Sunday, September 1, 2024

Habits rule our lives.  We brush our teeth a certain way.  We load the dishwasher a certain way.  We drive a car a certain way.  And so on.  Many habits are good and helpful.  Habits help things go more smoothly, as we go through our day.  For example, I have learned to always (well almost always) put my keys in a certain place, so I am not running around looking for them all the time.
 
Sometimes, unexamined habits can keep us from seeing that better ways are possible.  I would like to look at Sunday Mass.  Perhaps we have the habit of going to Mass every Sunday, which is very good.  We sit down and stand when everyone else does, we sort of listen to the readings and homily, we go to communion, and then we go home.  That’s it: it is the way “we do Mass.” But is that habit or way of “doing Mass” helping us be open to change?  Are we really entering into what is happening at the Mass so that it challenges us to live more as Christ did? Or are we just checking off a weekly obligation out of habit?  Is our participation challenging us to change other habits, for example, not to always plop down in front of the television and chill out but instead visit those who live alone or volunteer at some nonprofit that helps the poor?
 
Habits are good and help us be productive in life.  But they can also be ruts that hold us back from change.  I invite us to spend some time reflecting on our daily lives.  Are we growing as generous disciples?  Are we entering fully into the things we do, including religious services?  Are my habits helping me or keeping me in a rut?  And as we struggle to grow, let us support each other in prayer.
 
Church sign: Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.