According to a French proverb, Rome was not built all in one day. I was reminded of this in my prayer time this morning.
I try my best to pray the Lauds or Morning Prayers of the Liturgy of the Hours everyday. A lot of times, the prayers, psalms, readings, responsories, and intercessions strike a chord in my heart, expressing what I am thinking or feeling at the moment that I recite them. This happened again this morning. A very simple prayer spoke to me.
- "Grant that we may receive good things from your hands with gratitude
- and accept the bad things with patience." (R: Lord, give us your Holy Spirit.)
Now, I have received good things but the attitude of gratitude still escapes me. I have a writing project that allows me to travel, earn and write. When I tell people about what I'm doing now, they're all ecstatic and say I have a good life. Do I feel it? Naturally, no. I tense up to meet my self-imposed deadlines. I panic at the overwhelming amount of work that needs to be done. I criticize myself for all my mistakes. I focus on the negative. I need to de-stress, definitely!
So in my prayer time, I asked for the help of the Holy Spirit to grow more in gratitude and patience. I felt God asking me if workers who build a Cathedral get impatient with themselves that the building is not finished in one day. Surely, I realized, they report at the cathedral-building site to work on a window one day, a door the next, or a wall a couple of days later. They do not carry the weight of the enormous job on a daily basis. They earn their keep for a particular day and go home to be with their family and to rest.
Such basic lessons, even if already deeply ingrained in my memory, still have to be re-learned apparently. I'm not just waiting for the best lawyer job for me; I'm building a Cathedral. I'm not just writing to earn a living; I'm building a Cathedral. I'm just not juggling family, career, community, parish, friends, health, and recreation; I'm building a Cathedral. My life is a Cathedral, where God will be glorified, by the help of the Holy Spirit!
I end on a somewhat secular note. There's this song that's playing in my head now. I heard this from the soundtrack of Bounce way back when I played cassette tapes in the car from my collection of movie soundtracks. It's not applicable on all fours, but the closest theme song I could have at this time.
Rome Wasn't Built in a Day
Artist: Morcheeba
You and me we're meant to be
Walking free in harmony
One fine day we'll fly away
Don't you know that Rome wasn't built in a day
In this day and age it's so easy to stress
'Cause people are strange and you can never second guess
In order to love, Child, we got to be strong
I'm caught in the crossfire why can't we get along?
'Cause you and me we're meant to be
Walking free in harmony
One fine day we'll fly away
Don't you know that Rome wasn't built in a day
I'm having a daydream, we're getting somewhere
I'm kissing your lips and running fingers through your hair
I'm as nervous as you 'bout making it right
Though we know we were wrong, we can't give up the fight
Oh no
'Cause you and me we're meant to be
Walking free in harmony
One fine day we'll run away
Don't you know that Rome wasn't built in a day
You and me we're meant to be
Walking free in harmony
One fine day we'll fly away
Don't you know that Rome wasn't built in a day
You and me (you and me) we're meant to be (meant to be)
Walking free (walking free) in harmony (in harmony)
One fine day (one fine day) we' ll run away (we gonna run away, we gonna run away)
Don't you know that Rome wasn't built in a day
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