Q: Is it a mortal sin not to pray every day? If I attend Mass every Sunday, go to confession several times a year — is that enough for being Catholic? Do I need to have a particular devotion, too, like first Fridays or first Saturdays, or the brown scapular? What if I only pray the rosary once in a while? Can I still consider myself Catholic? I’m asking because I’m a convert. – Simone

 

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC A: Welcome to the Church! It has a treasury of spiritual riches that can help you grow in holiness and deepen your relationship with God throughout your life. For starters, it might help to view your Catholic faith as a relationship with Jesus, not as a checklist of duties. In that sense, asking whether you should pray every day is like a husband asking whether he needs to talk with his wife every day. Prayer is where we try to immerse ourselves in God’s presence and speak to him and allow him to speak to us. As such, prayer is an indispensable ingredient in our relationship with God. It is essential for our perseverance in the faith and growth in holiness. “Pray without ceasing,” urges St. Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:17). So, it could be a serious omission not to pray every day, just as a husband’s not speaking to his wife every day could do deep harm to a marriage. Neglect of prayer could be a grave sin, though God alone is the judge of a soul. But let’s focus on the positive. The better question to ask is, How can you go deeper in your Catholic faith each day? That would include prayer. Just as you eat three or four times a time to keep your body healthy, you should think of dedicating at least three or four times a day for prayer, to help keep your soul healthy with God’s grace. Prayer time could include Scripture reading. You might want to sign up for daily Gospel meditations at RC Spirituality. A daily rosary can be an immense help, too. You might also consider attending a daily Mass occasionally, as part of a first Fridays or first Saturdays devotion, for instance. Monthly confession with a solid confessor can be a great help for progress in the spiritual life. Another observation: A sign of a good prayer life is a person’s growth in the virtues. A good prayer life should lead to a growth in patience, generosity, humility and charity. Living the faith well should also help you to be more apostolic, too. Volunteering at your parish or getting involved in parish missions is a fitting way to express your faith. Helpful, too, would be to learn the faith better. You might consider Father Mike Schmitz’s Catechism in a Year series. What’s crucial is to avoid a minimalist approach to the faith. Jesus doesn’t intend for us to squeeze into heaven by a hair’s breadth. He wants us to be saints. So aim high! And count on my prayers.