Happy feast of Our Lady of Lourdes
Have you ever done something out of habit and not realized you did it or why? The other day, I was preparing some cucumbers for dinner, and I automatically cut off both ends and rubbed them on the edges of the cucumber. Has anyone ever done this? I was told it takes away the bitterness, but I need to Google why! However, I did it because of sheer habit.
There are lots of stories I can share with you about how people act out of habit, not knowing why they’re doing something, but I’ll stop here and let you walk down your own memory lane. My experience of doing things out of habit led me to reflect on how I am truly living out the Gospel message in today’s world. Do I simply do things out of habit without thinking? I was reminded of this when I tuned in to a Sunday Mass from the Catholic Community of Sacred Heart Parish in Hopedale, MA, where my friend, Fr. Bill Konicki, is Pastor.
One of the first things he said was “God did not create the world we are now living in, but allows it because God created humans with free will.” How am I acting to help create a world that ought to be? It’s not easy doing the right thing for the right reason and doing it from a heartfelt place, not just because that’s the way it is supposed to be. Am I fully aware, fully alive, in choosing those actions that would bring life to others as well as to myself and this world.
There is really a lot to think about, and no one can answer the question of why we do some of the things we do in life except us. Is attending Mass just a habit, or am I fully participating in the Liturgy? Do I say the Creed without hearing the words in my own heart? What about praying before meals or before going to sleep? Is it just a habit?
Would you sit, for this week, with the thought that ‘you need to help create the world as it ought to be?’ as God created it. After you’ve reflected on the way you live, act, or respond to others in today’s world, say along with God, “And this is good!”
Till next week,
Sister Theresita
