Multitude of Catholic devotions help us draw closer to God

By Greg Zambrano
NOLA Catholic Parenting

When considering how to participate in, share and explore my Catholic faith, I have chosen to practice Catholic devotions. A Catholic devotion is a path to explore, maintain and advance in the Catholic faith. It is a way to encounter God through prayer.

As a family, we explore diverse types of Catholic devotions such as adoration, contrition, thanksgiving and supplication to learn about the treasures of our Catholic faith.

Praying a Catholic devotion is a great way, especially for children, to learn the importance of prayer in nurturing our faith. In prayer, I can be inspired by the Holy Spirit through ancient practices and gain a stronger relationship with God, just as the saints before me have done.

For example, the Divine Mercy’s main focus is to trust completely in Jesus, not in our strength and understanding. In Matthew 17:20, Jesus tells us that if we had faith like mustard seed, nothing would be impossible for us.

Through prayer and proper direction, a person may obtain the faith that Jesus speaks about. While that seems like a goal that would be difficult to achieve, trusting in Jesus makes it possible. I continue on this path of faith so that I might hear from Jesus: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:50).

Even though it may be the size of a mustard seed, my faith keeps me headed in the right direction – toward heaven with compassion for others and away from danger.

It seems that faith is the key. Faith casts out demons, moves mountains, wins our salvation and is pleasing to God.

While it is impossible to choose a favorite Catholic devotion, all are beneficial to getting closer to God.

Our Mother Mary makes promises for reciting the rosary; there are promises from Christ for completing the Divine Mercy chaplet at 3 p.m. each day.

Other devotions, such as the Stations of the Cross, may bring about a plenary indulgence from the Catholic Church.

I’ve found the First Saturdays devotion – an act of reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary – to be an all-embracing devotion. It involves going to confession shortly before or after each first Saturday, receiving Communion, praying five decades of the rosary and meditating for 15 minutes on the one or more mysteries of the rosary for five consecutive first Saturdays.

For help getting started with a specific devotion, turn to our Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God and Mary Help of Christians. In heaven, next to her son, she knows exactly what we need to bring peace to our hearts, peace to the world and help gain our salvation.

By trusting in Christ, through the grace of Catholic devotions, I transform my fears about nuclear war, gas prices, recession, inflation, personal health, marriage and parental responsibilities. I place these concerns in God’s hands.

Let’s give our time in prayer to the Lord. In a short time, our devotion will increase our faith in Christ, our perseverance in suffering and our favor with God.

Greg Zambrano was born in Colombia and raised in Miami, Florida. After serving in both the Marine Corps and the Air Force for a total of 10 years, he became a stay-at-home father. He and his wife have been married for 20-plus years and have two daughters who attend Catholic school. They enjoy going to nearby parks and playgrounds, especially when the weather cools down. Also, as a family, they enjoy going to the movies, eating at restaurants and attending Mass on Saturday at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Shrine on State Street.