When the Homily is about Immunology

Arising from Sleep

The incense smoke is still be carried aloft...it smells wonderful. It lathers the home with holiness. Better people than me have said that the demons hate the smell - who am I to argue?

The weekend was spent with nailguns, 2x4's, drywall, and such. I remain home from work today in part because of a nearly successful attempt to drive a phillips head screw bit through one of my fingers, which has since become terribly infected and sore. But now I am relaxing with meds and smelling the sweet anti-demon smoke...in a sense my morning prayers continuing.

If you are like me, sometimes your religious faith goes to sleep. A deep slothful sort of sleep from which you may or may not wakeup - at least it feels that way sometimes.) I have needed to go to confession for weeks now and have for some reason been avoiding it...unable to wake up. The home may be lathered in holiness, but I have been lathered in the muck of sin. Asleep.

Going through Morning Prayers though today, they seemed to mean something different to me. I was not just awaking from physical sleep, but I felt as though I was awaking from that more trecherous sort of sleep which endangers the soul. Read through them, and see the theme of repentance as analogous to waking up. Here is a particularly poingant excerpt:

As I rise from sleep, I thank Thee, O Holy Trinity, for through Thy great goodness and patience Thou hast not been angry with me, an idler and sinner, nor hast Thou destroyed me with mine iniquities, but hast shown Thy usual love for mankind; and when I was prostrate in despair, Thou hast raised me up to keep the morning watch and glorify Thy power. Enlighten also my spiritual eyes, and open my mouth that I may meditate on Thy words, and understand Thy commandments, and do Thy will, and hymn Thee with a thankful heart, and sing praises to Thine all-holy name: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

It seems that the analogy is not original to me, but is actually carried in the prayers themselves. I just never really connected with it much. Anyway, it's a beautiful rainy morning here in the Northwest....glad to be awake, but making sure my alarm is set.