The Catholic Life
Catholic life has certainly changed since growing up in the Church in the 70s – 80s. Today it’s interactive, dynamic, promotes learning, forward thinking! It’s an amazing community with so many wonderful options!
Long gone are the days of answering questions about our faith with: “that’s just how we do things”.
Today we are empowered to learn and evangelize His word. We are the face of Christ on Earth!
But, you’ll have to go above and beyond to maintain a daily, active relationship with God. And there are so many resources to help you get there.
There are endless numbers of ministries, Bible studies, podcasts, websites and books to choose from to help deepen our faith and understanding of who we are as Catholics.
The 24/7 Catholic Life
For me, the first question to answer is: how to go from being a Sunday Catholic to an everyday one?
And while attending weekly Mass is a great starting point, it is the everyday commitment to God that will strengthen our faith, purpose and relationship with Him.
I’m not a mom just when I’m taking care of my kiddos. Driving someone to school. Preparing dinner. I’m a mom every day 24/7.
Similarly, I am a Catholic 24/7. That is my purpose.
Note: There are some great books out there regarding this subject. The one that speaks to me the most is “Beyond Sunday: Becoming a 24/7 Catholic”. This book showed me how to live my faith beyond Sunday Mass. Click here to read more about it. I completely recommend it!
And it all starts with:
- Accepting that you are the co-pilot of your life, He is the true architect.
- Praying for your discernment. Then buckle-up, get ready to take on everything He sends your way!
- And like in any relationship, being ready to show up, get involved, and do the work.
Show Up
You have to show up for God – the Church, His house. Read His Book. It all works in unison.
Some say that you don’t need to go to church to have a relationship with God. Others question the need for a Papal hierarchy or a book of rules to follow. And perhaps on the surface, that might make sense to you.
But, this is exactly what differentiates us from the rest.
- Reading the Bible is critical to understanding our role, His plan. It is our blueprint to salvation. And the Catholic Bible includes the whole 73-book canon as well as the deuterocanonical books, considered non-canonical by Protestant denominations. There are 46 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament.
- We acknowledge His Church and His hand on Earth, our Pope, Bishops, Priests, etc. The New Testament contains 5 different metaphors to support this belief (Matt. 16:18, 1 Cor. 3:11, Eph. 2:20, 1 Pet. 2:5–6, Rev. 21:14). Most notably, Jesus establishes His Church for eternity and makes Saint Peter the first pope when he says:
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Matthew 16:18-19
And when it comes to the rules aspect of things, my favorite analogy is this: The NFL Rule Book. It is notably the largest collection of rules out there and no one has stopped playing or watching football because “there are too many rules.”
Get Involved
Beyond any personal commitment you may have with our Heavenly Father, you’ll need to get involved. There is so much work to do and we need you!
Start by contacting your parish or check out a Sunday bulletin. Establish two-way conversations with our church, it’s leaders and find out where you can help. Trust me when I say, you’ll instantly encounter that community you’ve been longing for.
You’ll find wonderful opportunities like the nationally known The Catholic Daughters of the Americas to established youth groups like EDGE, Life Teen as well as great ministries focused on Parish Vocations, Adoration, Respect for Life, ACTS, Rosary, waiting for you.
There are also support teams for all that life throws at us: parenting, marriage, divorce, death, etc.
You name it, it probably exists. And if it doesn’t…. well, then set up a meeting with your Pastor and share your inspiration. Let the Holy Spirit guide you.
Don’t worry. You’ll find something that speaks to you, an organization tailored just for you.
Do the Work
Take your faith to the next level and get past that weekly checklist. Get ready to roll up those sleeves and embrace daily Catholic life.
How would your other friendships survive if you only reached out once a week? If you only showed up for an hour visit, sporadically? If you just called when you had a problem or needed something?
Exactly. Your other relationships would perish if you were passive and one directional, selfish.
The relationship you have with God is no different. It is a two-way street.
It requires work on your part. A daily commitment to be the face of Christ, walk in His footsteps and do His work.
Feeling overwhelmed? Unsure where to start? What to read? How to interpret Mass? Questions about the Rosary? I can totally relate, is why I put together a Catholic Resource Guide, a sort of “one-stop-shop” Godly toolbelt. Click here. You’ll thank me later.
We are all searching for something bigger, greater than ourselves.
And the good news is that it’s never too late and I’m proof of that. I stayed away for many years. But that was His plan. Now, I’m back, better than ever.
Being a 24/7 Catholic and putting God first defines who I am as a woman. It affects every aspect of my life: as a daughter, mother, professional, friend. And truth be told, I want to scream it from every rooftop: I am the daughter of a King! With God on my side, I can do it all!
Does this resonate with you? Head down to the comment box below and let me know your thoughts. I do so love hearing from you!
I admire your love for God and I pray that your relationship with Him grows stronger and stronger each day that passes. I’m so glad you understand His deep love for you. Your faith is a wonderful thing. May the LORD bless you in all that you do.
Ohgosh Ariel such kind words!!! Really warms my heart. Thank you so much and may God bless you too 🙂
I have a friend from high school that I don’t speak to everyday. I love her with all my heart. She is my daughters Godmother and I am her daughters Godmother. I don’t see her often but when I do speak to her and see her it’s like nothings changed. I am here for her when ever she needs me and I know that she is there for me. I am torn over your comment on relationships because of this. I go to church once a week and take my daughters. I let them know why we are there and the sacrifices that God, Jesus and the Blessed Virgin made for us. I thank Him every night for His blessings. But I homeschool. I have 5 daughters ranging from ages 13 through 2. I don’t have the time to participate in anything other then mass. Does that make it wrong?
Jessica, that’s such a tough question… I mean who am I to give advice on if something is wrong or right, like you I’m on the same journey to Him, to Heaven. All I can say is that making time for Him on a daily basis will take you from having a good relationship to a great, amazing one. It’ll also show your beautiful girls that He is present in our every day life not just on Sundays. And what could that look like? Maybe adding Him to your daily homeschooling activities, e.g. morning prayer, learning about a new saint every 6 months (study, drawing pictures, putting on a play, etc.). You don’t necessarily have to leave your home to get involved. For example, my daughter and I are in the Rosary Ministry which allows us to bring home the kits and make rosaries… while we watch TV or just hang out. I’m twice divorced, mother of 3 and think I’ve spent more years raising kids alone than while married, so I get it. So there is no wrong or right answer here, just what I hold to be my truth and that is we have to become 24/7 Catholics and that takes more than just showing up for mass on Sunday. Hope that helps Jessica. God bless you and your family!
Thank you Grace. Yes, I bought a Dot-to-Dot Bible Pictures book for my kindergartener. It included Scriptures references for each picture. I’m going to buy her a new one for this new school year. My oldest is in the youth group at our church. She just had her Confirmation this year. We don’t do morning prayers, but we do bedtime prayers. I’m thinking when they get older I’ll have more time to be involved out of the house and maybe even bring them along. Thank you for your kind words. Many blessings to you and your family.