What if a few simple habits could change your life?
Daily Prayer
We should devote at least 15 minutes each day to prayer, striving for 30 minutes or more as the habit grows, and make a weekly holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament when possible. Daily prayer should include both vocal prayer and meditation, engaging our minds and hearts in a loving encounter with God. Spiritual reading, especially Scripture and the Gospels, nourishes this prayer and deepens our knowledge of Jesus Christ. By reading Scripture prayerfully, we enter into a dialogue with God: listening to him through his Word and responding in prayer. Daily Prayer Bishop Hying Audio
Reclaiming Sunday
Just as God "rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done," [Gen 2:2] human life has a rhythm of work and rest. The institution of the Lord's Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives. [Cf. GS 67 § 3]. On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord's Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body. [Cf. CIC, can. 120] Family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health. Reclaiming Sunday Bishop Hying Audio
Monthly Confession
Regular, devout participation in the sacramental life of the Church gives us the grace we need to live faithfully and obey God’s commandments. We should make a good confession frequently—ideally every month, and whenever we are conscious of having committed a mortal sin.
Fridays throughout the year should be observed as days of penance, much as Lent is a season of penance. Abstaining from meat remains a particularly recommended practice, though outside Lent, Catholics in the United States may choose another voluntary act of self-denial. By giving up something we enjoy, we reclaim the penitential spirit of Friday and grow in discipline and devotion to God. We will not fully reclaim Sunday as a day of worship and holy leisure in honor of our Lord’s Resurrection if we do not also reclaim Friday as a day of penance in remembrance of his saving Passion. Friday Penance Bishop Hying Audio