08 July 2009

Feeling like a mooch

It never fails to amaze me. . .

. . .the generosity of Catholics in general and HancAquam readers in particular.

Recent activity on the WISH LIST reminds me that even in hard economic times, Catholics are willing to help those in need. . .even when those in need are over-educated Dominican friars writing a thesis and dissertation in the philosophy of science with a ridiculously limited book budget!

Those who have been reading this blog for some time know that I occasionally beg for books. This is humiliating for me. . .in the best sense of that word. Asking for help is not easy for me. I grew up self-reliant in a family of hard workers. I had a full-time job at 16. Worked my way through college and grad school. And to this day, I blush when I have to ask for money from my superiors. Not having a full-time job right now makes me feel like a mooch.

I will tell you a story from my novitiate some day. It involves a broken pair of glasses and my novice-master. Let's just say that as a 35 year old former college teacher who left a well-paying job at a large hospital, asking for what he needed was difficult. Obedience reared its ubiquitous head!

As always, thank you for your generosity. God bless!

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:28 AM

    I struggle with similar things as a mostly decorative parasite... er, stay at home mom. ;-) I tend to just not ask for what I need, resulting in the fact that I haven't had a haircut in 6 months and some of my clothes are literally falling apart. I just have not been willing to embrace the humility of asking for what I need.

    Thank you for casting this as an issue of humility, especially with the idea that humiliation can be as negative or as positive as you make it. It makes a lot more sense to me that way.

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  2. Flambeaux9:44 AM

    Thus does the LORD send the refiner's fire to each of us in the way we need most.

    I'm saving this to reread on those days when I'm frustrated about the place and manner the LORD asks me to toil in the vineyard on any given day.

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  3. The grace to "receive" seems to be the hardest to acquire. Everyone I know struggles with this! It seems to bring about feelings of shame to be needy. I have finally learned that God desires this in us, it is part of that "dying to self"...to admit we have a need we can not meet on our own, and that we need Him.
    That is the complete opposite of the way I was raised, so it is an extremely difficult lesson to learn! To be in need is treated as a character flaw in our society. It must be why we all struggle so in the faith journey!

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  4. are you willing to mooch some food off of us? we're still waiting on that phone call.

    ;-)

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  5. Mom! I will call you today (Thurs)...what time is good?

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