Smorgasbord #46
Attacks, Diligence, Annoyance
Hello friends, this is Smorgasbord, a self-service buffet of ideas—the raclette of newsletters.
Attacks
This week has been challenging. The transition to hybrid homeschool mode has brought up some discipline issues with our six-year-old son, which we have had to deal with. The kids’ bathroom toilet got clogged, and we had to call a plumber to fix it. I started classes at the Kino Catechetical Institute this week and dealt with some miscommunication.
I have been short-tempered and not very charitable toward others. I also recognize it’s time to go to confession, get a clean slate, and a fresh dose of grace to tackle whatever comes my way.
I’ve also been fighting the temptation to call any of the things that bother me “spiritual attacks.” A clogged toilet isn’t necessarily an attack from the enemy but a direct consequence of having young children in the house that flush toothpaste caps—that’s what happened this week.
As much as I recognize that my life has a supernatural component, I don’t want to over-spiritualize it. I haven’t been sleeping well, and maybe that has more to do with my nasty mood than a spiritual attack. I haven’t been eating right or drinking enough water, and perhaps that’s why I’m cranky. I’m both body and soul and need to take care of both.
Diligence
Ever since I came back from retreat, I’ve been mulling over spiritual slothfulness. Even though I have a weekly holy hour, go to Mass on Sunday, frequent the sacraments, and pray the rosary during the kids’ bedtime, I still feel I could improve my personal prayer routine.
I looked up the virtue opposite of slothfulness and found out about diligence. Diligence is defined as a steady, earnest, and energetic effort. I think steady is critical here because I know I tend to get excited about something new and can be interested enough while the novelty is there, but once gone, I’m likely to drop it.
However, in the past two months, the Liturgy of the Hours has been popping up on my radar harder than ever. On the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, I went to confession, stayed for daily Mass, and prayed morning prayer with the senior crew. I know they do that Monday through Saturday; I had the day, so it was a treat to pray with them. I hastily downloaded iBreviary on my phone and was able to follow along with the app and the pamphlet they gave me.
An older lady who was collecting the pamphlets at the end extended the invitation for me to pray with them whenever I wanted. She mentioned that they need new blood, so they keep morning prayer before daily Mass going after they’re gone. At first, I thought it was a bit fatalistic, but then I realized that as a 40-year-old, I was probably the youngest one in that group that morning.
During the retreat, we prayed morning and evening prayers together, which was fantastic. Knowing that we were praying the official prayer of the Church made it more meaningful, to me at least. I know that Benedictine monks in Europe, religious sisters in Central America, and Diocesan priests and deacons around the world are praying the same prayers, which gives me a sense of unity.
So, I’m trying to be more diligent about praying the Liturgy of the Hours. I haven’t been very consistent, but I’m trying to at least pray the Office of Readings, which can be said at any time of day, unlike the other hours, and it has given me a lot to ponder.
Annoyance
Have you ever caught yourself doing something you hate? With everything that happened this week, I was annoyed that I realized I wanted to stay angry at something that wasn’t that big of a deal (like a clogged toilet).
I was annoyed that I knew I was soothing myself with my phone, junk food, and treats instead of unpacking the underlying causes of my anger. It’s kind of annoying to become self-aware. You run out of excuses.
Even though I enjoyed my pizza and chocolate-covered almonds, I know I will have to eventually roll up my sleeves and do some work to process everything that happened. I will probably be even more annoyed that I was freaking out for no reason and that everything worked out fine.
Most things this week have been resolved, but I still have to deal with the debris I left behind. I have to sweep and pressure wash the gunk away and get ready to start over. It’s good that I’m catching myself early, but it’s still annoying, you know?
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Sobremesa
Have you ever had to use an electric auger on a toilet?
What’s the one thing you procrastinate on that you can start doing today?
What grinds your gears?