The Lord allowed the nothing Catholic hermit a consolation, and its soul feels as if this hyssop has bedewed it with holy water, sprinkled from the altar of God's mercy.
Nothing recognized yet another facet of the sin it had committed, that behemoth sideways cross of talking of people, and the vole destruction caused in a network of burrows and gnawing on roots of other people's lives.
People who do not like Catholics, who think Catholicism is not Christian, were augmented in their bias due to nothing's sin. Holy Mother Church was thus harmed, and nothing felt this agony yesterday. After Mass, it asked its confessor if this, too, must be confessed. He said yes, but that nothing does not need to rush to confession but to confess it the next time it goes. He said that this is the way of sins, that there are many aspects and effects as a result.
Perhaps, too, there was a look to see if nothing was becoming scrupulous. Or maybe not a glance of concern on that, but regardless, one must not become scrupulous in discovered sins, but rather to deal with them and amend one's life promptly, while sweeping up the debris as best one can.
The Lord handles the bulk of the refuse left in the wake of sin--that of confessed sin with full remorse and solid intention of amendment.
Nothing was invited to dine out, and while so exhausted and a bit shell-shocked from what it had done, even so decided to go. It would be a first major practice session in not talking about people. Some of the conversation dealt with this very thing: why talking about people was not necessary, not prudent, and the ways in which conversations can be shared in utilizing other examples, or vague reference, or Scripture, or if one must of people, to speak of saints and Biblical personages.
It was brought out that in some vocations, others must be warned, such as of abortionists and politicians who vote for abortion laws. Yes, this is true. There are instances in which we must speak of people--first to the persons themselves, as Bishop and priests and constituents do. Or, in private cases, to directly warn others of specific person's wrongs as a means of protecting souls, protecting the world from impending evil and violence.
In the full spectrum of our daily conversations, though, the bulk is talk of people that is unnecessary talk, even if not always harmful to those being discussed. Talk of people is harmful to the soul of the one speaking, regardless, in these idle conversations, for talk of God and matters of God then are not spoken or shared. The holy is squeezed out of its right space.
So the dining companion was aware that nothing would not speak of people, neither was to listen to talk of people. The two then conversed. How would nothing train itself (much like a Pavlovian rat experiment)? Well, there was a hot pepper in the salad, and on two or three occasions when nothing even said, "Someone said", or when the other diner asked a direct question about a particular person, such as what was going on in the spiritual father's life, nothing would take that pepper to the tongue, and then catch itself and reword a response, moving quickly to a spiritual point.
Sometimes the two diners laughed, for nothing might say "Oops" and stop speaking, and then re-phrase the point being made. We spoke of saints and of spiritual matters the entire conversation, or of here and now pro-life events, or of the effects of our manual labor and how to pray while one works at daily tasks. We laughed at a point made in the homily about how one must be very careful about what one says--and also that reference was made to some statistics that trees are very valuable for the environment, and the average 50-year life of a tree planted brings a monetary value of $10,000 in environmental effects. (Four more lovelies await planting in the front Mary Gardens of Agnus Dei Hermitage!)
At one point, an experience was shared in which nothing carefully examined as the other spoke of family members who had a numinous experience, and of the miracle involving seeing a manifested angel who played the flute and said he was sort of a caretaker at that convent, of talking with him, and then his disappearing behind a door that a priest later showed them was a broom closet.
We agreed that sharing such an incident was enhanced by talking about the people involved, their experience, their reaction, and the spiritual import it had for them.
Yet, there were some slips when specific persons were mentioned, even as "I know of someone", as nothing explained that even in that, since both knew of the "someone", it was still
known to each who it was being mentioned. Nothing put the hot chili to the tongue as a sign to the other that it was unnecessary to refer to "a someone" when the point could be made otherwise, without a someone reference.
Nothing has started reading a book of collections of letters by saints. It discussed the first letter and the introduction, commenting that the letter was written so on a different level as to not deal with specific people at all, and not even with reference to vague someones or anybodies, but rather expressed spiritual insights and great Christian encouragement on their own beautiful mertis.
Toward the end of dinner, conversation included talk of someone the one person knows, and nothing took the time to not stop the conversation, but to examine it while the other spoke, realizing that the whole lovely situation could have been just as meaningful if the persons in it were not mentioned, even if nothing does not know those persons. They were extraneous to the point, really.
However, talk of people is so ingrained in us that nothing also noticed that the one speaking did not realize the slippage into saying who said this or that. All was innocuous enough, but the names of the people being referenced, could have been omitted with even better results. For once person's names (first names at that) are mentioned, there is a distraction by the additional information, and a listener's mind can then wander, trying to process the name, any recognition, and images form of those actual persons.
When it was spoken of the angel, however, the images enhanced what was being said, for one could picture the angel and the three speaking to it, and the priest later being dumbfounded and all edified by the corporeal vision and its message to them. Still, no specific names were necessary so as to distract the mind from the angel and the import. This ensures that nothing is taken from the point that all conversations should have ultimately: the glory of God.
The diners gave themselves a B+ on the conversation experience.
Later, when checking e-mail, the Lord had sent a consolation. One of the parties involved in nothing's sin (that behemoth sideways cross of talking of people behind their backs) had forgiven nothing and even thanked it for the aspects in which their lives had been helped. Nothing responded with gratitude to the Lord for this sign--seemingly that He appreciated nothing's axing the latest, revealed, sideways cross. It also mentioned to the forgiving party, that there can be continued spiritual friendship, and help shared, insights made--without talking of people, specific ones, and of using Scripture and saints and Biblical personages if necessary. Yes, speaking of what Jesus did and said takes one to a blessed level of communication.
Ah, just now the Acer Triflorum that had been lying on its side, in its pot, and unable to be watered well at all, was lifted up by a passer by, a human being; but perhaps his or his wife's angel had nudged them to do the good deed. Nothing had prayed about who could the Lord possibly send to help, as nothing could not right it.
Hmm. That is how it is with sideways crosses sometimes. Often we do need the help of others to right what was not functional or beneficial. Hopefully, the wind will not knock it down again and the tree planter will come before too many days, and plant it. Or, maybe nothing could attempt it with angel Beth, for angels are here to help us, one way or another.
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