6 Catholic Devotions That Can Enhance Faith

Shutterstock.com

Like our spiritual brothers and sisters in Christ, it is of the utmost importance to us to try to honor Jesus in some way every day of our lives. We firmly believe that He is both God and man and that He willingly bore our sins and our infirmities on the cross for our salvation. Because of His unfailing, unconditional love that saves us, we want to express our gratitude to Him, daily, through engaging in contemplative prayer and by putting our faith into action by purely loving others like Jesus taught us to do.

Sometimes, we want to honor Jesus in a special way. It could be during a liturgical season, such as Advent or Lent. Or it could be during a particularly significant season in our lives. Whether we are struggling with a difficult situation or overjoyed because of the happy blessings in our lives, we might find ourselves longing to be closer to Jesus and wanting to experience that closeness by immersing ourselves in worship and praise.

For such times and such seasons, we might want to consider participating in a special devotion. Although everyone is welcome to participate in all devotions, there are some devotions that seem especially suited for people who like to express their love and gratitude to Jesus in a specific way. For instance, while there are, of course, Eucharistic devotions, there are also Marian devotions. Here are six Catholic devotions that can enrich our faith and help us to honor Jesus in a special way.

Benediction

Pexels.com

Benediction is a Eucharistic devotion that began in the Middle Ages, a time when Catholics were not able to receive communion frequently. In the beautiful ceremony – which opens and closes a period of Eucharistic adoration and is also included in many church novenas – a priest or deacon places the holy Eucharist in a golden vessel that’s known as a monstrance, and he places the monstrance on the church altar. People are given the chance to adore, praise and worship Jesus in the holy Eucharist through opening and closing hymns, Scripture readings/prayer and silent prayer.

In addition to receiving Holy Communion at Mass each week, participating in Benediction ceremonies allows us to spend dedicated quality time in the true presence of Jesus in the holy Eucharist. It also gives us the chance to join with other Christians to praise and glorify Him. But most of all, it brings us closer to Jesus.

The 40 Hours Devotion

shutterstock.com

The 40 Hours Devotion is another Eucharistic devotion that, fortunately, has been revived in some churches in recent years. It is a special 40-hour period of unceasing prayer to and adoration of Jesus in the holy Eucharist. Members of a church’s congregation sign up, in advance, to pray during a specific timeframe in the presence of the Eucharist exposed in a monstrance on the altar. The devotion begins with a Mass and ends with a Mass and Benediction.

The 40 Hours Devotion helps us to connect to our faith in multiple ways. It reminds us of the vital biblical events that occurred over either 40 days or 40 years – including the 40 days and 40 nights that Jesus fasted in the desert and resisted all temptation. It also gives us the opportunity to come together with our fellow parishioners to honor Jesus through 40 hours of constant prayer. It’s also a wonderful way to offer praise and gratitude to Jesus.

The Rosary

Shutterstock.com

Given to Saint Dominic by an apparition of Blessed Mother in the 12th Century, the Rosary is one of the most powerful devotions that exists. On rosary beads, people recite prayers, including the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, Apostle’s Creed, Fatima Prayer and Hail, Holy Queen, while meditating upon crucial events in the life of Jesus. Through the Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, the Glorious Mysteries and the Luminous Mysteries, Christians ponder the birth, earthly life, death and Resurrection of Our Savior.

In Saint John Paul II’s “Rosarium Virginis Mariae,” the saint wrote about the power of this Marian, but Christ-centric, devotion. The saint wrote “With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love. Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer.“

Stations of the Cross

Shutterstock.com

Although the Stations of the Cross is a devotion that is most often associated with Lent, people can participate in the devotion at any time of the year. To do so, Christians pause at each of the 14 Stations of the Cross, which are depicted along the walls of most Catholic churches. The stations reflect the final events leading to and including the crucifixion of Jesus.

The devotion began when early Christians made pilgrimages to Jerusalem to retrace the final steps of Jesus to the cross at Calgary. Because not everyone was able to make the journey to Jerusalem, the stations of the cross devotion was created. Spending time meditating on the Passion of Christ helps us to remember how much He suffered. Reflecting upon how much He willingly suffered for our sake reminds us of how much He loves us. The stations of the cross devotion puts into perspective God’s tremendous, unconditional, redeeming love for us.

Sacred Heart of Jesus

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus started in the 12th Century. But it became a more prominent devotion for Catholics in the 17th Century, when Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque had visions of the pierced Sacred Heart, which prompted her to encourage all of God’s children to devote themselves to the Sacred Heart which is overflowing with the love and mercy that Jesus has for us. Around the beginning of the 20th Century, Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey founded the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart Apostolate. It spread “The 12 Promises” that St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received from Jesus in one of her visions. Its goal was to win souls for Jesus through His Sacred Heart that’s overflowing with love for humanity.

The devotion enthrones the Sacred Heart in people’s hearts, homes, schools and businesses. It reminds them that Jesus is the King of our lives. It also reminds us of the suffering that Jesus endured to give us saving mercy and grace, and it compels us to say prayers and make sacrifices of reparation for the sins that are still wounding the Sacred Heart.

The Divine Mercy Chaplet

Pexels.com

The Divine Mercy Chaplet was established in the 1930s after Saint Faustina received it from Jesus in one of her many visions. Although it is prayed on rosary beads, the majority of Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glory Bes are replaced by prayers that plead for God’s mercy for the world on the merits of the love and mercy Jesus offered us through His suffering during His Sorrowful Passion. It is widely believed to bring mercy to all sinners who trust in God’s mercy through Jesus. It is also believed to bring infinite mercy to the dying when said in their presence.

Praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet can enrich our souls in various ways. It helps us to humble ourselves by requiring us to admit that we are sinners living in a sinful world, and we desperately need God’s mercy. It also reminds us of the eternal love, mercy and grace that Jesus gave us when He suffered and died on the cross.