“Devoted To You”

By Mary Jeppson

      You know how a song can get stuck in you mind? It plays over and over again and again throughout your day. For some reason the song Devoted To You sung by the Everly Brothers a few decades ago came to my mind. As I la la’d my way through the song I began to think about the lyrics by Boudleaux Bryant.

      “Darlin’ you can count on me – Till the sun dries up the sea – Until then I’ll always be devoted to you

      I’ll be yours through endless time - I’ll adore your charms sublime – Guess by now you know that I’m devoted to you –

      I’ll never hurt you, I’ll never lie – I’ll never be untrue – I’ll never give you reason to cry – I’d be unhappy if you were blue –

      Through the years my love will grow – Like a river it will flow – It can’t die because I’m so devoted to you”

      It was the devoted to you which got stuck in my brain. There are millions of songs written about love and devotion to another human being. I began to wonder why we can be devoted to someone we see here on earth but seem to stumble when it comes to showing God that same devotion. Devotion is a way to express personal love to one another but especially to GOD.

      In the Catholic Church, the Mass is the central form of worship. There we worship God, read Sacred Scriptures and prayers are offered in adoration, thanksgiving, contrition and petition. Our basic duty as Catholics is to attend Sunday Mass or the Saturday Vigil Mass. Even though we are meeting our mandatory requirement of attending Mass, there is much more to our faith with the praying of devotions.

      Devotions are a wide variety of prayers, both long and short, such as the rosary, novenas, stations of the cross, litanies, Divine Mercy Chaplet, petitions to the saints, to our Blessed Mother Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Other religious practices that Catholics engage in are making a pilgrimage or a retreat. These are less official than the Mass and there are many different devotions available for each person’s spiritual need.

      Vatican II did not throw out devotions!  *“What it did say was that the separation between the Sacred Liturgy – the Mass – and all forms of public and private devotion must be clear and distinct.” The devotions are to be said outside of the Mass.

      Devotions can lead one to a deeper personal and spiritual relationship with God. He will never hurt you, He will never lie to you, He will never be untrue to you, because He is devoted to you. Find a quiet place, go down on your knees, put your hands together in prayer and with a heart full of love tell God “I am devoted to YOU!”

*Catholicism for Dummies – Rev. John Trigili, Phd, ThD and Rev. Kenneth Brighenti, PhD