Missal toe rule
Well, here we are. After lotsa fun giving thanks, we've reached the end of my week full of Thankful Thursdays! Yes, it's ...
Thankful (Thurs)DAY #7:
Today, the 3 things I'm thankful for are:
1) The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order. God knew that, left to my own devices, I'd quickly devolve into a big amoebic blob of spiritual schlepitude, so He gave me my Franciscan vocation. Which quite helpfully comes with a Rule of life, keeping me from getting lost on the journey. (And boxing me about the ears as needed. Which is, to say, a lot.)
What the Rule means to me is best described this way: In the Little House on the Prairie book series, there's a scene in Little House in the Big Woods where Laura talks about a horrifically nasty blizzard and how, to ensure they don't get lost in the snow when going from the house and barn, they string a lifeline between the two buildings. As long as they hang onto the line, they'll make it safely to their destination. Let go, and it's highly likely they'll lose their way in the blinding snow and wander off to their deaths. The Rule is my lifeline, and as long as I hold on, I have hope that I'll safely make it to our "ultimate encounter with the Father". (Art. 19)
2) All 10 toes in working order. They're not much to look at, and in fact, I don't like looking at ANYone's toes, no matter how prettified. ::shudder:: But, you can't deny their usefulness. Thanks to those tiny packages of tendons, bones, joints, nerves, and muscles, I can stand, walk, run, jump, skip, tiptoe, and even pirouette. (Yeah, so that last one ain't that likely.) They've helped me stay steady on rocking boats, test the temperature in pools, reeeeaaaach up to that annoyingly high top shelf in the linen closet (though I can never quite make it), and proactively smack a smooch on Husband Mike. They're also handy for when you wanna pick up a pencil on the floor without stooping down. Go, toes!
3) The revised English translation of the Roman Missal. Now with MORE AWESOME! (Literally.) After all this waiting, we can finally revel in saying stuff like, "And with your spirit", "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault" (my fave), and "consubstantial with the Father". Sure, we bumbled along at today's Mass, and a sizable chunk of folks never even bothered to look at the reference cards, resulting in a jarring cacophony of the old text and revised text. But, still. Change takes time, and we'll get there eventually. It's worth the effort, because these updates are like a turbocharged set of toes, helping us to reeeeaaaach up higher than before.
Your turn! What 3 things are you thankful for today? :-D
Labels: gratitude, reflections, thankful thursday, thankfulness
posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink 
3 Comments:
I admit it, I didn't get "and with your spirit" right until the final blessing--and I'd read the booklet, attended the class, and opened the missalette! We were all giving it a shot, though. And overall, I think it was well worth the little bit of adjustment we're going through now.
Yeah, I totally goofed that one up, too, Barb, which triggered A Very Stern Glare from Husband Mike, LOL!
Silver lining in the bumbling (for me at least): It's causing me to pay closer attention to what we're saying, rather than slide into autopilot! :-D
LOL...there was a lot of bumbling at our mass too. What was most adorable were the little kids - who've been practicing at school for weeks - nudging their parents and rolling their eyes when the grownups said the old words.
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