Protestant Perturbation

I'm not saying that I wouldn't have more issues if I was brought up Catholic, but sometimes I find myself perturbed over my lack of awareness of all the rich traditions of our faith. I found myself most acutely in this state after finishing Sacred Pathways, a book by Gary Thomas which outlines different pathways people have taken to God throughout history. Though we seem to have no trouble acknowledging our different personality types and strenghts, as the many profiles on the market attest to, somehow we have failed to embrace that individual differences might also suggest that we draw near to God in distinct ways. From Sensates, to Naturalists, to Contemplatives, to Intellectuals, Thomas explains how different temperments are suited for different sorts of engagement with God. He also gives practical advice on how to incorporate the practices of the path most suited to your temperment. A few I enjoyed most were:

- carrying physical objects in one's hand to remind one of spiritual realities, for instance, carrying around a nail during the season of Lent to remind oneself of identifying with Christ's sufferings.

-joining the Benedictines and other orders in praying the hours at specific times of the day with intentional, historic prayers, in order to reorientate oneself to God through the day

-setting aside a distinct time of silence within the life of one's family to jointly acknowledge his presence and listen together.

This approach is also helping me with the guilt I often feel for not wanting to attend weekly Church services.