Four tips for growing in the spritual life.

 Hello all! Sorry I've been absent for a while. Luckily Ava has still been posting, so you haven't been entirely deserted. 

Happy Advent! Anyway, today's post isn't directly about Advent, but it is related to it. 

Advent is the beginning of the Liturgical year, and so it is a time of spiritual regeneration. Here are my four tips to grow in the spiritual life based on my own experience. 

1. Pray the Rosary often and well. 

I found that praying the Rosary every day, though it can be hard to stick to, very beneficial to the spritual life. But especially saying it well, as it was meant to be said,  meditating on the particular mystery associated with the decade as you say it. It might be hard at first, but it will get easier as you go on. (Warning: Don't break your habit of saying the rosary every day no matter what, or else you will lose the habit. I've learned this the hard way.)

2. Recieve Holy Communion often and very well. 

This is so  important, as the Eucharist can give you untold graces if you recieve well. For me, recieving well is at the very least praying during Mass and preparing your heart, and then staying several minutes after Mass to pray. But it can, and should be, so much more. For instance, the evening before one should often think of the coming joy on the next day and try to do a little extra prayer to prepare. And then after, thinking of it often, and thanking our Lord for coming into your heart. Of course, while He is present in you, ask Him for the graces you need, thank Him, tell HIm you love Him, and whatever else that is in your heart. 

Bl Pier Giorgio would always soend between 15-60 minutes praying in the church after recieving the Eucharist! And while that isn't possible for most, at least do as much as you can. You will notice a difference in your spiritual life. 

3. Build good habits. 

This ties into the previous two, but it isn't just about the rosary an Holy Communion, but also about seemingly ordinary things, keeping your room clean, going on a walk everyday, making commitments to do something everyday, these may not directly relate to the spiritual life, but they add structure to life, and help develop the will, and so these actually do help a lot in the spiritual life. 

4. Do spirtual reading

This one is so important! I discovered a lot about my faith in listening to priests homiles and talks on the youtube channel, Sensus Fidelium. This can be anything from Catholic videos or podcasts, to lives of saints, the Bible, devotionals, anything that helps you spiritually. Try to do a little each day, and think about it. Don't be afraid to search around for the right thing for you to read/listen to. 

(Also, I don't pretend to be a paragon in doing these. Maybe I used to do them well, but the past I've been struggling a lot and I don't really have many good habits spirtually now. But I'm trying to change that, so please pray for me.)

Bonus! 5. As St Thomas of Aquinas said, 'Will it'!

God bless, and Happy Advent!