Think about those times in your life when you have felt inspired to something really great. Where does that inspiration come from?
The Holy Spirit. God inspires us to do great things with our lives.
----Matthew Kelly

Welcome to The Not So Perfect Catholic!

Disclaimer: I am not a theologian, just a Catholic empty-nester trying to figure it all out. The views on this blog are my own.

Lepers & Saints

During RCIA, we start out by reading the next Sunday's Gospel and having a discussion. Sometimes it can be very interesting to see what stood out for some people.  This week, there were varying opinions: was the leper being prideful when he was healed? Why did Jesus tell him not to tell anyone? What was the "cleansing what Moses prescribed" (Mark 1: 44)?

The Cleansing Process

After reading Leviticus 14 1:32, I realized what a long, arduous process the cleansing is. It wasn't a quick sacrificial ceremony, rather, it took days. It begins with 2 live birds and cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop. 1 of the birds is slaughtered over fresh water, then the live bird (along with the other materials) is dipped into the blood. The person is then sprinkled 7 times with this blood. The person is then allowed to go back to his house, but he can't go in it just yet. He has to stay outside for 7 days (I'm assuming this is so that the house can be declared "clean"...the rest of chapter 13 of Leviticus discusses that process.), when he has to shave off all hair, wash his clothes, and bathe in water. On the 8th day, 3 lambs are brought before the priest: 2 male and 1 female. One of the males is sacrificed, with the blood being put on very specific places on the one being cleansed. Then, oil that also was brought is placed on specific body parts of the person. Next is a purification offering. Verses 21-32 discuss the cleansing process for someone who is poor, which I imagine a lot of lepers were since they were banished from the community and their families were shamed. It was an interesting read, for sure!

What's the Connection?

During the Readings during Mass, I thought of how the 3 Readings were intertwined. I think some Sundays I have a hard time fitting the 3 together, but not this week. The First Reading (Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46) touches on what I described in the previous paragraph. It seems a bit spliced to me, reading the whole Chapter makes more sense. This Reading gives us a glimpse of what it was like to have leprosy. Just a glimpse, though. Lepers were banished from their communities; their families looked upon with shame because it was believed that leprosy was brought on by the sins of the leper. Can you imagine? These days, leprosy is known as "Hansen's Disease", and, according to the CDC, can take up to 20 years to develop. It is treatable, and the CDC estimates 150-250 people in the U.S.A. contract the bacterial infection per year. (Hansen's Disease-CDC)
The Second Reading doesn't seem to have a connection between the First Reading and the Gospel, but after I listened to it and read it again, there's definitely a connection to the Gospel. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1) and See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself... (Mark 1:44) As part of our discussion at RCIA, we talked about not doing things for recognition (there's that theme again!). Jesus could have told the leper to run out and tell everyone about his great miracles, but that wasn't his purpose for becoming man and being on the earth. He didn't want people to think he was just about being a healer, a miracle worker. He wanted his physical healings to take a back seat to his true ministry: healing the souls of the people. He calls us to imitate him today, to do things for the right reason: to glorify God and not to call attention to ourselves.

A Hero or a Crazy Man?

St. Damien of Molokai was a Belgian priest who, when his brother fell ill before going on a mission to Hawaii, took his brother's place. He learned of a leper island with no structure. He helped, not only with the structure, but building houses and a chapel. More importantly, he helped with their souls. He eventually contracted the disease after living within the community for 16 years and succumbed to leprosy at the age of 49. There are reports that, upon his passing, all signs of leprosy vanished from his face. Upon statehood, Hawaii selected to have St. Damien as one of its representatives in the Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. When accused of immoral behavior by a Protestant clergyman, St. Damien was defended by Robert Louis Stevenson in his Open Letter to Mr. Hyde. (Franciscan Media) Father Damien was ordained in Hawaii...when he first arrived, he was not a priest. He was only supposed to minister in Molokai for a few months but asked (along with some of the inhabitants) to stay. Even though leprosy is not highly contagious (as was once thought), Father Damien did not pay attention to hygiene which contributed to his contracting the disease.
Want to go on a pilgrimage? In 2015, there were still a few dozen people living in Kalaupapa, which is now a National Historical Park. This includes mostly park employees. Visitors are limited to 100 per day (no one under 16 is permitted) and they have to be invited by either the park employees are the remaining inhabitants. Kalaupapa is accessible only by mule or hiking. There is a long-term plan for the park to be opened up for tourists.

St. Damien Prayer: (Diocese of Honolulu)

Damien, brother on the journey, happy and generous missionary, who loved the Gospel more than your own life, who for love of Jesus left your family, your homeland, your security and your dreams.

Teach us to give our lives with joy like yours, to be in solidarity with the outcasts of our world, to celebrate and contemplate the Eucharist as the source of our own commitment.

Help us to love to the very end and, in the strength of the Spirit, to persevere in compassion for the poor and forgotten so that we might be good disciples of Jesus and Mary.

Amen

"Me Time"

Searching for Jesus

The reflections I read about today's Gospel (Mark 1:29-39) were about knowing that God gave you a purpose, or that we should always seek Jesus. Even Pope Francis got in on it:
The Homily was given by the Bishop through a recording (Bishop's Appeal Sunday), and he mentioned how we should all search for Jesus. He said that some people find Him at an early age, and some search their whole lives. I fall into that last category. Sometimes I feel like we're playing "hide & seek"...I find him and have a great relationship with him, but then I go through a dry period & I feel like I lose him for a time. Are you with me?

Not my take

Interestingly, though, that's not what I got out of the Readings. In the First Reading  (Job 7:1-4, 6-7), Job is talking about his sufferings. I remember those nights that seemed to go on forever...walking around the room or rocking a newborn. Just me & my baby for what seemed like hours, especially since I was so tired and just wanted to go to bed. Seeing the sun coming up was such a relief. Then it would seem like a blink of an eye that the day would be gone and I would pray for the baby to sleep all night. Thankfully, I didn't have very many of those nights; maybe that's why I remember them so vividly.
Fast forward to now...the babies are grown men and those sleepless nights are a distant memory. Every now and then, though, I will have a sleepless night thanks to the dogs. When I'm up, I'm up and there are nights when I can't go back to sleep. Nights when I lay back down, staring at the clock, knowing I have to get up in "X" amount of hours. Those nights don't seem as long as they did when I had babies to comfort. Oh, but the days! There just isn't enough time in the day to accomplish all I need or want to.

But I'm so tired!

In the Gospel, Jesus healed a bunch of people, then got up at the crack of dawn to pray. He had to be dog-tired after all of the healing he did the day before, yet he got up to spend time with God. Those mornings when I just want to stay in bed? Yeah, I'm going to have to remember this Gospel.
My parents were almost always the first to get up in the mornings. They never stayed in bed because they were tired. If they were still in bed after we got up, they were ill, and they were never ill. (A slight embellishment...they were rarely ill!) Once they were empty-nesters, they attended Daily Mass every day except Sat. (mom said that was their day to "sleep in"...sometimes until 8:00!) My mom would wake up around 6:00 every morning, go into the kitchen, and pray and read the day's readings. My father was raised on farms, so he had always been an "up and at 'em" kind of guy. There wasn't a lazy bone in either of their bodies. But I know they had to be tired. Just like Jesus was.

Early to bed; early to rise

What kept them going? It had to be the promise of salvation. Some mornings I can't wait to get up and see what the day's Readings are. Other mornings, I want to hit the snooze and take just another 15 minutes before I get up. Then I remember the passage in Matthew Kelly's Resisting Happiness where he talks about hitting the snooze button being the first resistance of the day. So, I get up and get on with my day. There's definitely something about being the first one up in the house. It's always been my "me time". Just me and the dogs, trying to get my act together for the day. My days definitely go smoother when I have that time to pray and read. Some mornings there isn't a whole lot of reflection going on, and on my Adoration days sometimes I'm a little slack because I know I'll have an hour that evening. Some days I have more to pray about than others because, well...3 grown boys. The worrying never stops, y'all.  I can definitely "feel it" when I don't have that time in the mornings. After reading the Gospel this morning, I guess even Jesus needed his "me time"!
So...what about you? When is your "me time"?

{SQT} Seven Random Things

I'm joining in with Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum for another round of Seven Quick Takes. Today  I have some random quick things:

---1---

What I'm reading: I'm actually reading a couple of things right now. As I mentioned in this post, a Sister recommended Interior Freedom (Jacques Philippe). I'm taking it slow so I can really digest what he is saying.
I'm also reading Created to Relate (Kelly M. Wahlquist). This is the winter book club with WINE (Women in the New Evangelization). I'm not doing so great with participating in the online discussion, but the book is very interesting. The premise is how we, as women, are created for relationships. Anyone who thinks there is no difference between how men & women are made needs to read this book! 

---2---

What I'm listening to: Audrey Assad's I Shall Not Want. Every. Single. Day. I need to hear the Litany of Humility every morning.

---3---

What I'm watching: After all of the violence and questionable Netflix I watched over the snow week, I've switched gears. A.D. Kingdom and Empire is incredible. Roma Downey & Mark Burnett have brought the apostles to life. I can't get enough. I wish they had slowed things down a little, though. It seems a bit rushed & I want to relish what I'm watching!
I'm also watching Victoria on Amazon Prime. Season 2 is on PBS but I always forget to watch it so I may have to catch up with a free trial!

---4---

What I am praying:  The Novena to St. Monica for one of my grown sons. The worry never goes away, y'all. I have given it to God, but there are times when the concern, the anxiousness, the worry takes over.

---5---

What I am baking: My SIL shared a recipe she found on FB last week. I tried them; they are heavenly! When I first saw the name (Kentucky Brownie BOMB Bars) I thought they might have bourbon in them, but no. No bourbon. But delicious just the same!

---6---

What I'm writing: Over on my "personal blog", I'm revisiting my October trip to Ireland. Our pilgrimage to Knock was published on Monday. Want to read it? Click here.

---7---

Best quote I heard this week: