A Habit of My Own?

 

Today is the Feast of St. Clare.  As I listened to her story on Catholic radio I thought about my own life, my own desires to live a life in service to the Lord, living more simply so I can better serve others, and I thought about adopting a habit of my own.  

Now, throughout my christian walk, especially in my Protestant days, I went through phases where I did try to wear very specific clothing to set myself apart in my Christian walk.  In my late teens I started wearing the caped dresses and headcoverings of the Amish and Mennonites.  In my young married years I wanted to dress in modest 1940s, 1950s styles.  Lately, I dress in a sort of "uniform" for the kind of work I do.  I wear jeans of some sort and tshirts.  In summer, they are cropped jeans and short sleeve shirts.  In cold weather, they are regular jeans and long sleeve knit shirts, sweaters, or hoodies.  Very "mom" of me.  I miss wearing more feminine clothing.

But, a part of me wants to find a style that is suitable for my station in life, feminine, inexpensive, simple, and initially thoughtful to be increasingly thoughtless.  What I mean by that last bit is that if I put thought into it upon purchase I won't have to think about what I'm wearing or worry about making outfits.  It just simply won't matter.  

I thought, perhaps if I just wear habit-colored tops.....

But, I put it to prayer.  I'd already been asking Mary to guide me in my clothing choices.  So I asked Her about this "laywoman habit."  The thought that came to mind is that I already live simply in my clothing choices in that most of my clothing comes to me 2nd hand, either given or purchased at garage sales.  My jeans are one of two brands I can literally just grab off the shelf in seconds at local big box stores.  Inexpensive, simple.  I have days where I have the energy to put a little thought into my wardrobe, but most of the time I can pretty mindlessly put my "uniform" on.  

Therefore, I feel like Mary is giving me the nod to just keep on as I am where I am right now.  I don't feel my wardrobe is as modest as it ought to be.  Jeans are still rather form-fitting, but perhaps in her graciousness she knows I'm kind of stuck right now, and it doesn't make sense to spend the time, money, and energy redoing my wardrobe.  

So, for now, as the need arises, I will ask Mary to guide my clothing choices.  

I still think it is a neat idea to have a sort of simple wardrobe habit of my own.

Stone Soup for the Healing of the Church

 Do you remember the old children's tale about the stone soup?  In it a man comes to a hungry village seeking food only to be turned away by the poor, hungry people.  Therefore, he claims he can make a delicious soup from just a stone.  As he cooks his "soup" he quips about this herb or that vegetable being "just the thing" to improve upon the soup.  The curious villagers offer him their meager herbs and vegetables to improve upon the soup, unaware that he has tricked them into making the real soup.  At the end of the tale there is enough to feed and nourish the entire village with more to spare.  

So often I read or hear Catholics bemoaning (and rightly so) the state of the Church.  So often, though, they also conclude that it is because of one problem or another.  They blame priests all the way up to the Pope.  They point fingers and offer solutions that if only the Church would heed this one thing or another the Church would be fixed.  

I offer another solution. I offer stone soup.  Everyone in the Church needs to contribute their part.  We cannot wait for our particular diocese to have the bishop we think we ought to have.  We cannot wait for our parish to have a priest that's more serious, involved, and orthodox.  We cannot wait for a Pope we think is best for the position.  We cannot wait for more families to come into the Church.  We cannot wait for a President that we can feel comfortable being citizens under.  We cannot wait until we have more seminarians.  We cannot keep waiting and pointing fingers.  The time is NOW and the contribution is each individual contributing their Catholic Faith and Walk to the Church, to Christ.  We must get on our knees and seek the Lord's will for us as Catholics and how we must contribute to the True Unity of the Church.  

The elders will respond to the movement of the people.  We, as lay people, may only have some shriveled onions and soft carrots to throw into the stone soup.  But, as the aroma of the cooking soup permeates the Church like incense, it creates a hunger in others.  They come seeking the source of the smell.  They realize they have a garlic clove, a handful of peas, some good broth they can add.   

We must be Catholic regardless of the state of things.  We must contribute instead of only complaining that we are hungry, starving even, for the leadership and orthodoxy of the Church.  

Pray your Rosary (and/or other prayers you are devoted to).  Choose a novena.  Contribute your alms and offerings.  Seek a ministry.  Even simply being more present in mind, body, and spirit at Mass is a contribution to the stone soup.  Make your homes Catholic.  That's a big one!  Dust off your icons.  Pull your Bible from storage or the shelf and put it in a place of honor on a home altar or the coffee table.  Hang crucifixes.  Ask a priest to bless your home, and bless him with a meal.  Pray as a family, even if it simply starting with grace at dinner.  Take steps.  It doesn't matter if your contribution is a bit shriveled up.  In the stone soup it is made new and tender.