How do we choose the devotion that’s best for us to become a saint in our walk toward eternity? In this episode, Fr. Josh encourages us not to compare ourselves to others or even our past self, but to choose devotions appropriate for whatever season of life we’re in. We also hear the courageous story of St. Jacinta Marto and how her love for the devotion of the Rosary set many hearts ablaze for Christ.
Snippet From the Show
All devotions are a path to intimacy with Christ. But how has the Lord invited you to listen to him, to speak with him, to sit with him, to look at him and to be seen by him right now?
Shownotes
Glory Story (00:45)
Choosing Devotions (05:10)
Father Josh, thank you so much for all that you do for the Catholic community. I used to be quite regular in praying the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet and even started praying the Liturgy of the Hours. I try to attend daily Mass when I can and I pray before the Blessed Sacrament. However, it’s been difficult to keep up with all the devotions with young children now. I’ve been trying to get back into the rhythm of prayer, and often pray while putting the kids to sleep. I have often heard it said that the Liturgy of the Hours is the highest form of prayer, but I’m also so used to praying the Rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet. At the same time, it sometimes feels like I’m doing a checklist of prayers. How ought one prioritize prayer time with so many devotions and sometimes limited time? Is one devotion better than the other? Thanks so much for your guidance.
-Anonymous
Saint Story: St. Jacinta (13:20)
In 1917, the Blessed Mother appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal: Jacinta, Francesco and Lucia. Jacinta was seven years old at the time, and Mary asked her to begin to cultivate her relationship with Jesus Christ by contemplating the face of Christ through the Rosary. She did this, and she didn’t just pray when she was in church or when she was at home, she prayed out in the community. And because she was devoted to this particular prayer, she inspired other people who had maybe forgotten about the Rosary to come back to praying the Rosary. In fact, so many people in the community came back to the Rosary that it upset the Communists. So the Communists actually arrested her and threw her in an adult jail with adult men, some of whom were dangerous criminals. Her witness to prayer and praying at all times drew them back to him, and the Rosary was a prayer that helped her help other people.
Jacinta died two years later, when she was just nine years old. She suffered greatly, but she offered up her suffering for the conversion of sinners and particularly for the future pope, St. John Paul II, who would go on to canonize both her and her brother Francisco on May 13, 2017.
Resources
- Submit your questions and feedback to Fr. Josh by filling out a form at www.ascensionpress.com/askfatherjosh
- Broken and Blessed by Fr. Josh Johnson
- Pocket Guide to Adoration by Fr. Josh Johnson
- Pocket Guide to Reconciliation by Fr. Josh Johnson & Fr. Mike Schmitz
- Ascension is pleased to offer our new and improved online bible study programs and sacramental preparation programs digitally to help you minister with flexibility. Go to ascensionpress.com to view all our offerings.
Meet Fr. Josh Johnson
While Fr. Josh was raised Catholic, he didn’t like the Church growing up. Then, one day in adoration, he fell in love with Jesus and received the call to become a priest.
Now, Fr. Josh is the Vocations Director of the Diocese of Baton Rouge in Louisiana. He is a presenter in four of Ascension’s programs: Altaration, YOU: Life, Love, and the Theology of the Body, The 99, and Connected: Catholic Social Teaching for This Generation, as well as the author of Broken and Blessed: An Invitation to My Generation, Pocket Guide to Adoration, and co-author of Pocket Guide to Reconciliation.
