Habit: “A tendency toward an action or condition which, by repetition has become involuntary.” This is how my Webster defines it. In other words: habit is something that has become so much a part of our life that we do it on “autopilot.” Habits are something that we acquire by repetition, sometimes involuntarily (like cursing if we stub our toes), or voluntarily. For instance, after locking myself out of my car, calling a friend to drive me home, asking a neighbor to help me “break” in my garage to get the spare key to open the house door, grabbing the spare car key, so my friend could drive me back to my car to pick it up, I decided to “train” myself to ALWAYS lock the car (and house) door with the key, no matter how alert I may be, or how much easier it would be to lock it automatically. Locking my car with the key has become a “habit” for me. This is a silly example, of course, but it shows that even old dogs like myself can change.

Why do I bring this up? Because the other Friday evening, at the R.C.I.A. meeting, the topic “death bed repentance” came up. I am sure plenty of folks obtain the grace of forgiveness at the hour of their death, but I would rather not take a chance; I’d rather be prepared. After all, Jesus talks about “staying awake,” and “keeping spare oil for your lamp.” He keeps warning us to be watchful about the thief who comes in the night. How can we be watchful if we don’t practice? Let me give you an example. One of my mother’s sisters, zia Carla, was a very pious woman. She went to Mass every day of her life, she prayed regularly and I never heard her speak an unkind word: if she was really upset with you, she’d say you were “really silly;” that was the worst she could say. She was also often ill. Several years ago she was taken to the hospital with double pneumonia: no one expected her to survive, and neither did she. As she tells the story, when she felt her life slipping away, she also felt blasphemies rise up her throat. She had never blasphemed, even in her mind, in all of her life. She was weak, almost unconscious, she did not know where those horrible words were coming from or what to do. So, she did what came naturally to her: she started to pray the Hail Mary. Immediately, the temptation to blaspheme left her. Her “habit” of prayer came to her rescue when her defenses were at their lowest. She simply started to pray on “autopilot.” She also recovered from pneumonia and lived to be 88 years old.

Another example: my old mother. A few years ago, when she was in her 80’s, she was walking to daily Mass, as was her habit. It was winter, and to reach the church from her house, she had to climb some of the cobblestone stairs that are so plentiful in the towns around Lake Como. She did not notice that the rain had become a thin layer of ice on the cobbles. She slipped and fell backwards. When she told us about it, she said that she called out “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, help me!” She only broke a couple of toes. Again, the habit of prayer.

When I was growing up, the habit of quick, simple prayer was common. For instance, at school we were expected to greet the nuns with the words: “Ave Maria purissima.” To which they would reply: “Senza macchia di peccato concepita,” which means: “Hail Mary most pure.” “Conceived without the stain of sin.” The correct greeting when meeting a priest was: “Jesus Christ be praised.” Most of our little, short prayers rhymed, which made it easy for us to learn. The prayer that we used to say in reparation, if we heard people blaspheme was: “Praised be forever the most holy names of Jesus, Joseph and Mary.”

The other day, I was reading about St. Gemma Galgani. Besides being incredibly beautiful, Gemma was also incredibly holy from early childhood. She had the habit of praying all day long, and had made up little rhymes to match every activity of her life, carrying on a conversation with Jesus all day long. For instance: when she dressed in the morning, she would say: “O Lord, dress me in Your Spirit. Enrich me always with Your graces.” And when she was washing herself; “Jesus, wash my soul, and always keep it free of errors.” On leaving the house, this was her prayer: “O my Jesus, may Your hand always guide me, so that I may never stray far from You.” And while walking: “Jesus, my love, may my actions always honor You, no matter where I go.” Kneeling in front of the Blessed Sacrament, Gemma prayed: “O my Jesus, may I kneel in front of you with the same fervor as the Seraphim.” Gemma did not forget Mary either: “Pray for me, Virgin Mary, now and at the hour of my death.” And at the end of Mass, during the blessing, she said: “Bless my soul, my Jesus, and keep it constant in its love for You.” Unfortunately, while all these rhyme in Italian, they do not in English, making them a bit more difficult to memorize.

Now, folks: I hear little tykes sing “I’m a little tea pot short and stout…” or “ABCDEFG, HIJKLMNOP, QRS…” etc. Nothing wrong with those, of course. But… how far will they go toward teaching them the habit of holiness? Will they automatically turn to Jesus, Mary and Joseph when they are in trouble? Will they ask their Guardian Angel’s protection? Bad habits come naturally, but good habits need to be learned and practiced. Who will teach our kids to turn to God, at the hour of their death?