"Stream of Consciousness" from a Catholic Sickroom
I have missed Sunday mass the last two weeks. Last Thursday my priest brought me communion and he did the annointing of the sick. A few hours after he left, I remembered these "kits" I have seen in catalogs with candles and holy water for the priest to use when he visits a sick person. I have those things in my home, but they are not together in a handy place for visits from Father. I am glad that the Church in general does not enforce the "formal" rules for such visits. It would have taken me a few minutes to gather those things. I think I'll get them together before Father's next visit and I can get the "formal" visit to the sick. Last week Father did annoint me with the special oil with frankincense. I admit, I enjoyed smelling like frankincense for awhile. I felt festive. I'm sorry they put it on your hands. I had to wash my hands before I took my pills and lost a good bit of my nifty smell. Actually, it was more than smelling good that was fun. It was like every time I got a whiff of the frankincense, I was reminded that God loves me.
I have now worked up to lunch time. I have wondered about our physical bodies - we are so frail. A number of the great saints have not taken much interest in food or "taking care of themselves." We read about those who lived only on the eucharist and people who ignored their own sickness for their work. There are those who have ignored sleep for prayer. I hope that I am taking the right amount of interest in my own health, in other words, if God wants me to ignore my health, I hope I do so.
Until then, I'll take my shots and pills. I hate needles. But I think of Jesus being flogged and think what I am going through is so much easier. I feel so weak, I haven't been able to do my own shots yet. Friends are getting to do it. But I think it is more like Jesus' flogging that way and more like suffering that can be offered up. Its not like Jesus flogged himself. Someone else did so. At first I had thought, I would pray in the manner of St. Francis, "Brother Needle, I would appreciate it if
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