I'm currently listening to Anne Rice's Christ the Lord in audio book. I've only just started, but I'm really enjoying it. I've never read any of her other work and so I'm pleasantly surprised by the good writing. The only down side (for me anyway) is that the Catholic beliefs of the author clearly show through in the character of Mary, who is depicted as the consumate virgin - never having any other children or "relations" with Joseph.
It's interesting the Catholics need to keep Mary somehow set apart like that. I was listening to it today and realized this is a problem in much of the "church." Now that I think about it I'm not sure if it's the root of the problem or simply a reflection of the problem - which came first, the chicken or the egg. The problem is that life, in someway, is unholy. To the Catholics, for Mary to have slept with Joseph, to have enjoyed her marriage as a normal woman, to have raised other children, in short, to have lived and loved life would demote her. Would somehow make her less worthy of bearing our Savior. To be holy she somehow needed to be more of a woman than any other woman.
The sad thing is, it is life that makes us holy - that is holy itself. It's laughing with your children, having coffee with a neighbor, making love to your spouse these are the holy things in life. Ask any parent what the greatest, most awe inspiring moment of their life was and they will tell you - when I held my son/daughter for the first time. After all, if God wanted perfect, aloof, cleanliness he would never have made us - he would have kept himself company.
Don't you think?
And believe it or not, this revelation has something to do with our devotional conversation. Someone, just this moment, said to me (online - and now she may be reading this and I hope she doesn't mind I borrowed her) that she needs to learn to "put the Lord first." Which makes me think of Graceful Journey's comment that she is "putting the Lord first" (as they say, but GJ didn't use those words) and throughout it wondering "why am I doing this?"
Holiness (devotion, allegiance, vows) are not seperate from Life. They aren't. You don't need to have some stark dividing line: this place, this ritual, these books are holy - those other things are not. Putting God first is reflected, not in 15 mins a day and a whole morning a week, but rather in the choices you make and actions you take 24/7. Being Holy and Devoted happens in LIFE not outside of it.
I was going to share on my own devotional time but I think that can wait till next time. But I hope you'll still feel free to share your thoughts and experiences on the topic!