Catholic Resolutions 2018

Each year I have made what I call "Catholic Resolutions."  These New Years Resolutions are not centered on losing weight, eating more healthy, or the like.  Rather, these resolutions each year are centered around my spiritual life.  I encourage all of you to make resolutions specifically geared on improving your own Faith life and your own knowledge of the Faith.  Ask yourself:

1. Do I know the Faith that I profess to believe in?  If not, how can I learn more?  For example, CatechismClass.com has an ideal Adult Course just for this purpose.
2. Am I truly living a Catholic life?  Am I learning more prayers?  Am I helping others to learn the Faith and live it out?  Do I regularly receive the Sacraments?
3. Do you struggle with certain sins or addictions?
4. Do you need to make more donations to Catholic organizations or pro-life charities?

This is the time of year to truly set Catholic Resolutions which will have eternal repercussions.

I will begin with reviewing my 2017 Resolutions:

2017 Catholic Resolutions

1.   Continue to pray the Rosary Daily
2.   Pray the Divine Office at least 1X Daily
3.   Attend Daily Mass
4.   Attend an Ignatian Silent Retreat
5.   Weekly Confession to help conquer old habits and grow in virtue

2017 Catholic Resolutions

1. Overall, I have always struggled to pray the Rosary all 7 days a week.  I did make better progress during Lent with Daily Rosary than the rest of the year, but I think I finish the year with averaging the Rosary on most days of the week.
2. I have been able to really make this a habit and I've seen good fruit from the Daily Divine Office in my life.
3. In the first half of the year, I was able to make it to Mass at least 5 or 6 days a week.  With the job situation change that occurred in July, that wasn't as easy.  So I'm going to adapt this goal so that Daily Mass can still be a part of the week.
4. I did attend the Ignatian Retreat in July 2017
5. Confession each week has been probably my best resolution as it has really helped me grow in virtue and root out several bad habits. 

So, now, here are my 2018 Catholic Resolutions

1.   Focus on Morning Prayers Each Day (3 Dominican Prayers, Daily Lauds, the 3 Hail Mary Devotion each morning)
2.   Attend Daily Mass 3X a week
3.   Make time for 15 minutes of spiritual reading / meditation each day preferably in the morning
4.   End the work day with Evening Prayers (e.g. Vespers)
5.   Focus on conquering old habits and practicing a detachment to material things.

I encourage you to make Catholic Resolutions as well!