nothing.
this morning, my priest told us about his recent 10-day visit to a convent in missouri. it's a cloistered community whose 20-plus sisters take, among other things, a vow of silence. they only talk (conversationally) one hour per day.
but father lutz didn't focus this morning on the talking that these sisters don't do. he focused on what they do do.......like sweep the floor even if it doesn't seem to need it.
like arrange the sanctuary flowers. per. fect. ly. taking each petal and turning it........just so.
like, when laying out his vestments in preparation for him to say Mass, they twist the fabric into intricate patterns and flourishes.........perfectly symmetrical on each side.
how when they are reciting prayers in the chapel, if one of them goofs up and says the wrong word, she will genuflect and strike her breast, thereby publicly atoning for not having offered her most perfect prayer to her Lord. how the other nuns maintain "custody of their eyes," meaning, they don't crane their necks to see which sister screwed up. instead, they keep their eyes straight forward or straight down - or closed - as the circumstance requires.
was father lutz suggesting that his flock sweep the floor of the church even if it doesn't need it? no.
yes.
what i think he was trying to say was, why stop there? why stop short of aiming for perfection in serving and loving the Lord? why? just because you'll fail? your spouse will fail in striving to perfectly love and serve you. you want me to tell him/her to stop trying?
most of us try really hard to, for example, make money. or to make good grades. we try hard to raise good kids (although too many of us do that so that we can be proud). most of us try to obey the law. well, except for the ones we don't like, like the speed limit.
most of us try a fairly decent amount to do a fairly decent job at most of the things we do.
but how many of us try that hard - how many of us try harder - how many of us bend over backwards - to please God?
how many of us touch each. petal?
i don't think that father lutz was trying to tell us to go out and make ourselves sick or to kill ourselves with non-stop labor. i don't think he was saying that we should try to develop psychological disorders, like OCD, in the service of Christ. but i think he was saying that there are miles and miles and miles of improvement - of striving - that each of us can - and should - be making towards the goal of being not only good, but.......... holy.
if i sweep my floor once before you come over to visit, how many more times should i sweep it if i expect Christ to drop by?
which, by the way, He did.
