In the post-Vatican II world where Catholic education suffered a steep decline and Catholics began to mesh indistinguishably with the culture, many Catholic devotions faded from view. It was not a reflection of Catholicism, but rather of a world that became increasingly pre-occupied with non-religious concerns.
But what was good centuries ago is still good today. Being a Catholic always means more—the most—of what Christ had to give. So in a world broken and scarred, Catholics can rest in the gifts of the ages—prayers, devotions, and graces in abundance with power beyond this world to repair and console.
Meatless Fridays
Fridays are historically a day of penance in honor of Christ’s death on the cross. Prior to 1966 Catholics abstained from meat. The U.S. bishops waived that requirement but most Catholics missed the rest of the message. The responsibility to sacrifice didn’t go away, we were simply given the choice to make a substitute. This made the sacrifice more meaningful especially for people like me who like fish better than red meat anyways.
Indulgences
Indulgences got a bad rap when they were abused but they never went away. Here is what the Church says:
“An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.”
“An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin.” The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead. (CCC 1471).
For specific indulgences that can be gained, go to My Catholic Source.
The Daily Rosary
Do Catholics still pray the rosary daily? Only the ones that take the Blessed Mother at her word, and want to maximize our spiritual life. The Rosary has always been and continues to be one of the Church’s most powerful devotions. But don’t take my word for it…
“Continue to pray the Rosary every day” ~Our Lady of Fatima to Sister Lucia.
“You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary. ~Our Lady to Blessed Alan de la Roche.
“Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world” ~Pope Blessed Pius IX.
“The Rosary is THE weapon” ~Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
Fasting
It’s not just a Catholic thing, but it’s a very good thing. Beyond the required fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, fasting is another spiritual weapon used even by Jesus. Before beginning his public ministry, Jesus first went into the wilderness to fast for forty days. In Matthew 6:16: “When you fast…” not “If you fast…” The first Christians fasted (Acts 13:2-3; 14:23).
Novenas
Praying novenas is alive and well in the Church. The first novena—9 days of prayers– was carried out by the Blessed Mother and the Apostles during the nine days between the Ascension and Pentecost. On the 9th day, the Holy Spirit descended upon them. I did not even know about novenas until I was in my thirties. Then, I heard about the St. Jude novena, tried it out, and received a powerful answer to an impossible situation.
Belief in the Devil
Catholics that don’t believe in the devil—and I know they are out there– are missing the basics. He’s real, he’s mentioned in the Bible, our exorcists, (yeah, we still do that too) drive them off, and most importantly, we need not fear them as long as we remain in the state of grace.
The Latin Mass
It never went away. The Latin Mass is also called the Tridentine Latin Mass, was codified by Pope St. Pius V shortly after the Council of Trent (1545-1563). Since Latin is a dead language, and the Church carefully protects the Mass so as to prevent doctrinal errors from slipping into the liturgy, the Latin Mass expresses the unchanging truths of the Catholic Church. Although it dates back to 150 AD, it was offered by fewer priests with the advent of the New Mass (Novus Ordo Missae) on March 22, 1970, by Paul VI. However, parishes around the country still offer the Latin Mass.
Of course there are many Catholic devotions that we still practice, that have been practiced for thousands of years. After all, we are Catholic and like to stay the course. The most important point is to keep Catholic devotions in your own life so that they can keep you alive in the next one.
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