Next time I'll take out the rosary.
So today I went to my seven year old son's first grade commencement ceremony. It's the best title I can give the event, "graduation" definitely feels weird and "award ceremony" is almost as awkward. It seems everyone gets some sort of recognition for just about anything these days. Guess I'm getting old and cranky.
I pulled up a seat in the cafeteria and commenced waiting out the half hour until the start of the event. Knowing none of the other parents/grandparents left me at loose ends with not much to do. So I thought of taking out my rosary and praying. THAT began a whole train of thought.
My decision not to was based on not wanting to seem proud and arrogant. I ruminated on that and wondered if prayer to God shouldn't occupy a major portion of our lives since we're to live according to His desires and keeping Him always in mind should be evident. Or so the thinking went.
It occurred to me that with the exception of ultra-Orthodox Jews and their Muslim counterparts, that sort of behavior isn't seen in this country. Why? It isn't as if the opportunities don't present themselves. How often do we find ourselves idly standing in line, just killing time until it's our turn? How often do we have a few spare moments while waiting for a haircut, doctor's appointment, whatever? Shouldn't our religious faith be ever present in our minds? Shouldn't our worship take place wherever we find ourselves when time permits it? Perhaps not every time we're waiting for things to happen, but more than we've been accoustemed to. I know anyone who's a member of the Knights of Columbus probably carries a rosary with him, yet I've never seen anyone pray in public. I know I don't and right now that doesn't seem too praiseworthy.
Maybe it sounds like I'm advocating religious obsession. Okay, wouldn't that be healthier than checking out the babes as they come into view wherever we may be? How many us do just that as a matter of routine and feel it's normal and healthy? Is viewing a woman with the idea of how "hot looking" she is any better than prayer? If we're talking about what to do with ourselves in idle moments, wouldn't prayer or meditation be a whole lot healthier?
All too often these days it seems battle lines are being drawn between those of us with strong religious beliefs and our non religious peers. I'm thinking here on the topics of the day such as abortion, gay marriage, human cloning, euthanasia, etc. Isn't a portion of the ongoing spiritual conflict ceded to our opponents by NOT professing our faith openly when we can?
Next time I'll take out the rosary.
2 comments:
Always a good idea. Our Lord God urged us to pray without ceasing. So, I think I'll join you in that practice whenever I have time to kill. As you wrote, it is better than checking out the women.
"My decision not to was based on not wanting to seem proud and arrogant."
That's a noble intention, and it's scripturally sound. Jesus advised:
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."—Matthew 6:5–8
However, it seems obvious that you weren't doing this to make a show of how faithful you are, but simply to pass the time while being mindful of your Lord. The rosary is a common way for Catholics to spend time in prayerful reflection rather than having worldly thoughts, and is hardly more ostentatious than wearing a kippah or reading The God Delusion if you don't expect to be disturbed for a while.
"Isn't a portion of the ongoing spiritual conflict ceded to our opponents by NOT professing our faith openly when we can?"
Well, you are simply availing yourself of your right to free exercise of your religious beliefs by engaging in prayerful reflection. It is not as though you are stopping on a busy street corner, muttering through a concert or saying the rosary in a synagogue; you're neither being proud nor causing people problems, so no one has any right to stop you. I'm a big believer that people should be allowed to do things even if they make other people uncomfortable, as you might guess!
That said, be careful you're not doing it just to be seen doing it, or you're on shaky territory—like Jesus said in Matthew 6. ;)
(Yada yada, ex-Christian, pinch of salt etc.)
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