, I find it the right time to begin to more consciously make an effort to eliminate bad habits and add new, productive habits into my life. I’ve spent the last year learning about Catholicism (barely scratching the surface!) but at least I’m informed enough now to have an idea of what changes I need to make to better my life.

So I thought I’d share with you, in the hopes you’ll share with me, my 2013 religious resolutions! In yesterday’s blog post, I talked about ways I will try to stick to these habits and how the structure of the church helps me in creating a routine that will become a part of my daily life. I plan to work on these resolutions slowly, focusing on one at a time until I feel like I’ve got that one adopted fairly well. Here we go…

My 2013 Religious Resolutions:

• Pray the Rosary weekly. Also, pray a decade of the Rosary with my children weekly dedicated to someone in need or their recently deceased grandmother as a way to remember and honor her.
• Spend an hour of adoration weekly in the Blessed Sacrament chapel or at Eucharistic Adoration when available.
• Read the Bible daily and begin to explore Lectio Divino (a conscious reflecting of Biblical texts)
• Blog at least 5 times per week on my Catholic Newbie blog.
• Begin to work Christian meditation/contemplation into my routine (not sure how much yet)
• Keep my body healthy by practicing moderation (not over indulging) in eating and by exercising my body 2-3 times weekly.
• Once I am able (when I become fully Catholic), attend Reconciliation monthly.
• Begin introducing my oldest son (8) to Adoration time.
• Donate the amount we would spend on eating out for one meal monthly to our family’s choice of charity and have PB&J that night instead :).
• Volunteer at a local charity one day per month.
• Increase my tithing and donate more of my money to charitable organizations.
• Engage my children in more charitable and volunteer activities.
• Attend Mass weekly (I pretty much have this one down already :))
• Be courageous in following God’s will.
• Pray at least 2 Liturgy of the Hours daily.
• Continue reading daily the Read the Catechism in a Year email.
• Take one silent retreat this year.
• Remember to see Christ in every one.
• Get up earlier!

OK, so that’s a long list! Yikes! But these are all things I really want to work on. I think the key is to focus on one at a time so as not to get overwhelmed and do the best I can.

What are your Religious Resolutions for the New Year? Please share them and help hold me accountable to these!

Structure, routine, habits — for good or bad, they make our lives what they are. Productive, positive, evolving; static, negative or even destructive. I, like most of us, am someone who thrives on routine, and when I can incorporate something as a habit, I am much more likely to stick with it. Trying to do a new task haphazardly or just “whenever I think of it” doesn’t work so well for this working mom who already can’t remember to put the empty shampoo bottle in the recycling bin for 3 weeks straight :).

I find that Catholicism is the most structured Christian religion I have yet to come across and I’ve been exposed to quite a few. Just what I needed! I’ve always been on a path to self-improvement and spent much time exploring and reading New Age philosophy to try and get there, but what I found in Catholicism is a very specific path, a proven path to self-improvement that has worked for countless more before me and certainly countless after me.

What do I mean by structure? Some examples… Every day there are set readings that are the same across the church that relate to the season: one Old Testament, one letter from St. Paul and one Gospel. They are carefully chosen so that the Old Testament is revealed in the New. Mass is very structured and thus comforting. Daily Mass is available to anyone who wants to grow spiritually each day; at all times you can pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament; and at our church, monthly is Eucharistic Adoration where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for prayer and contemplation.

The Liturgy of the Hours lets you pray up to 7 times daily the same prayers that are being said worldwide by monks, priests and deacons. You’re to attend Mass weekly and on all Holy Days of Obligation; regularly confess your sins so you’re reminded of your failings and what you need to improve on. And it goes on… Structure to your days, your months and your life.

Matthew Kelly, one of my favorite Catholic authors, whose book “Rediscovering Catholicism” showed me how Catholicism is relevant to my life today, talks a lot about discipline and habit as the path to becoming “the best version of yourself.” Catholicism is a great model for what habits to develop and provides structure to help you stick to those habits.

I’ve read several articles of late that speak to how to create and maintain those habits. This article from Forbes notes how Benjamin Franklin listed 13 virtues he wanted to improve upon and set up a cycle of focusing on each one for a week. Notes the article: “In the morning he thought about how he would reinforce the new habit throughout the day. During the day he looked at his notes to remind himself of the new habit. At the end of the day, he counted how many times he fell back into the old habit.”

I think this is a great tactic so you’re not overwhelmed with working on 10 new habits at once (which I often fall prey to and fail). I’ve also read where developing a new habit takes about 3 weeks before it becomes ingrained so keep that in mind as you add new habits.

Success at developing new habits has a lot to do with willpower and focus. An article I read in the Wall Street Journal reviewing the book “Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength” talked about how willpower is like a muscle you have to strengthen. Try little challenges at first (can you avoid the bowl of candy at the bank?) and then move on to bigger challenges (like forgoing daily dessert).

Tomorrow, I’m going to share with you my New Year’s Spiritual Resolutions that I hope to slowly implement this year as new and productive habits.

Do you like the structure of the Catholic church? Do you find it helpful or harmful? I, for one, am hoping the church’s structure will assist me in becoming a better version of myself in 2013.