I learned a lesson the hard way this week. On Wednesday morning I woke up at the usual time and immediately prayed the prayers I say before getting out of bed: the Morning Offering, the Peace Prayer of St. Francis, and the Suscipe or Offering Prayer of St. Ignatius. Then I showered and shaved, got some coffee and prayed. At 7 I went to breakfast in my Jesuit community and then went into our living room to take a leisurely look at the newspaper. At 7:50 I came to my room and started getting ready to go to the office and in doing so noticed that I had in my bag two folders with background materials for the Holy Father's monthly intentions. Ach! It's then I realized that I had missed the 7:30 phone call from KWKY of Des Moines, one of the radio stations that interviews me about the Pope's intentions at the beginning of each month. Sure enough. There was a message from Josh, the engineer. I called, but it was too late. We're going to have to reschedule, if we can.
So, what's the lesson? I suppose there are several but there's one that really hits home because it involves something that I tell people all the time, but haven't been following myself. Don't just "say" the Morning Offering, "pray" it! One way to pray it is to say the words and then look at your appointment book or calendar for the day to see what exactly you will be offering to God that day. If I had done that, if I had practiced what I preach, I wouldn't have missed that radio interview.
Looking back at the end of that day, I could see God speaking to me and teaching me even through that embarrassing mistake.
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