Why The Crooked Halo?

Why the Crooked Halo, you might ask? Years ago, I received a Christmas card with three adorable angels on it, one had a mischievous twinkle in its eyes and wore its halo to the side, a crooked halo. That's me, I thought, wedged between two sisters whose halos were always on straight.
Tess and Judey were obedient, proper, quiet--truly angel-like....me? rampuncious, a tom boy, a rule breaker who my dad said was the reason he lost his hair!
But, let's admit it, aren't most of us...angels with a crooked halo? Saintly one day, a bit devilish the next?
God asks us to strive to be the saints we are called to be. Is this an impossible command? Think about it, what is a saint? An ordinary person who has done the extraordinary for Christ's sake. An impossible command, no. A challenging command, yes.
I fight against the current every day because of original sin. I fight against a liberal society with its immorality, materialism and distaste for all that is sacred and holy. So how do I keep my halo from completely slipping off? Only by the grace of God. No matter how I stray in thought, word or deed, I make a sincere act of contrition. I ask forgiveness with the image of the repentant tax collector in my mind, "Lord, have mercy on me a sinner." I beg God to help me not to sin, to be more tolerant, less judgmental, to give me another chance to straighten my crooked halo....and He always does!
Thank you, Abba.