MartiW
Administrator
Global user
Registered: 03-2006
Location: I
Posts: 208
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Packing . . .
One of the greatest joys I have been blessed with is just watching my husband. He is my opposite and thereby even after these many years can prove to be quite an interesting study.
I am not an advance packer. If we are leaving at 10am for a trip out of town, my suitcase will have ben out for 2 weeks due to my expectant husband, but not one thing will go in until 9 am the morning of the trip. THis drives him to the brink of insanity. One trip he actually tried to pack for me. LOL! I emptied the suitcase one hour before leaving and put in the stuff I would actually use.
The man plans trips. He makes hotel reservations and figures out where we will eat dinner. He begins packing at least 2 weeks before the trip. Having his itinerary, he will put in the suitcase each thing he will have a need for so that nothing which will be of value is left behind. He will outfit that suitcase with a new toothbrush, his extra hairbrush, new bottles of shampoo and such. It is amazing. The morning of the day before the trip, he will place the suitcase in the car. It's amazing. How can one know what they will wear that far out? He studies the weather so he knows. Then on that last day, he prepares the house and gets his hair cut. The last thing he does is to get his haircut. Why? Because if it is that important to go, it should be important to arrive in good order. Amazing . . .
As I wtched that man do this again at Christmas for a trip we took, I pondered his reasoning. He studied the weather and put in his bag what would be most valuable. Most Christians do this. THey study and put into their spiritual bag what they find is valuable. They pack all their lives for the trip to Heaven. Yet, on that last day do they do what the Lord commanded? Do they put the house in order by going to confession? So many just decide that God had to take them however they show up. Never realizing that God is not obligated to take any of us. Yet, there they go trotting off with ther spiritual suitcase.
Did they pause to think about the Annointing of the Sick? This is a sacrament so often ignored because like a will it reminds us of the mortalty of our bodies. Yet, Christ gave us this sacrament to prepare ourselves for Heaven. We have been told to be annointed when we are gravely ill, yet we choose to ignore. They have packed their bags and yet choose to ignore the final preparations because they don't understand the purpose.
I know the purpose. My husband told me when I teased him about getting a haircut before we left on a trip: If it is that important to go, it should be important to arrive in good order.
It is time we all bring the very important sacrament back to the forefront and quit relegating it to the back burner. As each sacrament brings us the grace needed for a part of our spiritual journey, this is the grace that helps us make this leg of our journey in good order. The Annointing of the Sick is important especially when one is suffering as it gives the grace to make that journey through pain in the fellowship of the Holy SPirit and the peace of our Lord.
Last edited by MartiW, 1/25/2007, 2:55 pm
---
DEUS meus, ex toto corde amo Te super omnia, quia es infinite bonus et infinite amabilis; et ob amorem Tui proximum meum diligo sicut meipsum, eique, si quid in me offendit, ignosco.
|
|
1/25/2007, 1:01 am
|
|
