Establishing Spiritual Habits

One thing I'd like to do is to neaten up my spiritual life so I have a better grasp of what I am doing and where I want to expand or what needs changing up.

In my head I have things in the categories of daily, weekly and monthly.  I also have a continuum.  On one side I have what I do now and on the other side I have the ideal to work towards.

Daily:

Wake - at some moment of in the dim consciousness of waking up, gather my awareness and say, "Yes, Lord!"

Personal Morning prayer - this is usually while I wait for coffee.  I had been doing a novena every morning and that was wonderful but it got rote, so then I started just making the sign of the cross and doing some religious reading.  I would like to do both a morning novena/prayer and about 10 minutes of reading.

Family morning prayer - this is really just with Sean and Becky.  We've been saying the Morning Offering, then reading from the Word Among Us for each day's Mass readings.  I like this but the kids tend to sleep on the couch and I have no idea how much they are taking in.  Sometimes it seems a bit sacrilegious.  We also listen to the Saint of the Day.

Copy work - when we are doing copy work during the year, some of it is of a religious nature.  Perhaps a prayer diary?

Grace before meals

Pray a decade of the rosary whenever I get into the car.  I used to be better at this but have really fallen away.

Watch EWTN news at 6:00 - this keeps me informed about the world and also up on what is happening in the Church.

Evening prayer - this is so rote.  I don't know if the kids are actually praying.  We say an Our Father and then ask God to bless the family then we conclude with the St. Michael the Archangel prayer.  Kids can add in prayers of petition.  This is a ritual from childhood but I wish I knew there was a real raising of our hearts and minds to God.

Weekly:

Sunday Mass - usually 10 a.m. though a significant number of times a year we wind up going to another mass, not always at St. Mark.

Daily Mass - we usually try to go to one daily mass during the school week.  At the beginning of this year we went to St. Tim's on Thursdays at noon.  Then we realized St. John Neumann usually has a Mass at 12:10 on Fridays so that's been the Mass of choice lately.

What I'd like to do is say a rosary once a week.  I have tried at various times to be more faithful in saying the rosary.  It is a chore for me.  I think I would do better to stay at the daily Mass and say the rosary with a group.  I think I'd be more likely to be consistent.  We usually leave right after because we are hungry.  But maybe the kids would be okay with staying and saying the rosary too.  We can brainstorm about how best to incorporate it into our habits.

Divine Mercy Chaplet - I'd like to remember to say this once a week.  I am thinking either on a Friday or Saturday at 3:00 p.m.  Again, I am going to see if the kids can't help keep me accountable.

Once a week - Focused attention on learning the faith - either through curriculum or some kind of study.  Sean can do this via CLC.  Becky could do this while working on her Marian medal.  But I also want to have a philosophical component to our homeschool - to put in place that logical foundation that informs the faith.  I started reading Aristotle for Everybody but I think I will have to wait to finish it next year.  I also want to watch the lectures on Natural Law.  Also, we could re-watch Catholicism and maybe get Father Barron's latest video series.

Giving something up on Fridays - usually I try not to cook or eat meat but we often are sloppy about this.  When the kids were little they would give up screen if they were really craving bacon or something.  But now no one even thinks about it.

Some service for others - maybe something through St. Mark or through AHG or something on line (even sign a petition, donate, spread info).  This is something important I should really solidly incorporate into our weekly calendar.  ****

Monthly:

Prepare for any liturgical feasts or celebrations.

Go to confession (usually I only go 4x a year, so this would be a big change)

Go to Adoration once a month - St. Mark has Adoration every First Friday.  If I miss that I could go on a Sunday afternoon.

Volunteer more at St. Mark

This isn't monthly, but to occasionally go on pilgrimage.  This year I did more of that kind of thing because Becky was preparing for Confirmation.  We went to the Grotto up at Mt. St. Mary's, to the Franciscan Monastery in DC and to the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy up in Stockbridge MA.

Another not monthly thing - go on retreat.  I have not been to an overnight retreat in 37 years!  I have been to a few one day retreats.  I think I need an overnight retreat at some point very soon!