Layering On My Faith Along With My Sweaters

Rachel Watkins considers what it means to put on the armor of God as she prepares for each new day.

Autumn has arrived and remains my favorite season. This is in part due to my birthday being in mid-September, but also because it is time to bring out the layers. First come a blouse, then a sweater, perhaps even a vest? Do we add a jaunty scarf? As the days where I live tend to start colder and then warm up as the day goes on, much of what I start with will end up set aside but that is fine with me. It is as if I have a new look throughout the day which can be fun.  

A recent Mass reading (Ephesians 6:10-20) talked of wearing the armor of God, and this sparked a new thought in me. Was I even thinking of adding those layers as I got dressed each chilly morning?  

Wearing the armor of God 

There is the adding of “loins girded in truth,” the breastplate of righteousness, and “feet shod in the readiness for the Gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:14-15). With this imagery of armor we have a shield of faith, a helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit at the ready. I am glad these aren’t actual items I have to wear as they sound heavy — but I realized I hadn’t given them thought for a long time.  

In my homeschool family making the armor of God was a regular tradition in some way or another. We found downloads to color, cut them out of cardboard or just had a conversation about what they were and how they looked in real life. After all, I wanted my children to be equipped with all they needed to face a world that was not friendly to Catholics.  

But my years of homeschooling are winding down and I realized I hadn’t done anything with my youngest in this regard. Taking time to do it with him revived my own desire to make sure I was well-armed against the struggles I face. 

Was I looking to begin my day in truth? Was righteousness, the act of being moral in my life, as visible as a breastplate in my life? As for walking ready to reflect the gospel of peace? That one is hard.   

In regard to my family, I regularly set down my shield of faith in God and leaned into worries and fears of the future. As for the helmet and sword? Pulled out on Sunday and set aside on Monday? 

Is armor even fashionable anymore? 

This imagery of armor might be hard for us to imagine and even cause some of us discomfort. With real war in the evening news and its consequences a cause for such pain and sorrow, how do we translate this to our everyday life?  

It is said that we need a thick skin to face the world’s criticisms. How better to insulate ourselves against its evils and temptations than with Jesus’ armor, with layers and layers of Catholicism?  

To better prepare for the skirmishes we face every day, we need to prepare ourselves with a morning offering, Daily Mass if possible, a spiritual Communion and personal prayer time. We are encouraged to read Scripture every day. We may wear a crucifix and a scapular, and carry a Rosary in our pocket. These are all ways we arm ourselves against the slings and arrows of the world.  

We add more layers of protection when we pray grace with our families before meals, wherever those are eaten. While we ensure our children’s faith formation continues through parish programs or at home education are we doing anything for ourselves? Choosing a good spiritual book to read for yourself with each new season keeps us growing in our own faith. Faith we are called to pass along throughout the year. 

Pulling out new prayers along with my sweaters 

I realized I do so many of those things (after all, I heard the reading while at daily Mass) but I also realized that every act had become a habit of action and not a habit of love. Daily Mass and morning prayer had become routine for me: a routine that needed some shaking off.   

I’m now on the lookout for a new book. Matt and I are talking about switching up our regular evening prayer with the kids at home with something new. After decades of the regular Our Father and Hail Mary with a seasonal novena as well, maybe we could find other prayers. I’ve always wanted to try to memorize Saint Patrick’s Breastplate.   

Thinking of turning over a new leaf can be easy when you see the leaves falling. Adding new layers of prayer and contemplation to my scarf will be a very nice look. 

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Copyright 2024 Rachel Watkins
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