Sometimes we don’t even notice we are stuck. We go through the motions day after day. Sure we wake up, maybe mumble a quick ‘Our Father’, go about our day, our routine. Wednesday rolls around and we are dropping kids off to CCD and then here comes Sunday and we go to mass, have lunch with the family and then bam back to re do it all over again on Monday. Being stuck happens over time. As time passes, we sink further into the rut. Finally, once we realize it, we are so far stuck that we can’t even find the way to climb out.
Today, I am going to share a few steps to get you unstuck. Particularly if you are stuck in a faith rut. As Catholics, there is a lot of repetition in our prayers and our mass. This isn’t meant to be boring or meaningless. However, we can sometimes feel ourselves drifting away from noticing God’s goodness and love to only surviving the day. I have said plenty of times, “Lord, just let me get through this day.” But guess what? The next day I’m saying the same thing. You know why? Because my faith is stuck. Think of it like gum stuck to your shoe. No matter how much you wipe your shoe in the grass it is still stuck. Eventually you have to get some cleaner, or an utensil to help in scraping off the gum. I’m going to help you scrape off your stuck faith.
MASS
You may be doing this already, but if not, you need to go to mass. It’s hard when we are stuck to want to go, to want to get up and get dressed and deal with all the kids and go. Especially if you’ve been stuck for awhile, it is super easy to just stop going altogether. If this is you, I encourage you to go. If this is you, make plans to attend mass this Sunday. I tell my youngest when she gently complains about attending mass some Sundays, “Jesus died on the cross for us, so we can go sit for 1 hour and thank him.” A quick reminder of that always puts some pep in her step to go.
**Side note** This will likely gain unpopular opinion. BUT. Even if you are out of town. Yes, on vacation, at a dance recital, swim meet, baseball game, football game, visiting family etc. You should be going to mass. Every Sunday. Being away from home and your home parish is not an excuse to miss. This is where we start to get stuck. Think back on the times you have missed, was it due to being away from home?
PSS
Now that you are attending mass, next up is to develop a spiritual routine. Think about it, when we shower, do we have a certain order we bathe, wash our hair etc.? When we wake up in the morning, we have a routine. Maybe it is to turn on coffee pot, exercise, get dressed, cook breakfast, then read the newspaper or social media. Each of us have a certain routine for things we do in life. We need to develop one for our spiritual life. Here is a snapshot of mine: I wake up, pray (this can be anything or simply thanking God for waking you up today) when time allows, I like to read scriptures and reflect, then on the way to bring my daughter to school we say our prayers (I am teaching her certain prayers so this is a great way to pray and for her to learn) once I arrive at work, I read the daily mass readings of the day. On my lunch break, I read whatever spiritual book I’m engaged in at the time or journal thoughts about what I’ve read. In the evenings I will lay in bed and read anything spiritual, whether a book off my nightstand or articles or blogs on my phone from other Catholic authors. Before I go to sleep I will thank God for my day, for all my blessings and pray for certain intentions. Now my spiritual routine doesn’t always go as planned every single day. I’ve accepted that it’s just part of life to have some bumps in the road every now and then. But what my spiritual routine has in common and what they should all have in common is this: Prayer, Spiritual Reading, and Scripture. We will call it PSS. Just like we use in a writing a letter, we are adding something to our lives.
PRAYER
There is no right or wrong way to pray. You can say memorized prayers that you’ve learned as a kid, just have a conversation with God or even read from your Bible. My morning prayer used to be saying a rosary. I have gotten out of that routine for the summer months, but there is much power in saying the rosary daily, reflecting on the mysteries and Mother Mary. Whatever your routine is, just make sure you incorporate prayer consistently.
SPIRITUAL READING
It is as simple as it sounds. Pick up something spiritual and read it. This may be a book by Matthew Kelley, this may be your Bible, a reflection in your church bulletin from the previous Sunday or even a daily devotional. No matter what it is, make sure you read something spiritual every day. I am very interested in saints and their lives. When I’m in between books or even in my downtime I will look up saints and read about them. One thing I have helped further my spiritual life is reflecting on what I read by writing it down or underlining. If something spoke to me while I read it, I will underline it or if I can’t write in the book or if it’s electronic, I have a notebook I will journal. Jesus has spoken to me in so many ways while writing about Him!
SCRIPTURE
This is an easy one too. READ THE BIBLE! No seriously, read it! There are Bible apps if that helps! Every December, I read one chapter of the Gospel of Luke starting on December 1st. Then I went and read the Gospel of Matthew and so on. It is easy for me to go on United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website and read any part of the Bible even if I don’t have my physical Bible with me. When we read scripture, we are able to engage ourselves in Jesus’s life but also the lives of others and how faith affected them. These were real people. We can relate to them. You’ve heard stories of the prodigal son, the woman at the well, Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree, Adam and Eve and the list goes on and on. Fascinating scriptures put together in one of the best books even written.
PARTICIPATE
The last step would be to participate. This is the key in unlocking the tools to scrape off the stuck faith. This is where people tend to stop. They don’t finish the last step. Partly because it requires our time. Time is very valuable and precious. Time is something we don’t want to give up. Time requires sacrifice. It means not binge watching Netflix, it means waking up earlier, it means putting down social media at times, it means time away from your comfort zone. Sacrifice is hard. I think about Jesus, his death on the cross, and all he sacrificed for us. For US. He didn’t do all of that for himself. He died on that cross for others. Sometimes our time will need to be sacrificed for others. It is important to remember, we are here to be His hands and feet. We can’t accomplish that if we have our hands crossed and our feet planted not wanting to make the move.
Just how do we participate? We participate at mass. Yes, open the missal, read along with the lector, sing along with the choir, listen to the priest’s homily, and most importantly participate in Holy Communion. (I realize not everyone will be able to do this, due to civil marriages, annulments pending, divorces etc.) But if you are able to receive Holy Communion, you should. Which brings me to participating in the sacrament of reconciliation. Yes, go to confession. (I go at least monthly at minimum) I know it’s hard and uncomfortable and requires you to exert effort and time. BUT. Going to confession is one of the best jump starts on unsticking your faith. The last way of participating is to get involved! Call your church office and see what ministries are in need of assistance. There are SO many you can help with! You could bake brownies for the next church bake sale, you can volunteer your time by teaching CCD, you could join the bereavement group, choir, Catholic Daughters, Knights of Columbus etc. Sign up for those church retreats that you keep hearing about. This will bring you new friendships that will help keep your faith from sticking. But you must keep up your side of the friendship. When that church friend invites you for coffee, GO! When he or she want to come visit, LET THEM. Don’t worry about the house or laundry. When you are asked to join a bible study, DO IT! Giving up our time is hard, but the reward is great.
For all of this to work, you have to do it! You will fall, you will fail, trust me I have and I still do. But I promise, if you honestly put an effort to these 3 steps we discussed: Mass, PSS, and Participate; you WILL climb out of that rut. And you know what the best part is? Once you get out, you will be a driving force to help others get out! You will be able to throw them a spiritual rope and pull them to higher ground. Ultimately, isn’t that what Jesus wants us to do? To go and spread the good news. To stand up for our faith. To share all God’s grace and goodness with others. We have the ability to become holy and to share this holiness. No one is exempt from this amazing accomplishment! We know the steps to take, it’s time put our best foot forward.
Hugs and Loves,
Ali
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.” Ephesians 6: 8-10
