“You want dishes for the week?!"

[sr.christinaosf]

Re-printed from Our Franciscan Fiat

I must confess, when Sister Ann Marie (our provincial superior) said I could help with dishes in the kitchen during our retreat, the image of my dad awarding his favorite mode of punishment came readily to my mind.  I can just hear him threatening me or an unruly sibling: “You want dishes for the week?...”   (On such occasions the rest of the siblings would secretly be like, “Yah, keep on arguing/misbehaving; then we get out of doing dishes!”)

I had spoken to Sr. Ann Marie some weeks ago, saying that I would appreciate a little work during retreat.  I often find our six-day silent retreat to be a bit of a challenge.  Although I value the gift of quiet times, or as our constitutions put it, “the opportunities for silence that retreat...offer,” I find that it stretches me as well.  I am not a strong introvert, and I need a little diversion.  Having all day to pray and reflect gets to be a bit much for me at times; I need a little work for my own mental well-being.  She said she would look into it and, thus, I was given “dishes.”  

Our Rule exhorts us, "in all of their works the love of God and all people should shine forth."  I hope this happened a little while I scoured those pots and pans and made them shine.  

[vee]

I agree about needing a little work of some kind to do! 

[sr.christinaosf]

St. Francis actually says something about that: 

 As poor people, the brothers and sisters to whom the Lord has given the grace of serving or working with their hands, should do so faithfully and conscientiously.  Let them avoid that idleness which is the enemy of the soul.  But they should not be so busy that the spirit of holy prayer and devotion, which all earthly goods should foster, is extinguished.