Devotions

Devotions: the Heart of Our Catholic Tradition
More than anything else, devotions are the very heart of our
Catholic tradition. Usually, a Catholic remains Catholic
if he or she has much regard for devotions in his or her
spiritual life. Other Christians do not see devotions as
essential to the Christian life but Catholics practice
devotions because this has been part of their Christian
heritage stemming back and being rooted from the apostolic
times and continues to be handed down from generation to
generation as a spiritual legacy. Some devotions may not
have direct reference or basis in Scriptures but they
nevertheless reflect a form of prayer that expresses
ardent and intense love for God. It is our devotions
and all the prayers associated with it that make Catholics
so steeped in a heart that is "all for God", a heart "full
of great love", and a heart that seeks to imitate the meek
and humble heart of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Classic Devotions in our Catholic Tradition
There are so many devotions in our tradition that this article
cannot mention all. However, to summarize these devotions,
we can briefly state that these devotions are directed to:
the Lord, the Blessed Mother, the Angels and the Saints,
and to all others in relation to all of these. If there
is a category of devotions that is note mentioned above,
it may belong to a very old or ancient tradition.

As of now, the popular devotions to our Lord are: the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, the Divine Mercy, the Infant Jesus of Prague,
the Blessed Sacrament and countless others that are both
national in scope and universal. As regards the Blessed
Mother, devotions to her abound in the 'thousands'. Usually
these devotions are associated with a particular title given
to her or they are in relation to a particular apparition
she has made known through a visionary. The famous ones
of these devotions are: Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of
Guadalupe, and Our Lady of Fatima. There are many countless
others but these are the ones made official by the Catholic
Church. As to devotions to the angels and the saints, these
too are extant and abound in different and varied forms
throughout the entire Catholic world.

What are the benefits and advantages of devotions?
Making devotions is like making a commitment of love to our
Lord God. It helps the Catholic live a life that will lead
to much virtue by doing all that the devotions promise and
gaining all the spiritual benefits and graces which the
devotions grant to all that practice them. A life steeped
in devotions makes a Catholic, as it were, burning with the
fire of divine love. His heart will be imbued with much of
the Holy Spirit's gifts - gifts that he receives so as to
be faithful in his Christain life. Practicing devotions
also help Catholics focus on God and the context of the
Christian life and the teachings of the Church. Whenever a
Catholic encounters certain moral issues that are currently
extant in our contemporary society, his devotions will help
him handle them because he is backed by a solid Catholic
tradition that firmly attaches his whole mind, his whole
heart, his whole soul and his entire strength to the Lord
God.

What devotions should I undertake?
This decision depends upon the Catholic who has a certain
spiritual or material need in his life. However, it is
suggested that we make devotions that will help us journey
towards a life of holiness, given our particular state of
life and personal calling or vocation. One thing is
important though: of the many devotions we may want to
undertake, let us keep the devotion to the Lord as the
most important. All the other devotions are only, as it
were, supplements or reflection of this major devotion that
should be made to the Lord. Also, we must be aware of what
current Church teaching says about the practice of devotions:
that it is not central to our Catholic faith. Vatican II
emphasizes that devotions are not obligatory and must not
be imposed by others on their companions. Vatican II teaches
that no devotion can be said to be so important that not
practicing it will lead us to spiritual ruin. Devotions
are important but not as important as the celebration,
adoration and contemplation of the Eucharist. Be this as
it is, devotions are still with us; and if they help us
journey more and more into holiness; if they help us
strengthen our relationship with God so that we may be
of genuine service to others, then let us continue practicing
these devotions. It is part of our Catholic tradition and
heritage and many saints have become saints because of their
life of devotions.

Dennis-Emmanuel Cabrera
December 26, 2004

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