There are many options when it comes to following lifestyle bloggers and Instagrammers in the hills and valleys of the internet. Thankfully, many of those options are Catholic women who want to help you live your life beautifully and well while following Jesus and his Church.
Sometimes, though, the sheer amount of content and contradictory advice in our social media channels can leave us confused and overwhelmed. If you want a few good resources for how to live a Catholic lifestyle, instead of feeling overloaded with options and opinions online, here are some physical books that are quite helpful, and provide a great starting point. If your library doesn’t have them, they're probably most easily and affordably available through inter-library loan.
The following three books provide practical, helpful tips and answers to questions like: How can you celebrate your Catholic faith in your daily life? How can you help your family love God and each other more in your daily routine and in your home?
First, check out the book The Little Oratory. The authors orient your day and home towards prayer and thus towards God. They write in a common sense way that feels natural and attainable, and they even cover how to decorate your home. Their approach gives objective truths about decoration and organization that leaves room for your personal style and touches.
I am not naturally inclined towards interior decorating, and their advice was helpful and made sense to me. The book even includes beautiful artwork on perforated pages in the back that you can remove and display in your home. They cover topics like how to pray the Rosary with kids, and what to do if you are too busy to pray.
Second, the book Around the Year with the von Trapp Family gives you ideas about how to create traditions and celebrate different feasts throughout the year to help your kids learn about the faith in an enjoyable way. Maria von Trapp (the real life Maria from the movie The Sound of Music) shares recipes and songs that she and her family used to celebrate everything from saints' feast days to big feasts like Christmas and Easter.
My favorite part of this book is learning from the stories she shares about her family and what their life was like. I particularly appreciated reading about how they kept Sundays as a special, holy day.
Third, if you've ever had to make decisions about how to spend money for your family, then Happy Are You Poor is a book you should read. It lays out guidelines that help the reader determine how to spend money. Did you know that Jesus talks more about what you should do with your money than about how to pray in the Gospels? The author gives concrete examples of people who have lived what he talks about, showing that it is not only feasible but essential that we reconsider how we handle our finances in light of Jesus’ teaching. The content is challenging but convicting. So, reader beware!
From praying as a family, to celebrating and feasting, to decorating your house, to planning your budget, you can live it all well as Catholic. Some of these ideas you can implement tomorrow, and others may take some time to incorporate into your life. Some are simple, like singing a special song on Sundays, or eating ice cream to celebrate your Baptism anniversary. Others are a little more time-intensive, like creating a special prayer corner in your house, or re-thinking how you do your budget. Just implement what jumps out at you slowly, one baby step at a time.
