Catholicism
How To Recognise A Devout Catholic
It’s not about how many devotional practices you perform — it’s about why you do any of them.
Since our first lockdown in March 2020, my devotional routine has become sparse and unsatisfying. I miss daily Mass and weekly Eucharistic Adoration so much! I can’t wear a mask for over 15 minutes without getting dizzy and nauseous. Watching Mass online and reciting the spiritual communion prayer is like nibbling on scraps compared to a fine banquet. Especially during the past few months, I’ve noticed the deep decline in my spiritual life.
Being devout is more than a traditional approach to living the faith. It requires integrity (living out in your professional life what you profess in Church. It involves being both spiritual and religious, having the mind of Christ and the lifestyle that implies.
What does not define a devout Catholic?
Can you be both a devout and a Novus Ordo Catholic?
Some would say no. A friend from my Carmelite community who was 20 years older than I when she passed away was what I’d call “ultra-traditional”, for lack of a better term. During a coffee conversation, she was virulently critical of Vatican II and the novus ordo Mass. She was intense, almost angry. I can’t recall her exact words, but I got the impression that she considered both to be invalid.
Knowing next to nothing about Vatican II, which ended when I was about six years old, it intrigued me. I was near tears when I told her how sad it made me to think that I’d not actually received Jesus in any Mass I’d attended in the last 35 years. She sat for a moment in stunned silence. I don’t recall her response. I wonder if it’s this attitude among some Catholics that prompted our Holy Father to empower bishops to make the Tridentine Mass unavailable.
A friend who is a recent revert to her Catholic faith is watching videos by a nun who shares the same sentiments. This concerns me and this is what I said to her:
To prefer the Latin Mass or to receive Jesus on the tongue is one thing. I have the same preference. But to say it’s the only acceptable practice contradicts the Magisterium of the Church and is divisive.
The hosts of one of my favourite podcasts strongly implied that it is completely unacceptable to receive Jesus in our hand. During the pandemic, very few people have the option to attend Mass where receiving Him on the tongue is possible. I interpret their claim to be that it’s better not to receive Jesus at all than to receive Him in our hand. If the Magisterium permits us to receive Jesus on our tongue or in our hand, that’s good enough for me.
I came across this quiz called What Kind of Catholic Are You?. Based on the multiple-choice questions, I’ll bet that those holding the most traditional views score the highest.
Does believing you’re a devout Catholic make you one?
Nominal Catholics check off the “Catholic” box on their Census form, they know the fundamentals of the Catechism and rarely attend Mass beyond weddings and funerals. These people would never consider themselves “good” or “devout” Catholics.
In his article What is a Devout Catholic? Pelosi Calls Herself One, Her Bishop Says Otherwise — What About Biden?, Joseph Serwach states emphatically that their stance on abortion makes them anything but good or devout Catholics.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi repeatedly calls herself “a devout Catholic,” prompting her bishop, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, to issue a statement saying she isn’t:
Let me repeat: No one can claim to be a devout Catholic and condone the killing of innocent human life, let alone have the government pay for it. The right to life is a fundamental — the most fundamental – human right, and Catholics do not oppose fundamental human rights. — Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone
How should a devout Catholic live?
If I were as devout as I’d like to be, I’d be doing more of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. I’d be doing other things (like practicing self-denial) far more often. What a devout Catholic does is evidence that he or she loves Jesus more than anything or anyone else. The more I loved Jesus, the more apparent these qualities would be to those who know me well.
- living in tender intimacy with Him by the faithful discipline mental prayer and
- being free from anxiety by trusting in His mercy, love and providence
- having a deep devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament by receiving the Eucharist and attending Eucharistic Adoration as often as my state in life permits
- staying in the state of grace by doing a daily examination of conscience and going to confession at least once a month
- making spiritual growth a priority by reading and study
- loving the Church that He founded by choosing to believe her teachings and praying for her leaders
Do you need to choose between being “spiritual” and being “religious”?
How close is the truth about who we are to what we say and think that we are? There is a connection between truth and humility. To say I have a gift for writing would be true (based on some tests I’ve taken). It might also be humble if I say it in offering to help someone who wants help to write a cover letter.
Being “spiritual” means knowing Jesus dwells within us and loving Him. Being “religious” means performing external actions that express that love. I am both spiritual and religious! These belong together. They are not mutually exclusive.
As a spiritual Catholic, I would want what Jesus wants for me and for others. I’d want to learn all I could about the spiritual treasures of the Church. I’d want to experience Jesus’ presence through the Eucharist as often as possible. My passion for the salvation of souls would match that of His saints, especially the Fatima visionaries, after Our Lady showed Hell to them.
As a religious Catholic, I would do what our universal call to holiness invites me to. I would fulfill the duties of my state in life and the obligations of my Carmelite vocation as faithfully, as diligently, and as perfectly as I could through His grace. My lifestyle and behaviour would reflect His character.
A devout person is, then, a person devoted to God, consecrated to God. There is no stronger expression than that of devotion to mark that disposition of the soul of a person who is ready to do everything and to suffer everything for Him to whom he is devoted.
True and solid devotion is, then, that disposition of the heart by which we are ready to do and to suffer, without exception or reserve, everything that comes from God’s good pleasure, everything that is the will of God.
We must be always attached to God in the depths of our soul, always attentive to His voice within him, always faithful to accomplish what He asks of him each moment. — Fr. Jean Nicolas Grou in Understanding What it Means to be Devout
What can help us be more devout?
One sign of a devout Catholic is an attraction:
— to what will help develop a more extensive knowledge of Church teaching
— to what will foster a deeper relationship with Jesus
— to what will inspire a more committed discipleship.more extensive knowledge of Church teaching
— to what will foster a deeper relationship with Jesus, and to what will inspire a more committed discipleship
Spiritual reading is vital to growing in holiness. I’m so blessed to have a love for reading. I have a friend who avoids reading. She’s clueless about the treasure she’s discarding. Besides the Scripture and the Catechism, these seven contemporary books and three classics had an immense impact in my spiritual life:
- Surprised By Truth
- When the Well Runs Dry
- 33 Days to Morning Glory (guide to Marian Consecration)
- Catholics and the New Age
- Divine Intimacy
- Navigating the Interior Life
- Classics: Introduction to the Devout Life, The Practice of the Presence of God, and The Imitation of Christ
Where do devout Catholics go online to grow in faith?
Technology is a neutral thing. How good or evil the results of it depends entirely on the use you make of it. Even better than websites, apps, and podcasts, there are online Catholic communities. Discord.com has Catholic Discord servers (communities). One of these is Servus Dei with 3,800 young Catholics.
I listen to podcasts while I do chores, crochet blankets for charity, and work out. Check out these podcasts: Catholic Exchange, Divine Intimacy, and Mary’s Touch.
Despite their potential for distraction disaster, smartphones and tablets provide enormous spiritual benefits. Check out these mobile apps: iBreviary, iPieta, Discerning Hearts, and Laudate.
Bible Memory, available on Android and iOS is not specifically Catholic, but I’ve found it very useful for memorizing prayers. I choose “Other” for the Bible translation and copy the text of the prayer in the space provided. You have to specify a Bible verse so I just use the chapter and verse references in Leviticus since I’m never likely to want to memorize any verses from that book.
Catholic websites worth bookmarking:
- Word on Fire founded by Bishop Robert Barron
- EWTN
- Spiritual Direction.com founded by Dan Burke
- New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia
- Catholic Answers
What do all devout Catholics have in common?
We want to be saints. We know that’s what Jesus wants for us. Holiness is not just for clergy and consecrated religious. We are each called to be saints
The classes and duties of life are many, but holiness is one-that sanctity which is cultivated by all who are moved by the Spirit of God, and who obey the voice of the Father and worship God the Father in spirit and in truth. These people follow the poor Christ, the humble and cross-bearing Christ in order to be worthy of being sharers in His glory. Every person must walk unhesitatingly according to his own personal gifts and duties in the path of living faith, which arouses hope and works through charity. — Lumen Gentium par. 41
Jesus wants all of us in heaven so we must all be saints, preferably before we enter eternity. Purgatory is God’s merciful option but not His desired destination for us. I’ve heard it compared to summer school for those who chose not to do the necessary work to graduate on time.
But there was a Carmelite sister (St. Therese of Lisieux, a Doctor of the Church) who disagreed with this viewpoint — who saw Purgatory not as something to be hoped for, but to be hoped against; not something inevitable, but something altogether avoidable.When confronted with the idea of the inevitability of Purgatory, she counseled:
“You are not sufficiently trusting, you fear God too much. I assure you that this grieves Him. Do not be afraid of going to purgatory because of its pain, but rather long not to go there because this pleases God who imposes this expiation so regretfully. From the moment that you try to please Him in all things, if you have the unshakable confidence that He will purify you at every instant in His love and will leave in you no trace of sin, be very sure that you will not go to purgatory.” — Straight to Heaven or — Is Purgatory Our Destiny?
A genuinely devout Catholic wants to be a saint, to reach the state of spiritual marriage and the transforming union. The biggest hindrance for me is that I’m too attached to ease and comfort. I didn’t grow up learning how to fast, to deny myself, or to practice self-mortification.
Every pain we endure with love, every cross borne with resignation, benefits every man, woman, and child in the Mystical Body of Christ. Those who are chosen to bear a greater portion of suffering than others are called by God to heal the souls of many whose lives are bereft of the knowledge and love of God. Redemptive Suffering not only helps poor sinners directly by suffering for them but edifies and consoles good and holy souls as they journey through life striving for holiness. This dual role of Redemptive Suffering merits for those chosen by God for such a role, a glory and happiness in the Kingdom beyond our concepts or imagination. Like Jesus, their sufferings, united to His, rise to Heaven and obtain grace and repentance for those who are straying from God and His Love. — What is Redemptive Suffering? By Mother Angelica
What makes being devout difficult for us?
What challenges each of us the most in growing in holiness is different. When it comes to the seven deadly sins, we all have pride. Some will struggle more with anger, others with lust, and others with envy. My biggest challenges are gluttony and sloth.
A devout Catholic life is a sacrificial life where we put others before ourselves. It means giving our most precious and scarce resource: our leisure time and our undivided attention. It requires a willingness to give up what we don’t need and what isn’t good for us anyway.
Especially in our culture, it is difficult to develop that habit of mind; it seems impossible to master our bodily cravings. If I could keep close to my mind and heart the value of redemptive suffering, you’d think I’d be motivated enough to practice self-mortification regularly.
I hope that when we’re no longer obliged to wear masks in Church, I can return to spending plenty of time with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration, the Holy Spirit will heal and transform my soul, removing all resistance to practicing self-denial, demolishing this stronghold and setting me free to love Jesus sacrificially.
You may also be interested in reading some of my other articles, such as:
If you enjoyed reading my article, do consider subscribing to Catholicism Coffee for more upcoming Catholicism based articles! Thank you and God bless!
