Sandpaper Spirituality
Ideal life in the Christian community vs. boarding house life is a comparison I’ve been fond of. My own experience has mainly been convent life. I realize that God calls most to family life in marriage, and some to the single life, often to care for aging parents or ailing siblings, family life in another shape. I think the differences between Christian life and boarding house life apply to all vocations. In a boarding house, one pays for food, accommodations, and sometimes laundry and cleaning. The arrangement may last anywhere from a single night to years. No deep and lasting commitment is involved. Boarders may pitch in with the care of the house or they may not.
A friend challenged me to consider “sandpaper life” as an alternative comparison. In religious formation, we learn to turn the rough spots in common life into stepping stones toward sanctity. Part of preparation for Christian marriage is a reminder that the spouses are to help each other reach heaven. Resources are available to help people struggling with burdens.
Sandpaper comes in a variety of grades from extra coarse through super fine. Different grades serve different purposes. We can find similar differing grades in Cardinal Basil Hume’s list of frustrations, misunderstandings, overwork and tiredness as impediments to Christian life. We can embrace such various difficulties at different levels of intensity as opportunities for grace, bringing us closer to each other and to God. What’s more, just as when using sandpaper, mistakes can be rectified with another application of sandpaper. No easy outs as in uncommitted boarding house life!