How Many Devotions Should You Actually Practice?

The Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Brown Scapular and the Miraculous Medal are among many Catholic devotions. Some came from saint, while others were gifts from Our Lord or the Blessed Virgin Mary. There are devotions that were revealed with promises of special graces.

As Catholics, getting to heaven should be our number one priority. That makes it seem like the more devotions we adopt, the better our chances of making it to the pearly gates, right?

Not so fast.

More devotions don’t equal greater holiness. In fact, practicing too many devotions can have a detrimental effect on your spiritual life.

Here’s what you should do.

Regularly practice a few devotions.
It’s better to be faithful to a few devotions than to practice many half-heartedly. We can only do so many things in a day. This is especially true for parents, who must spend the majority of their time serving God by taking care of each other and their children.

If you limit yourself to no more than three devotions, you can focus your energy on carrying them out well. The desire to try to do everything can actually betray a hidden despair—as if what God has provided you is not sufficient, and you feel like you need to add more devotions to feel secure in your relationship with Him.

Remember, devotions are a means to union with God, not goals in and of themselves.

Choose devotions that matter to you.
Just because your friend benefits from wearing the Brown Scapular doesn’t mean that God’s calling you to have one as well. Sometimes, people who are transformed by their particular devotions falsely assume that the benefits will be the same for everyone else.

But God relates to each of us differently. While the Rosary is efficacious for all, it will influence some people to a higher degree than others who may derive more benefit from the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

The bottom line is no one should demand uniformity when the Church allows diversity.

Consider your disposition and life when choosing devotions.
There are multiple things to keep in mind when choosing your devotions. First, consider your disposition and life history. These may reveal certain devotions that are better suited to you and your needs.

For example, if you’re married, it makes sense to pray regularly to SS. Louis and Zelie Martin, the canonized parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. If you’ve long been attracted to Carmelite spirituality, you may want to consider the Brown Scapular.

You should choose a devotion you’re comfortable with, but let’s explain what this means. Take the classic spiritual book “The Imitation of Christ.” Some people struggle with its teachings because it makes them despair of ever becoming holy. Therefore, they should pick a different devotion.

But you also want to challenge yourself, so don’t only choose practices that make you feel warm and fuzzy.

Although you know yourself better than anyone else, it helps to get another opinion. A spiritual director can provide a lot of help in choosing a devotion.

Ultimately, you want something that encourages you on your walk with God. That’s the point of every good devotion.