Praying is--oh wait, there's something shiny!

When Pope Benedict announced his resignation, I was surprised.  Shocked, really.  I understood his reasons and respected his decision; I also figured there was more to the story of his medical condition than we knew.  Inevitably, some attention turned to the prophecies of St. Malachy.  Many other people have written on this, and better than I could, so I'd refer you to Fr. Dwight or Fr. Z or The Anchoress.

I received the news on a Monday morning that Pope Benedict resigned.  At work, I was terribly distracted.  What if the next pope is the last one?  What if this is the end of the world?  And if it's the end of the world soon, then severe tribulations should be coming soon... my imagination spiraled down in fear.  At the same time, other concerns that I previously had--a job interview the previous Friday the chief among them--disappeared.  A better salary and a job with more responsibility seemed insignificant to the state of my soul and the scenarios running through my imagination.

Then a funny thing happened.  I was offered the job that afternoon and it was a complete surprise!  I thought I had a decent chance at it but I didn't expect my work to move that quickly (it is the guvmint, after all).  And poof!  My apocalyptic imagination ceased.  I resolved to read up on the prophecies when I could, but I had so many things to think about!  Getting ready for my new job... preparing a training list for my replacement... thinking of ways to spend my raise... and so forth.

Granted, not all of that is bad--especially being better able to provide for my family.  Working harder and confronting new challenges will require personal growth on my part, which in turn will benefit my marriage and my spiritual life.  All good things!

In the midst of that, however, was the stark realization of how easily distracted I can be when it comes to the spiritual life.  For all my efforts toward greater holiness, there are many more failures, distractions, sins, etc.  Last Monday was humbling and a reminder that I have a ways to go in holiness.