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phplists
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What's your favorite devotional and why? I've used Magnificat for awhile, but feel that I don't take full advantage of it. I've heard wonderful things about In Conversation with God, and of course, Elizabeth Foss just blogged Divine Intimacy. Any other wonderful recommendations? Thanks!
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Pam
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St. Ann
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I also use Magnificat and am very happy with it. I also don't take full advantage of every prayer and reading listed, but I am thankful for it for what I can use. I am able to attend daily Mass , and use some of the prayers for family prayertime. I do a lot of free editing, depending on the present attention span and energy of the children. We also use the prayers for Grace before and after meals. It is new each month so you really listen closely. I really don't know anything else to recommend.
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Stephanie
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Cay Gibson
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phplists wrote:
| I've used Magnificat for awhile, but feel that I don't take full advantage of it. |
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I'm using it for the first time this year. Can I ask what would "full advantage" consist of? It is full of good stuff, it seems, and I'm wondering why it never kept my interest...past the lovely cover, of course. 
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Cay Gibson
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Willa
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Cay Gibson wrote:
| Can I ask what would "full advantage" consist of? |
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I'm just speaking for myself... for me it would be that I usually don't do the family night prayers in the front of the book, or read the Canticle of Simeon every day, or do the readings and meditations at the right time of the day -- since the readings are divided up into morning, Mass, and evening. I would like to do all those, but I never remember. I usually end up spending 5-15 minutes just after lunch.
If you took full advantage of Magnificat, it would be somewhat similar to saying the Divine Office, wouldn't it? (just asking, since I don't know for sure)
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Willa
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Willa
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phplists wrote:
What's your favorite devotional and why?
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I generally use Magnificat more than any other.
Another great devotional that Elizabeth recommended is "I Believe in Love" -- here -- based on the teachings of St Therese.
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Willa
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Take Up and Read
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Mackfam
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I know I'm repeating myself Pam  but I'll put this up here in case anyone else is looking...
I'll give you a few reasons why I like In Conversation With God...I like that it is divided up to reflect the seasons of the Church Year. I like that there are a set of reflections for that specific day in the Church year. And, I love the spiritual depth and practicality of the spiritual direction. "In Conversation" really filled a desire I had and greatly needed for spiritual direction. Most of the wisdom in the books is from Opus Dei's founder, St. Josemaria Escriva, and I find his wisdom so deep and yet so simple to understand and so easy to apply daily. It's just real. Oh, one more thing I love, most days end with how we can ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to help us with that day's application which really helps me live out my Consecration to her.
For each day there are 3 sets of readings, almost like 3 paragraphs that teach about the day's focus. For example, for today, January 4 the focus is THE FAITH OF THE KINGS. The three paragraphs are each entitled:
1. Firmness in Faith. Overcoming human respect, comfort, attachment to worldly goods, to seek Our Lord.
2. Faith and docility in moments of darkness and disorientation. Letting ourselves be helped.
3. The only important thing in our life is to reach Our Lord.
It's expensive for the set, but I highly recommend them.
My other favorite is a small prayer book called Mother Love. It is a treasured book originally published by the Archconfraternity of Christian Mothers.
I do long one day to work up to praying the Divine Office with the Church Universal, but I'm not there yet...perhaps I will be one day with God's Grace.
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Jen Mackintosh
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stefoodie
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Another vote for In Conversation with God. This series has touched me more than any other devotional and I continue to read and reread for that reason.
I'm trying to do the Lit of the Hours but I still don't say it as regularly as I would like to. So far, though, it's been a tremendous help and comfort to me through some recent difficulties, e.g., the election, family issues, etc. More often than not the readings are JUST what I needed to see/hear that day. It's amazing how the Lord works!
We've subscribed to Magnificat before but like the OP I feel like I wasn't taking "full advantage" of it. Similar to the Lit of the Hours I think it takes more discipline, which I didn't have at the time (still don't ).
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stef
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I have started praying the Divine Office (just morning and night prayer right now) and find it incredibly inspiring. My husband uses Divine Intimacy and really loves it. We also have the Word Among Us which I use with the children.
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Marilyn
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anitamarie
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I've used Magnificat for 5 or 6 years. I use it for Morning Prayer and the readings from Mass each morning. I can't often get to daily Mass, so I love praying with the Church. I've never really felt like I had to use all the prayers and prayer times in it in order to take "full advantage". I think one of the things I like about it is that I can tailor it to my situation and use as much or as little as I want. I love the Companions they publish during Advent and Lent as well. I have In Conversation with God as well, but don't seem to use it/connect with it as much. Good Luck.
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Cay Gibson
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stefoodie wrote:
| Similar to the Lit of the Hours I think it takes more discipline, which I didn't have at the time (still don't ). |
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Stef, do you mean the Magnificat takes more discipline?
Willa wrote:
| Can I ask what would "full If you took full advantage of Magnificat, it would be somewhat similar to saying the Divine Office, wouldn't it? (just asking, since I don't know for sure) |
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THat's pretty much what I was wondering (thinking).
I was working through the Dodos book but I'm only up to Lesson 8. It looks like it'll take me all of 2009 just to understand the Divine Office.
When I opened the Magnificat, it seemed so complete and easier to navigate.
I'm glad you brought this question up, Pam, because I'm in the middle of discerning what my best devotional means are for 2009.
And I'm very picky...
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Cay Gibson
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SuzanneG
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I have a year's worth of Magnificat that I re-use at different times every year. It's not EXACTLY the date, etc.....but I go by what liturgical week we are in. I mainly used the Morning Prayer from it, and occasionally the Mass readings and Evening Prayer.
Divine Intimacy This was in an Adoration Chapel we used to go to, and I would read it. I liked it a lot. A friend has it, and we pass it back and forth.
i've borrowed In Conversation with God before. I like it a lot, but it's "a lot." Not the "have a couple minutes and want to read something." It's very meaty. Does anyone at your parish have this that you can take a look?
There are also these two magazine-devotionals that I remember using at some point:
My Daily Visitor (follows the liturg year)
and
God's Word Today (monthly bible study on one book or aspect of the Faith)
Both of these, you can request a complimentary copy to see if it's what you're looking for.
One of my favorites is this little book: My Daily Bread. It has nothing to do with the Lit. Year, but it's wonderful!
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Suzanne in ID
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SuzanneG
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Cay Gibson wrote:
Willa wrote:
| Can I ask what would "full If you took full advantage of Magnificat, it would be somewhat similar to saying the Divine Office, wouldn't it? (just asking, since I don't know for sure) |
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THat's pretty much what I was wondering (thinking).
I was working through the Dodos book but I'm only up to Lesson 8. It looks like it'll take me all of 2009 just to understand the Divine Office.
When I opened the Magnificat, it seemed so complete and easier to navigate.
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The Magnificat is sort of like the Divine Office. It's a similar format and it's all laid out for you. Easier to hold, easier to find. But, it's not the "official" prayer of the Church.
I found this in a past thread: Liturgy of the Hours
DominaCaeli wrote:
CKwasniewski wrote:
| Unfortunately, the Magnificat night prayers, etc. have very little to do with the liturgy of the hours as said by priests and religious. It is totally their own thing. However, it can be very helpful for some people and it is a place to start. |
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The prayers included in the Magnificat can get one used to the canticles (Zachariah for the morning, the Magnificat itself for the evening) and introduce one to reading a psalm as part of one's prayer life, so they are in that way quite helpful as an introduction. But they are only tenuously tied to the particular readings of the Liturgy of the Hours.
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Suzanne in ID
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JennGM
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I love In Conversation with God. It's been suggested to me that you need to read the entire section for each day. You can take one of the three sections to "chew" throughout the day. I picked it up again this Advent and I just came away every day thinking that Father Socias was a fly on the wall because everything spoke straight to me. They are also closely linked the the Liturgy of the day. I highly recommend it, but maybe start with just the Lent/Easter volume, then the Advent one. Those are the best IMHO.
I have my stack of books for my devotions. I always read through the readings, so I use Magnificat, but you could also buy a Daily Missal (I love Daily Roman Missal) that doesn't require an ongoing subscription but one Missal for the whole liturgical year, but they don't have the great meditations as in the Magnificat. I love reading those.
I also have the Handbook of Prayers which I say a few prayers, particularly for morning and evening prayers, some novenas, and then I have the Liturgy of the Hours (which I don't pray regularly). Depending on my day, I'll touch on these. In Conversation with God is my "meditation" book, which I try to start each day with some thoughts and meditation time. I try, I don't always do it.
In addition I try to do some spiritual reading. If you haven't read I Believe in Love, you should really give it a try. It's so beautiful. I think I'm on my 5th or 6th time of reading, but use quotes from it frequently in my daily prayers. I have a stack of index cards with quotes and prayers that I have in my Magnificat. It's a message I need to remember, trust, confidence and total Love of God.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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DianaC
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I was listening to Fr. Wade Menezes recently on Catholic Answers Live and he was speaking on his Living Life Abundantly program - very inspiring!- and he recommended both Magnificat (which I use) and (another that I had never heard of) called One Bread, One Body
I looked at their website and it looks like it's worth trying - you can request a free sample.
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aussieannie
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I feel a bit silly...I've not heard of the Magnificat, can someone put a link up? Is there anywhere online where you can view inside?
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Elizabeth
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Magnificat
I really like In Conversation with God as well. Mine is a good ten years old or older and falling apart.As a result, it's not really part of my daily habit any more. Replacing the whole set isn't in the budget just yet.
I like Divine Intimacy very much. It Is keyed to the old calendar, though, which makes it a little tricky to navigate.I probably just need to print a Traditional calendar and keep it in the book.
I prefer Magnificat to trying to navigate the Liturgy of the Hours during this season of life. I really appreciate having the Mass readings in the Magnificat and I like the additional meditations as well. I'm praying Night Prayer with the children using Night Prayer.
Incidentally, the portability of Magnifcat also appeals to me just now. I can take it anywhere and it doesn't weight down the diaper bag as much as LoH does and I won't flip out (much) if it gets lost.
I bought Mother Love at Jen's suggestion and really enjoy it and I also like the Mother's Manual.
I've sort of fallen into making my own devotional. It began when i wanted all my pregnancy prayers compiled in one place. I used a pretty three ring binder and page protectors. Now, I've added dividers and shuffled some things around. I've got some perpetual novenas in there and I just recently pulled some things from the gentleness thread that I want to pray and ponder. For me, this is a good format for keeping my prayer life very keyed to my own needs, intentions, and aspirations. There are some pictures in there as well to keep me focused. The Mother's Manual slips easily into a protector and so does Magnificat. As much as I'd like to pray in the same place throughout the day, that's not happening. This way, the notebook and a Bible in a tote work for me.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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phplists
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Wow! Thanks so much for all the replies to this thread. I decided to try Divine Intimacy (thank you for the heads up about it being keyed to the older calendar), and Mother Love (thanks Jen).
I can't wait to build up more budget to try some of the others - including In Conversation with God.
And to the poster who asked what IS Magnificat, thank you for asking! The first time I posted this question, I was kind of worried that people would think I was silly for not having the whole devotional thing completely down and covered!! I actually took the post down but the moderators held my hand and encouraged me to repost!
It turned out to be such a fruitful question! I hope the discussion will continue - if anyone has anything else great to share! What a wonderful resource this forum is!!!
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Pam
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phplists
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By the way, Mother Love is published by an organization called the Confraternity of Christian Mothers - is anyone here involved in a local group?
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Pam
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SuzanneG
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All Catholic Books has Divine Intimacy for $28.00. There are 13 copies left.
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Suzanne in ID
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Elizabeth
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phplists wrote:
| By the way, Mother Love is published by an organization called the Confraternity of Christian Mothers - is anyone here involved in a local group? |
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I wondered the same thing Pam. I don't know of a local group. Does anyone know anything about this?
Suzanne, that's an AWESOME deal on Divine Intimacy!
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: REPOST: Your Favorite Devotional?
