Breaking the Spell

My transformative bout of illness

Monday night

Saying the last of seven Complines that the Holy Spirit asked me to add to my regular Lauds and Vespers in the past week. I’m still wondering what that was all about. Why only seven? Why stop now? He’s also been very insistent on the daily Rosaries, poking and poking me when I’ve threatened to slip. It almost feels like He wants me to build up spiritual muscle for some important task. I guess we’ll see.

Tuesday morning

I’ve been basking in the light of Our Lord for over a week now. What a treat to have Eucharistic Adoration every morning. As we chant the Liturgy of the Hours, I can feel His loving gaze from the monstrance. It’s like a warm, sun-kissed bubble bath… and simply being exposed to it daily can change you if you let it.

But today, I can’t sit with Him for too long because I’m on a mission. Recently, selfish desires, born out of sadness and loneliness, have been bubbling up that need confessing—so I grab Father D. for a few minutes before Mass. For my penance, he asks me to read next Sunday’s Mass reading. He says it’s about forgiving others as well as myself. I promise to read the passage, but then forget all about it for the rest of the day.