With today being New Years Eve, it's time for me to reflect on my Catholic Resolutions for 2006 and make mine for 2007. As I posted about last year...
2006 Catholic Resolutions:
1) Pray the Morning prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours each weekday
2) Pray the Rosary at least once a week
3) Visit other Catholic churches around me and meet other priests and people
4) Read the entire Bible in 1 year
5) Read the readings for Mass each morning
2006 Resolution Results:
1) This is the one that I focused most on, and I've exceeded beyond my previous goal. This past June I purchased "Christian Prayer", which made praying the Liturgy of the Hours so easy. Now I do not just pray Morning Prayer but also Evening Prayer and sometimes Night Prayer. With my desire to become a priest, this was a great preparation, so I'm excited that I've exceeded on this goal. I've kept a calendar where I wrote each time I pray the Liturgy of the Hours. After I purchased "Chrisitian Prayer", one can see how much more I can pray the Liturgy of the Hours. Now I can leave the computer screen and pray outside, in the chapel, etc. I will certainly keep praying morning and evening prayer each day now.
2) I did fairly well with this. I didn't pray the Rosary very often during Autumn this year because of classes, but I prayed it last week. In the summer I prayed it each day especially when I started my 54-day Rosary this past year. It was a great success! Overall, I would say that I succeeded in this Resolution
3) I did an excellent job with this. On the Feastday of St. Blase I visited a beautiful church near me. This past June I was honored to spend time at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Missouri. In November I toured the Cathedral in St. Paul, Minnesota, which is the most beautiful church I've ever seen. Even this past Christmas, I assisted as an altar server at midnight Mass. I definitely succeeded in this Resolution
4) I was able to read all of the First five books of the Old Testament (The Pentateuch), but I didn't get any further than that. Perhaps I should try this again in 2007.
5) I did a decent job at this Resolution especially over the summer. With classes that began in September, I was unable to keep doing this. But, thankfully the daily Mass readings are now on podcasts. I downloaded it to I-Tunes a few weeks ago and listened to them everyday that I didn't get a chance to go to Mass. I've did a good job with this Resolution.
2007 Catholic Resolutions:
1) Finish my application process to enter a seminary, get accepted by my diocese, and start at a college seminary in the fall of 2007.
2) Pray the 15 Prayers of St. Bridget each day or as often as possible
3) Find and purchase a Traditional Catholic Prayer Book and a 1962 Roman Missal
4) Attend my first Tridentine Mass
5) Seek to grow spiritually and avoid all of the sins that I have committed often in the past
6) Read classic spirituality books including "Story of a Soul" by St. Therese of Lisieux
7) Read all of the New Testament
I hope my readers will also create Catholic Resolutions, not just New Years Resolutions.
Read more >>
2006 Catholic Resolutions:
1) Pray the Morning prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours each weekday
2) Pray the Rosary at least once a week
3) Visit other Catholic churches around me and meet other priests and people
4) Read the entire Bible in 1 year
5) Read the readings for Mass each morning
2006 Resolution Results:
1) This is the one that I focused most on, and I've exceeded beyond my previous goal. This past June I purchased "Christian Prayer", which made praying the Liturgy of the Hours so easy. Now I do not just pray Morning Prayer but also Evening Prayer and sometimes Night Prayer. With my desire to become a priest, this was a great preparation, so I'm excited that I've exceeded on this goal. I've kept a calendar where I wrote each time I pray the Liturgy of the Hours. After I purchased "Chrisitian Prayer", one can see how much more I can pray the Liturgy of the Hours. Now I can leave the computer screen and pray outside, in the chapel, etc. I will certainly keep praying morning and evening prayer each day now.
2) I did fairly well with this. I didn't pray the Rosary very often during Autumn this year because of classes, but I prayed it last week. In the summer I prayed it each day especially when I started my 54-day Rosary this past year. It was a great success! Overall, I would say that I succeeded in this Resolution
3) I did an excellent job with this. On the Feastday of St. Blase I visited a beautiful church near me. This past June I was honored to spend time at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Missouri. In November I toured the Cathedral in St. Paul, Minnesota, which is the most beautiful church I've ever seen. Even this past Christmas, I assisted as an altar server at midnight Mass. I definitely succeeded in this Resolution
4) I was able to read all of the First five books of the Old Testament (The Pentateuch), but I didn't get any further than that. Perhaps I should try this again in 2007.
5) I did a decent job at this Resolution especially over the summer. With classes that began in September, I was unable to keep doing this. But, thankfully the daily Mass readings are now on podcasts. I downloaded it to I-Tunes a few weeks ago and listened to them everyday that I didn't get a chance to go to Mass. I've did a good job with this Resolution.
2007 Catholic Resolutions:
1) Finish my application process to enter a seminary, get accepted by my diocese, and start at a college seminary in the fall of 2007.
2) Pray the 15 Prayers of St. Bridget each day or as often as possible
3) Find and purchase a Traditional Catholic Prayer Book and a 1962 Roman Missal
4) Attend my first Tridentine Mass
5) Seek to grow spiritually and avoid all of the sins that I have committed often in the past
6) Read classic spirituality books including "Story of a Soul" by St. Therese of Lisieux
7) Read all of the New Testament
I hope my readers will also create Catholic Resolutions, not just New Years Resolutions.