Let it snow?

Well, song or no song, we've had snowy mornings in Chicago these first days of Christmas, even if there's not much to show for it afterwards. But the seasonal weather has suggested a coping mechanism for something I am dealing with right now. There's a liturgical situation here in the Loop that causes me so much aggravation, the only solution I know of is making a hasty exit. Usually that is an option, but not always. And lately...not at all, so that I have really been put to the test (three times in one week!!!!!). The last time this was going on, just after Communion a holiday song came to mind. At first, it was only the refrain, but now I have a whole set of lyrics:

Oh, I'm tempted right now to spite, though
I know it isn't right, so
While praying for grace, I know:
"Let it go! Let it go! Let it go!"

Easier said (or sung) than done, of course. That's where forgiveness comes in. As they say, forgiveness isn't for the offender, it's for the offendee. A book I read about this very thing puts a helpful light on it. According to Dr. Fred Luskin, author of "Forgive For Good," we need to employ forgiveness whenever one of our "unenforceable rules" is transgressed. It is helpful to recognize that it is "my" rule that is at issue, even when my rule is fairly reasonable, and actually corresponds to some objective rule out there (rubrics, for instance).

Today's feast of the Holy Innocents reminds me that even the most objectively just rules out there can be unenforceable. ("Thou shalt not kill" comes to mind.) I pray I can take a page from the Lord's own forgiveness book and lighten up when it comes to my own unenforceable expectations of others.