Habits

I am able to form habits – of virtues or vices – all based on the things that God send my way.

Mary Queen of Heaven (Master of the Saint Lucy Legend)

My eldest son injured his shoulder a few years ago.  After that injury, he needed a very long and slow recovery.  After he recovered from the original injury, he re-injured his shoulder and the result of that second injury was that he needed some surgery on that shoulder, and then he needed even longer to recover from the injury.

Because of the extent of the injury, he was unable to use that arm for a significant period of time.

During that time, he got into the habit of using the other arm.  This means that he became good a writing with his other hand.  He learned to sleep on the other side.  He changed the way that he dressed himself, put on his shoes or cut his food.  In other words, he changed his habits…

And I have been thinking about that today because I have been thinking about how habits are formed in such a relatively short time…  My son formed whole new ways of working around his own body in the world because he was incapacitated in a certain way for a period of some weeks, which is only like a spec of time in comparison to the whole of his life…

And virtue and vice are pretty much like that too…

After all, it does not take very long for a person to develop either good habits or bad ones.  Bad habits are learned quickly with very little effort.  In fact, we can start with something small – a small act of gossip or a little act of disobedience.  And over time this small act of disobedience or gossip – this small sin – can become such a very big and serious sin.

And in the same way, virtues can be developed…  And virtues are things that are good habits that can be built up and developed.  So all those times that I hold my tongue and bide my time and practice patience, those are times when I am building the muscle of virtue in my own life – strengthening it so to speak…

And God is wanting that for me.  He is asking me to become to stronger and better and more suitable to His Holy Will.  And in those things He is asking me to take control of the situation by surrendering my control to Him and understanding how He can handle everything.

And I have been thinking of that, watching my son adapt to his injury.  Because those habits that he is forming are life changing.  And as I think about those and the impact they have had on his life and movement I am quite taken by the mercy of God, because in that mercy I am comforted and completely in awe because I am able to form habits – of virtues or vices – all based on the things that God send my way.  And today – as I reflect on that in this new year – I am completely overcome…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.