5 Easy Ways to Be a Better Catholic and Reach Heaven
Hi everybody! Alexis is the one writing this and I want to help you be a better Catholic. Only about 39% of Catholics go to church most weeks, and about 71% go to Easter Mass every year. This is a huge downfall.
Even older folks, who are generally more religiously committed than kids and adults, only reach about 51% on the scale.
My goal for this post is for you to end reading this with an anticipation to end up closer to God and to achieve the ultimate goal: Heaven. The way to be a better Catholic is in this acronym: SPASS: Sacraments, Pray, Attend, Serve, and Share.
Attending Mass is one of the best things you can do as a Catholic. You can't truly be in touch with God without going to Mass on Sundays. Saint Padre Pio said, "It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass."
Most people go to Mass on Easter and Christmas only. A handful of people don't go at all. Only some Catholics go to Mass every Sunday, which I think is very sad. The Bible stresses the importance of Catholics being gathered to worship very much.
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
Colossians 3:16
Here are some reasons you should go to Mass:
Share the Gospel! It's literally God's words. This is a simple step. Encourage your friends to delve deeper into God's love. Forgive people. Show other people how to be good. Be a role model. Just by being kinder to each other, you will reflect onto other people and generally make them kinder too.
I hope you enjoyed this and are now more interested in God.
-Alexis
If you liked this, you may like:
Mom's Prayer of the Month
OR
40 Days of Prayer
Even older folks, who are generally more religiously committed than kids and adults, only reach about 51% on the scale.
My goal for this post is for you to end reading this with an anticipation to end up closer to God and to achieve the ultimate goal: Heaven. The way to be a better Catholic is in this acronym: SPASS: Sacraments, Pray, Attend, Serve, and Share.
Sacraments
The seven sacraments are Baptism, Reconciliation, First Communion, Confirmation, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick. Chances are, you've completed some of them, probably not Anointing of the Sick. Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders are sacraments you can receive only once because they imprint a special mark on your soul that cannot be repeated. However, you can receive the Eucharist or marry more than once.
The sacraments of the dead are Baptism, Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick. These are called the sacraments of the dead because they offer grace to souls dead in sin. The other four sacraments- Communion, Confirmation, Matrimony, and Holy Orders- are called sacraments of the living because they give more grace to souls even if they are in a state of grace. All sacraments give grace if you receive them properly.
The official laws of the church state that you have to go to Reconciliation at least once a year or else that's a sin. Reconciliation is so important that it is prioritized even higher than worship. The Bible says:
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
Matthew 5:23-24
This means that confessing is so important it even comes before giving thanks to God and loving Him. Even though God loves it when He is loved and honored, He values relationships we have with each other even more.
Reconciliation and the Eucharist are surefire ways to keep in touch with God. I recommend doing each once a week: the Eucharist at Mass and Reconciliation right before. Beware, if you consume the Eucharist in the state of mortal sin, you are actually condemning yourself to hell. This is the worst sin you can commit.
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
Matthew 5:23-24
This means that confessing is so important it even comes before giving thanks to God and loving Him. Even though God loves it when He is loved and honored, He values relationships we have with each other even more.
Reconciliation and the Eucharist are surefire ways to keep in touch with God. I recommend doing each once a week: the Eucharist at Mass and Reconciliation right before. Beware, if you consume the Eucharist in the state of mortal sin, you are actually condemning yourself to hell. This is the worst sin you can commit.
Pray
This one's a no-brainer.
Many people think that prayer is like making a wish- like asking for the numbers for the Powerball on the first star. This is not true. When you pray, you are straightforwardly talking to God. Most people who know this only ask for things during prayer. For example:
Many people think that prayer is like making a wish- like asking for the numbers for the Powerball on the first star. This is not true. When you pray, you are straightforwardly talking to God. Most people who know this only ask for things during prayer. For example:
God, please help me to win the lottery. I will be happier not having to worry about not being able to pay the rent. Amen.
A good prayer should be like this:
Thank you, God, for this beautiful day. I do not know what you have planned for me in life, but I trust you. I offer up my worry about not being able to pay the rent to the souls in Purgatory. If it is your will, help me to solve my money problems and be happy. Amen.
See how much better the second prayer is? The first one is selfish and greedy. The second one reflects on the persons love for God, humbly asks for something, if God's okay with it, and offers up his worry to the souls in Purgatory. This is my guide to praying a good prayer.
- Start with the Sign of the Cross.
- Thank God for something. Maybe it's a pretty day outside, or you got to sleep in. Thank Him for that. He'll like anything you thank him for (unless it's sinful).
- Tell Him what you want to talk to Him about. Do you have a cold you want to get out of? Are you thankful for your friends and family? Or do you want to pray for someone going through surgery?
- Ask God if it's okay with Him. He will show you in little ways if He wants that or not.
- Note: If He doesn't, just trust Him. He knows what's best.
- Offer something up to the souls in Purgatory. The pain of your headache, your happiness of being with friends, or your worry are all good. Good and bad feelings will help the souls in Purgatory get to Heaven faster.
- If you want to make your prayer longer, add a written prayer, like the Lord's Prayer or the Hail Mary.
- End with an Amen and the Sign of the Cross.
I especially like to pray the Rosary because you can add a special intention for each decade and it is enforced ten times more (one for each Hail Mary). You can say the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for a shorter version of the Rosary with the same beads.
The best way to ask for something holy is to pray for the patron saint of it to pray for you. If you need to get to Mass on time so you can sign in for Eucharistic Minister, you could pray to the saint of green lights, being on time, or cars for help. Make sure not to pray directly to the saint, that is like pagan worship. Ask for the saint to pray for you, because they have a super strong relationship with God.
Attend
Attending Mass is one of the best things you can do as a Catholic. You can't truly be in touch with God without going to Mass on Sundays. Saint Padre Pio said, "It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass."
Most people go to Mass on Easter and Christmas only. A handful of people don't go at all. Only some Catholics go to Mass every Sunday, which I think is very sad. The Bible stresses the importance of Catholics being gathered to worship very much.
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
Colossians 3:16
Here are some reasons you should go to Mass:
- The Bible says we should go.
- James 1:22 states: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
- We belong to be together.
- We are in many parts, but when united, we make up Christ's body. We are an entity designed to be together for the purpose of pleasing God.
- You will be exposed to Christ's presence.
- The Church is the house of Jesus.
- He is present. His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity make up the Eucharist.
- You actually get to be part of Jesus's body when you consume Him.
- People who go to church actually live longer!
- Jesus went to church regularly.
- Luke 4:16 states: "He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom."
- We have a desire to carry out our purpose.
- We all have a longing to do something and have that absolute positivity that that was what you were made to do. That something is serving God.
Going to Mass every Sunday can be difficult -- depending on what the weather is like or how late you stayed up last night. It is one of the best things you can do as a Catholic, however.
Serve
Once you've got the basic Catholicism down, it's time to take it to the next level. Serving at your parish is a great way to increase your righteousness. You can help your parish at any age. These are also tips to
- Younger kids
- Attending Sunday School
- Paying attention when your parents or older siblings talk to you about God
- Putting some of your allowance money into the collection basket
- Reading a children's bible
- I recommend The Beginner's Bible: Timeless Children's Stories or the Jesus Calling book
- Older kids/Teenagers
- Altar serves at church. You'll have to take a lesson first
- Sign up for a Youth Ministry club
- Organize a food or clothing drive at your school
- Here's how to do it: How to Organize a Food/Clothing Drive
- Read the Bible
- Or you can read The Action Bible by Sergio Cariello
- Donate to your local food pantry
- Adults
- Be a reader at Mass
- Be a Eucharistic Minister
- Take your kids to Mass
- Volunteer at the Child Care at Mass
- Or you can create a childcare! (Mom and Dad did)
- Pay attention to what your parish is doing and help out!
- Read the bulletin to find news
The Mass is the Holy Sacrifice of Jesus recreated, with no blood. When the priest blesses the Body and Blood, that represents the Last Supper. That's why it's so important. It's witnessing His deep love for us and His sacrifice on the Cross.
Share
Share the Gospel! It's literally God's words. This is a simple step. Encourage your friends to delve deeper into God's love. Forgive people. Show other people how to be good. Be a role model. Just by being kinder to each other, you will reflect onto other people and generally make them kinder too.
I hope you enjoyed this and are now more interested in God.
-Alexis
If you liked this, you may like:
Mom's Prayer of the MonthOR
40 Days of Prayer
