Since I spend so many of these posts ranting against liturgical irregularity and crying out for regular religious observance, it's good for me to confess when my own life becomes irregular. Check out my imperfect liturgical day today:
Office of Readings and Morning Prayer: Prayed in my room over a cup of coffee each, with making my bed and doing the morning email sift in between.
Mass: Intended to offer the Mass of St. Peter Chrysologus later in the day after returning from a meeting in Connecticut. I got home later than I thought, and with less energy, and it didn't happen. Nice job, Charles, living up to CIC 663, 2: "[Religious] are to make every effort to participate in the eucharistic sacrifice daily, to receive the most sacred Body of Christ, and to adore the Lord himself present in the sacrament."
Mid-Afternoon and Evening Prayer: recited in rapid succession while sitting in a Yonkers storefront, waiting for Chinese take-out (I'm home alone in the friary tonight.)
Night Prayer: to be offered later in the usual manner, presumably.
And tomorrow is another day, Brother.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless!
Ah yes, the other day I found myself saying a rosary - with a football game on the radio in the background. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteMan: "Father, is it OK if I smoke while I pray?"
ReplyDeletePriest: "Of course not, you are not showing proper reverence in your prayer."
later on
Man: "Father, is it OK if I pray while I smoke?"
Priest: "Of course, my son, you should pray always and everywhere, without ceasing."
(not to denigrate the value of regular liturgical observance, just ... not to let the form trump the substance)
I often find myself taking a 15 minute break at work so I can go to my car and say Morning Prayer. Oh what people must say about the librarian who crosses himself frequently in the parking lot. ;-)
ReplyDeleteBefore I was in religious life I worked in a group home. Since we had to watch them when they used the bathtub, sometimes I would say Evening Prayer sitting on the shower chair while they had fun splashing away.
ReplyDeleteMy perfunctory prayer life makes yours look positively saintly.
ReplyDeletePray for the Secular Franciscans of the world, that we might somehow be something real here, and not merely a pious sodality of perfunctory prayer and lame-duck activity.
Yeah, I'm feeling a bit low today.
W
I shall, Warren, if you make the same prayer for us mainstream religious, that we might even be a pious sodality!
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I really love about Advent is that every year, without fail, God chooses to tell me in no uncertain terms that I need Him to come save me.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to know that He does the same for you!
During the week my wife and are right on the ball with Morning and Evening Prayer. Then the weekend comes..."not right now... when we get back... to late, now..." you get the idea.
ReplyDelete