A behemoth sideways cross fell to the ax after being shown the nothing Catholic hermit. This sideways cross has been dragged along since as far back as third grade. It has been laced with subtle camouflages, as it is a sideways cross with many relatives across the miles.
Talk about people.... Well, yes, talk about people! For good, for ill, nothing has talked about other people. Nothing has talked about people.
The talk occurs mostly behind the lace-leaves of various rationales. Talk about people to use their experiences as an example. Talk about people to point out their good deeds. Talk about people to help someone understand other people. Talk about people because we are human. Talk about people because they are interesting to talk about. Talk about people to report something they are doing wrong. Talk about people to warn others of what they are doing. Talk about people to fill the conversation gaps. Talk about people as the full basis of conversation--forget the gaps.
Nothing has thought about people. It becomes just another conversation, talking about people in the mind.
Nothing has written about people. This becomes just another conversation, talking about people in print.
Talking about people has been a mortal sin, for it occurs most often behind people's backs. It is a breech, then, of confidentiality. It is trespassing upon others even if it is talk of qualities, for these people are being watched, verbally stalked, and stealthily up-close-window-peeped. Sometimes whole gangs of people talkers are included in the voyeurism into another's life--without their knowing.
Then if they do find out (and surely they will when we all die and can see our lives flashed before us), the people-talk victims feel so betrayed.
Nothing has considered many angles of this sin. Seems as if everyone does it to one degree or another. Mortal sin, nothing is told, involves degrees of intent, motive, foreknowledge, and aftermath of effect on others. To talk about someone who is emotionally or mentally sick is worse than talking about someone who is not. Talking about someone not present is worse than talking about someone who is present and can defend if desired. Talking about someone in negative terms is worse than talking about someone in positive terms.
But talk about people.... Talk about people is a disservice, at minimum.
Nothing was caught in a huge talk about people skirmish. Even in the motive, there is admixture of intentions, if one removes branches and sets aside leafy strands in order to get to the bark of this sideways cross, and then when hacking it down discovers just how bad the wood had become. Old wood, too, and in some places infested with termites and rot, other places with soft spots and others, hollow.
This was a very painful sideways cross to be revealed, and even while it was being revealed in a dramatic, unexpected way (no means to doubt that the Holy Spirit arranged the unveiling), nothing could see that the Lord was showing nothing the largest sideways cross to date.
Another suggested it was not so bad, to not worry about it, that others' words and behaviors had lent themselves just as much. Yet, during the night, the Lord kept prodding nothing, and by morning Mass nothing kept hearing mortal sin whispered within the soul. After Mass, the canon lawyer priest told nothing a bit about mortal sin, as nothing outlined the overview of the major revelatory instance. Yes, serious, grave matter, and mortal depending upon many factors. These factors convinced nothing it had committed mortal sin.
In the heat of midday, while weeding as a self-grasped penance, nothing pondered this behemoth sideways cross and saw more and more splinters trailing back many years. Yes, others talk of people; in fact, the ones who nothing had talked about, had talked about nothing over the years and very much so in this instance. It was their talk about others that had tempted nothing to meddle in the first place, as well as relational history. But nothing kept weeding out the instance and other instances, and kept focus on what nothing had done.
By late afternoon, the fear of hell had so instilled itself, rightfully, that nothing lay in bed pondering if it should wait for the regular confessor on this one or to go immediately and confess. The mortal wrong of the talk of other people brought nothing to the confessional. Thankfully. Yes, it was a mortal sin or at least serious, grave matter, depending upon sorting through motives, and nothing took the harsher tone with itself on that. Nothing does not like to be tricked by the devil with excuses.
Nothing also mentioned a vow it had taken while earlier weeding in the burning heat. Nothing (amidst asking itself, "Have you learned your lesson now?) vowed to the Lord that it will not talk of other people. It will not talk of the good or the bad in people. It will allow conversation of saints and of Biblical persons if others do not comprehend parable examples, if anyone even converses with nothing. When those who call or e-mail and talk of people, nothing will not respond to that talk. Change the topic or remain silent. If the talk of people continues, nothing will excuse itself. Or, if it is such that nothing must say, it can comment that it has taken a serious vow to not talk of people. And this, specifically highlights that of specific talk.
Another mentioned that one can use people as examples in general, such as "I knew of a person who was an alcoholic...." Do this without giving the person's name. Nothing has decided against that, however, for nothing vowed to not think of people, and in that instance nothing would have the alcoholic specifically in mind, even if not saying the name. It becomes rather the same except perhaps mitigates the gravity of talking about people behind their backs. It is yet a form of talking behind the person's back who one is thinking of.
As for mission, nothing had been praying about whether its mission is that of delivering messages. Nothing seems to have delivered plenty of messages. The answer seems, now, no. Nothing is only to pray. It can pray in general and for whatever the Lord brings as prayer material. The prayer cannot be just another form of talk about people behind their backs.
How will people adapt to nothing's change, of how nothing will be without that behemoth sideways cross that has been such a part of nothing's way of being? The instance that so dramatically revealed this sideways cross has cleared out a sector of a group of people by the offense. In a way, that may be a relief to all involved, or at least to the nothing. That sector took up much space with the clutter of its own sideways crosses. There is something helpful about raw, chopped out truth. We see the truth of the bad wood.
Since nothing had first noticed (as is usual in sin) others' talk-about-people sideways crosses, one person has not called in awhile, for nothing had ceased affirming the talk of people behind their backs, when the person was doing it. In another instance, it remains to be seen. Nothing will speak of saints and Biblical persons, if of people at all, and otherwise no doubt speak of the trees and plantings in the Mary Gardens, if conversation is needed on nothing's part.
Or about sideways crosses and right-side-up crosses--but not about the people who bear them.
Someone mentioned that keeping the vow nothing made, will not be easy. Well, that depends. The instance which revealed the behemoth sideways cross was so painful (my, oh my!) and so long-reaching, and caused so much hurt to others nothing never intended to hurt but rather to help--that nothing is altered seriously and in a good way, and likely to not soon forget the ramifications of this grave sin. And a vow made to God, begging to be spared hell, is nothing to dink with.
It considered deleting blog posts which included talk of people, but that would mean about all of them would have to go. Anyway, this is a realistic step-by-step climb, and maybe truth is revealed in the stumblings more vividly than in the summits reached.
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