Growing up, my family and I always used to and still do attend Sunday mass at our church. It was our family tradition that I loved to do but as my sister and I became older and were involved in many extracurricular activities this Sunday tradition was very hard to keep so we were not able to go every weekend.
As I navigated through high school and now college with a very busy course load I have learned and now partake in many ways to stay strong with my faith and God that isn’t just attending mass on the weekends. These past years for me in college have been difficult so turning to my faith has been a huge outlet for me to help preserve and remember to count my blessings even through hard times. I have weekends where I unfortunately have prior commitments and cannot make a mass. So, I have come up with a list of a few options you can choose to utilize if you find yourself a little too busy to attend a mass but still would like to have a connection with your faith.
1. Praying
This option is my favorite choice to utilize. Why? Because you can pray at any time of the day: when you are walking, before a test, when you wake up, in the library, etc. Whenever I pray, I like to pray for someone or a group of people and then I will say a prayer for myself as well. Though simple praying can go a long way and can help you feel more connected in your faith while thinking about loved ones in your life.
2. Writing down your intentions and gratitudes every morning or night
For Christmas, I was able to receive a daily gratitude journal to help keep my thoughts and prayers organized for when I write down my prayers, lists of what I am grateful for, etc. Writing down your intentions and gratitudes of the day can not only help your faith but also help you become a better person as a whole. This can give you a chance to sit with your thoughts for a few minutes each day and think about what matters to you in your life.
3. Random acts of kindness each day
Taking time out of your day to do a kind or helpful act for others is a great way to stay close to your faith. This could be anything like asking a family member or friend how they are doing, complimenting a friend on their outfit, holding a door for someone, buying a sweet treat for a friend, etc. From the Independent, I found an article about Pope Francis discussing Christians who go to mass but do not do good deeds. From the article a quote was, “If I say I am Catholic and go to mass, but then don’t speak with my parents, help my grandparents or the poor, go and see those who are sick, this does not prove my faith, there’s no point,” said Francis.” This for me embodies what my faith is because when I was younger, I thought going to church was all my faith consisted of but as I got older, I learned it is about being a good person and helping others in any way. If you miss a Sunday mass, it is okay, and you can still have faith and be well vast in your religion by giving back to your community through any small or large deeds!
4. Journaling
Free journaling is a great way to practice staying connected with your faith. For me, I like to either write down whatever is on my mind at the moment or look up prompts to help me think about my life or what is going on in the world currently!
All these options can be done at any time of the day when you feel most comfortable. The little things in life that you partake in do add up to being connected with your faith. If you try sitting alone and doing one of these options, you may be surprised and fall in love with doing such mundane things to help make your faith stronger. To all the college students trying to stay connected with their faith or religion, I hope these options help widen your perspective of things to help build and keep your faith strong!
Cite: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pope-francis-catholic-church-no-point-if-you-dont-believe-in-it-help-the-poor-christian-parrots-a7529631.html