“Shave by the Headlights.” Ok, that may seem non-sensical. I hate shaving. When I entered religous life, I was tramatized by the fact that now I had to shave EVERY DAY! I would whine about it, try to not shave, and get called out by my superiors for not shaving. One day in Mexico, the head of our community said to me, “Shave by the Headlights.” Huh? I literally pictured taking my razor and shaving in the early morning hours by the light of our car’s headlights.

He went on to say that when driving it is always much easier to see what is in front of you and just deal with it. Imagine if you tried to drive only by looking behind you, or if you always had to backtrack to catch the turns that you missed. If we take care of unpleasant tasks first thing when they present themselves, they just are no real big deal. It is the agony, whining, and avoidance that make simple tasks a big deal. Or to use another cliche, we can turn mountains into molehills by just shaving by the headlights.

Yes, I have noticed that fashion no longer seems to care if men shave every day, much to my rejoicing! But the ridiculous image of literally taking a razor and shaving in the headlights of my car so stuck with me that I now use it to rally my will and strength to complete some unpleasant tasks.

And one more insight that I discovered at a young age: household chores could be accomplished in a fraction of the time when done willingly and cheerfully! I found that if I did my Saturday morning chores while my parents were at morning Mass, I could be done before they got home and have the rest of the day for play! Yeah, at first they were so shocked that they would let me off with less work required, but the real key was found in freely and generously embracing these duties!

Maybe going to confession is your personal version of shaving or Saturday morning chores. Just letting you know that this week we will have extra Advent confession Mon/Wed/Friday at 11:30 am and 6:30 pm. Lines will definitely be shorter this week. Penances may be smaller too. It is a great week to take care of your soul, in preparation for the coming of our Lord.

pax,

Father John Mosimann