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PDF versionNotions of devotion
by Jamie L Manson on Jan. 14, 2010
A few weeks ago, a reader of the Young Voices blog commented: "I would be interested in hearing about the favorite Catholic devotions of your young readers. The Rosary? Divine Mercy? Eucharistic adoration?"
Devotion, both as a practice and as a way of being, is not often a topic of consideration in our post-modern world. The word is derived from the Latin word devovere, meaning "to vow." In a time when vows, whether to religious life or marriage, seem to be in crisis, devotion and devotions seem to be suffering a similar marginalization.
In a relational sense, devotion is a deed of love. It is an unselfish, unconditional commitment to support and care for the beloved. In a religious sense, devotions are a spiritual practice, performed with regularity and dedication. Both actions seem to produce similar gifts: comfort, assurance, faithfulness.
It would be hard to argue that younger generations aren't struggling with commitment, whether in their faith, their relationships, or their work. But it would be equally hard to argue that we are constantly showered with a sense of peace, comfort and consistency. Devotion, it would seem, is needed more than ever.
And, yet, I would say that I know few young Catholics who practice the rosary, Eucharistic adoration or Divine Mercy. I have noticed that young people who are interested in these practices are usually not cradle Catholics. When I was in Divinity School, the students who wanted to start rosary groups were always the newly converted.
Many non-Catholics seem intrigued by Catholic devotions, too. Even my partner, who was raised in a low church, evangelical community, has been intrigued with the rosary since she first saw it used at my grandmother's wake. Though she has yet to commit the Hail Mary to memory, she feels comforted just holding the beads and carrying them in her bag.
Of course, Protestants have devotions, too. Evangelicals frequently practice daily devotions, typically in the form of biblical passages and several paragraphs of written reflection. Though they are edifying, there isn't any thing tangible in them. Perhaps it is the physicality of Catholic devotions, especially in the rosary or Eucharistic adoration, that offers non-Catholics new forms of solace.
During times of stress or worry, I will carry a rosary in my pocket, frequently reaching for it to diffuse my anxiety. But I confess that I am not reflecting particularly on the glorious mysteries or the veneration of Mary. The comfort comes in the repetition of prayers that were taught to me as a child by my grandmother -- prayers that she promised me would be keep me safe, and help me with my fears.
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The current appeal of the devotions like the rosary may be evidence of a powerful need for comfort and stability, especially among newer generations. When we grasp at beads, we are grasping at reassurance. When we recite the same prayer repeatedly, we are reaching for consistency that seems ever more elusive in a culture where images, inclinations, and information seem to be in constant flux. In a time when it's a struggle to get anyone's attention, it is remarkably healing to feel that our inner thoughts and hopes are always being heard.
These needs are universal and timeless, and, no doubt, have always contributed to the development of devotions over the centuries. When considering the relationship of younger generations to older devotions, it is important to remember that all devotions developed at different periods in history, and that each one was a response to the needs of that particular time.
Though the rosary is traced back to St. Dominic in the 13th century, the Divine Mercy was developed in the 1930s by Sr. Faustina Kowalska. There was a ban on the devotion from 1958 to 1978 while the Vatican reviewed Sr. Faustina's writings for orthodoxy.
There are many devotions that are no longer practiced. Their symbolic power declined with the movement of time, and new generations gravitated toward different images and prayers. Even the Eucharist has undergone changes in symbolic meaning. The first Christians probably could not have imagined a time when the bread that they shared at their meal would be placed in a distant, golden receptacle for adoration.
The value of devotion isn't in the particularities of the practice, but in the fruit that it bears. If fewer young Catholics are performing traditional devotions, this doesn't necessarily indicate that faith is waning, too. It may simply mean that symbols are changing. What once held symbolic power for one generation is fading, and new symbols are emerging. Symbols grow, change and die naturally over time. But the reality that they point to is timeless.
If young Catholics are not practicing traditional devotions, this doesn't mean that there is no longer a need for devotions, or that devotions aren't being practiced in other ways. Instead of sitting in churches in contemplation, young people now build houses and work with the poor. They make a commitment to those in need, and in their labors they devote themselves to the monastic tradition of ora et labora or "prayer and work." Other young people dedicate themselves to yoga, meditation, chant, music or other repetitive exercises that offer both a soundness of body and spirit. At a time when life is either sedentary from hours in front of the computer, or frenetic from over-commitment and over-stimulation, these practices offer the opportunity for focus and centering, and a way to use our bodies -- God's greatest gift to us -- to promote care, healing and growth.
With vows and commitments in crisis, practicing devotions are a vital way to teach younger generations how to be devoted to one another. The discipline and consistency that they develop can prevent us from being seduced by the myriad distractions that compete for our attention. The commitment that they require encourages us not to bail on a situation when it gets challenging or on a person when he or she is vulnerable. The solace that they offer helps us to be a source of comfort and peace to others. Their capacity to cultivate our spirits allows us to discern what is compulsive and corrosive versus what is life-giving.
Young people need to be encouraged in their new forms of devotion, rather than have old symbols, which may no longer speak to emerging generations, forced on them. Just because spiritual practices are new or not overtly Catholic doesn't mean that they are valueless or powerless. Though the acts of seeking are being expressed in new forms and deeds, the virtues that are being sought -- comfort, consistency, commitment, peace -- are no less of a quest for God.
[Jamie Manson received her Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School where she studied Catholic theology, personal commitments and sexual ethics with Mercy Sr. Margaret Farley. A writer based in New York, she is the former editor in chief of the Yale magazine Reflections. As a lay minister she has worked extensively with New York City's homeless and poor populations. She is a member of the national board of the Women's Ordination Conference.]
"In this regard, it is to be
"In this regard, it is to be noted that both piety and love, though always renewing the same words, do not always repeat the same thing but always express something new issuing from the intimate sentiment of devotion. And besides, this mode of prayer has the perfume of evangelic simplicity and requires humility of spirit; and, if we disdain humility, as the Divine Redeemer teaches, it will be impossible for us to enter the heavenly kingdom: 'Amen, I say to you, unless you become as little children you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven' (Matt. xviii, 3). Nevertheless, if men in our century, with its derisive pride, refuse the Holy Rosary, there is an innumerable multitude of holy men of every age and every condition who have always held it dear. They have recited it with great devotion, and in every moment they have used it as a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight, to preserve the integrity of life, to acquire virtue more easily, and in a word to attain real peace among men."
- Pope Pius XI, Ingravescentibus Malis
Cradle Catholic here. Tried to keep the daily Rosary my whole life.
"rather than have old symbols, which may no longer speak to emerging generations"
- Hmm, odd. I don't quite see why its valid to judge a devotion based on if it is 'hip' to current fashion, which is what she is basically saying. This seems to me to put the Rosary on the same level as cuffing your jeans or wearing a zoot suit.
Great article. Thanks
Great article. Thanks
"The comfort comes in the
"The comfort comes in the repetition of prayers that were taught to me as a child by my grandmother -- prayers that she promised me would be keep me safe, and help me with my fears."
Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom His love commits me here.
Ever this night be at my side,
To light, to guard, to rule, to guide.
Amen.
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
My Jesus, MERCY! (in case of imminent death or emergency) - which I still use on bumpy 16 hour long-haul flights home for summer vacation...
Thanx for the memories of my memere!
What makes this generation so
What makes this generation so special, so different, so arrogant, that we assume it cannot derive any meaning or any spiritual benefit from ancient devotions? Is this generation, this society, really so much greater, so much better, than saints like Ignatius of Loyola, Francis of Assisi, Clare of Assisi, Catherine Laboure and Catherine of Sienna, Dominic and Thomas Aquinas, Therese of the Child Jesus and Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross and Thomas More, and the thousands of saints whose faith lives were enriched by praying the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, novenas and Marian devotions, and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament? What arrogance and presumption! What close-mindedness and hard-heartedness to the grace of God!
What can be better than spending time in the very Presence of God in the Blessed Sacrament? What can be better than meditating on the mysteries of salvation, while invoking Our Lady, Christ's mother, and ours, to assist us in our hour of need? What can be better than quiet contemplation of the Sacred Scriptures in Lectio Divina? What can be better than spending some time praying the Stations of the Cross, meditating on the Passion, death and Resurrection of Our Lord, the very reason for our salvation and all of our hope?
Devotions such as these have been part of the Church's treasury for hundreds and hundreds of years. The reason they are is simple, they speak to countless generations of the faithful. But, the faithful have to be ready to receive the graces they bear, to be aware of the mysteries they celebrate, to be open to the manner in which Our Lord speaks in these devotions. Sadly, many of the "young voices" in our society are too ready to dismiss such devotions as "old fashioned" without ever taking the time to fully engage in and participate in them. That is a loss to the young who dismiss them in this manner, since they are the ones who close themselves to the abundant graces God grants through and in these devotions. The Church also suffers, though, since it too loses the graces that could be given to these folks.
I know many young people, high school and college-age, who regularly attend Eucharistic Adoration. I have been to Youth 2000 conferences where hundreds of middle schoolers and high schoolers, and college students, will spend an hour in contemplation and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. This is usually accompanied by public prayers, music and Scripture readings. I have had students of mine in Catholic school, and in CCD classes, who asked me when is the next time we would be going to Adoration. They asked because they craved the silence and peace in the midst of the noise and chaos of daily life.
At the same time, there is nothing wrong with new devotions. After all, the devotion to the Divine Mercy is quite new. But in the search for the new, one cannot discount or dismiss the traditional. The Church is a Church of traditions, that is part of its beauty and part of its divine mission. We would all do well to recall that.
There is a thing as too much
There is a thing as too much Adoration. By advocating for an endless Adoration you loose sight of the outside world. While devotions can recharge your spiritual battery from time to time, it is just that, a short term recharge. You need to get your spiritual hands literary dirty out in the real world.
The current push is all adoration, all the time if possible, what it leads too are Catholics hiding away in dark rooms and not engaging themselves. Too many devotions do lead to an form of spiritual stunting as the outside world gradually fades away.
I would disagree with your
I would disagree with your central premise, that is, that it is necessary to "get your spiritual hands...out in the real world". One of the most often made mistakes in this discussion is the assumption, false to be sure, that every single person is called to the same type of ministry. The reading from St. Paul this past Sunday should remind us that this is not the case. For some Catholics, the gift, the charism, the vocation they have been given is to minister to the poor, the needy, the hungry, the sick, etc. In other words, for some, they are called to minister "in the real world".
For others, however, their call is NOT to the world at large, but rather to a life of solitude and prayer. For these folks, God's call, the vocation they have been given, is to be men and women of contemplation and constant prayer. These are the intercessors, the ones who, by their unceasing prayer, continually beseech God to shower His graces and blessings on the rest of us. In many ways, it is due to their intercession, as well as that of the saints, and God's own mercy and love, that we have the strength to minister in the "real world".
St. Therese of Lisieux is a prime example of such a person. Her call was not to active ministry, but rather to a life of prayer in the convent. Yet, Pope John Paul the Great named her patroness of missionaries because she desired to be a missionary and through her prayers and intercession, many missionaries found their work to be successful. Hers was one of the greatest spiritual lives of the last few centuries. One could, I suppose, claim that she hid away, but in reality the outside world was ever present to her in her thoughts and prayers.
Recall the Gospel. Christ sent His disciples out on mission, they were to take no money, nothing but a walking stick. When they came back, they were so excited about all they had done, driving demons out, curing the sick, preaching the Good News. But, as soon as they returned, what did Christ do? He called them away to a deserted place. He called them to rest with Him, to talk with Him. In essence, He called them away to pray and contemplate Him. Christ knew that, without such time away, without such contemplation, His disciples would come to believe that all the good work they had done was somehow due to themselves, and they would come to see the work as central to their lives and dependent on them. He knew that His followers could not become, in our parlance, glorified social workers. He knew that they had to be about more than just that. So He called them away, after all their success in ministry, to remind them of why they were sent out in the first place -- the spreading of the Gospel and the salvation of the world.
Without time in prayer, in quiet solitude with the Lord, in contemplation (not simply sitting doing nothing, that is meditation; but in quiet conversation with the Lord -- in talking to, and then really listening to Him), we have the same temptation as the Lord's disciples. We will be inclined to put ourselves at the center of our service, rather than Christ. Moreover, we may be inclined to forget the very reason we serve in the first place, to evangelize the world.
No one would advocate, for every single Catholic, that they must spend all their time in Adoration or devotional prayer. Nor would anyone, hopefully, seriously suggest that every single Catholic must spend all their time in service or ministry. Catholicism is a religion of moderation and balance and, as Ecclesiastes reminds us, "there is a time for every purpose under Heaven".
"The current push is all
"The current push is all adoration, all the time if possible, what it leads too are Catholics hiding away in dark rooms and not engaging themselves. Too many devotions do lead to an form of spiritual stunting as the outside world gradually fades away."
I find this attitude odd. Nowhere does or has the Church advocated or taught that forms of adoration or devotion REPLACE the charity that we, following Christ's example, must do. You have obviously, by your statement, seen this requirement written somewhere or taught, right? Perhaps you could give us a link to it?
Somehow, Mother Teresa found time for Mass, full Rosary, and even Eucharistic Adoration, all the while doing her fantastic work for the poor. I guess she did realize she was spiritualy stunting herself with all that... Bl. John XXIII lived a life with days full of prayer, including the Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration if possible. Was he stunted spirtually too?
I find this... I can only term it a 'fear' of devotionals... to be, well, strange.
I think a question from our Lord is very apt here: "Could you not spend one hour with me?" Mt. 26:40.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux was
St. Thérèse of Lisieux was named the patroness of missions, despite living in cloister for her entire adult life. The Eucharist draws people into love. Some, like me, find themselves working in the world and must live their love there. Others, like Thérèse, bring blessing to the world through their prayer and devotion. Anyone who sees those devoted to the Presence of Christ as 'stunted' should refer to the story of Martha and Mary. Not all will be able to live in constant Eucharistic adoration, but let us not begrudge the gift from those who do, and instead, hope that their prayers bear fruit for the world in which the rest of us toil and speed our preparation for the coming of the Kingdom.
Charles - to a person, the
Charles -
to a person, the people in my life who spend an hour in daily Adoration and/or pray the rosary are also engaged in "corporal works of mercy": prison ministries, work in food banks and soup kitchens, visit ill/homebound parishioners, are involved in hospice and work Cursillo weekends devoted to people with physical disabilities (which means total care provided to some participants), advocacy re: public issues, care for elderly or poor neighbors, build houses for the poor (not through Habitat for Humanity - just through a network of Adorers, etc.), and tithe a full 10% to the Church plus significantly more in donations and out-of-pocket sharing with people in need, whether they are encountered on the street or at work or the grocery store.
i quite sincerely do not know anyone whose commitment to devotions results in a failure to engage in works of mercy out in the world. i wonder if you know someone who participates in Adoration without spending time engaged in corporal acts of mercy (unless they are so elderly or ill or have challenges that limit mobility, etc.).
I think this is a patently false dichotomy established to make it easier to discuss differences, and i think it is destructive.
I also often wonder if we who are "progressives" are blind to many "acts of mercy" because our worldview devalues the types of acts of mercy performed by more orthodox Catholics.
Jean Brookbank
I think we should encourage
I think we should encourage Personal Devotions. New Generations will not appreciate the old unless they are reiterated in every generation. The Rosary has lasted for centuries and will endure.
Most Eastern Spiritual practices are questionable in their compatibility with orthodoxy and tradition, so we should be aware of this.
Speaking of popular
Speaking of popular devotions, when I was a very young voice, this tune was all the rage:
http://www.lyricstime.com/tom-lehrer-the-vatican-rag-lyrics.html
Jamie, thanx for conjuring up yet another BLAST from the PAST.
Devotion is a topic noone
Devotion is a topic noone pays much attention too any more. That is a shame, for devotion, in its relational meaning, is a powerful force in most relationships that stand the test of time. It is devotion that fires our attachment to our loved ones down all the years. If constancy and reliability (characteristics of devotion) were practiced more fewer relationships would crash and burn, and I think we would be happier. Thank you, Jamie for this needed reflection.
Know who praised the Rosary
Know who praised the Rosary all the time?
Blessed John XXIII.
"The Rosary is the glory of the Roman Church. As an exercise of Christian piety, it takes its place among the faithful after the Mass and the Sacraments." -Pope John XXIII
"The Rosary, as is known to all, is in fact a very excellent means of prayer and meditation in the form of a mystical crown in which the prayers Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father are intertwined with meditation on the greatest mysteries of our Faith and which presents to the mind, like many pictures, the drama of the Incarnation of our Lord and the Redemption." -Pope John XXIII
"The Rosary, which in its entirety we never miss, even for a single day of the year, is the most fitting formula for praying and meditating." -Pope John XXIII
"My day must be one long prayer; prayer is the breath of like. I propose to recite all fifteen decades of the Rosary every day, if possible in the chapel before the Blessed Sacrament." -Pope John XXIII
I am a younger Catholic and I
I am a younger Catholic and I do a "devotion" most every night. I have an version of the Rosary on my iPod, with four separate playlists. It puts me to sleep almost every night. The beads do not do it for me, but listing to it relaxes me and keeps me sane. This is my personal way to do it and I do not push or force it on anyone.
Everyone has their own personal way to connect, some are off the cuff/improvised and some are more formal. To each their own.
Could we just stop with
Could we just stop with the"either-or" thing?! There are some for whom the traditional devotions are nourishing--like Dorothy Day, whose inner practice was very traditional, but whose outer actions on behalf of the poor were "optoion for the poor" at its most vogorous. Others, who use more "contemporary" forms of spiritual practice also contribute to the Body of Christ and the world. WE should be like the man in the parable who "draws from his storehouse treasures both new and old." Let's stop arguing over whose practices or devotions are right, and just rejoice when someone finds a way that brings them closer to God and deeper intoi their Catholic faith!
Anon - Dorothy Day is a
Anon - Dorothy Day is a wonderful example.
**I live in a Catholic Worker community that is activist, progressive, liberal, devotional;
**I am discerning with a congregation of religious women which I would describe as being progressive and deeply, profoundly, actively expressive of the traditions of the Church and the charism of their centuries' old order;
** I consider my "home parish" to be my activist and deeply traditional black Catholic parish in the Gulf south (I am a white woman no longer living there but they confirmed me and "raised me" as an adult comingback into the Catholic Church), thus, our church there is my Catholic hearth, our priest there one of my spiritual "parents";
**and I am an active member and in leadership formation with a very traditional, very devotional, very conservative Cursillo community in that same Gulf state, to which I travel several times a year since I moved away for my discernment;
**my current spiritual director is the priest who is the spiritual director for that conservative, traditional Cursillo community;
**I am in the process of looking for a religious sister to become new spiritual director,
**and my priests in Louisiana will remain essential spiritual guides, mentors, confessors in my life.
that all of these communities can welcome me, support me, celebrate with me, share God with me, struggle with me is the one of the greatest gifts of my return to the Roman Catholic Church. i am often confused by the intensity of the "both/and" of my Catholic experience and my communities are sometimes confused
by me and all my other communities.
and that thrills me. there is incredible grace in that shared confusion. it helps me try harder and harder and harder to listen to God, to search for God's will.
Jean Brookbank
i came across this kind of in
i came across this kind of in google lookup
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