Pain has been horribly high, yet. Went to clinic due to having kidney symptoms. Thankfully was not--just a new way the pain was radiating to simulate the perfect kidney infection storm.
Barely able to function as far as accomplishing manual labor. One obstacle occurs after another. Raphael did not come as he'd said, to help unload the truck of some thin but heavy siding (Hardie-Plank). Had to try to unload, one 12' length at a time and broke two. They are very thin and wobbly. Called Craig at lumberyard, and he had a wonderful tip: Use a long 1x4" plank underneath each siding board, and carry into the pole barn that way. Used his advice and carried in the other 30 boards, thankfully without breakage and aided by the wrist brace to give support to a permanently stretched-out ligament. The siding and the wrist need support.
Yes, support makes all the difference.
Later this afternoon this nothing consecrated Catholic hermit will have visitors for a couple or three hours. They do not like to come here; the work is frustrating; they have any number of things they'd rather do and often times must do. But they are coming because the nothing needs some support. Need another set of hands. Need some help making progress, being pushed some, motivated, to move through the pain to the other side of it as much as possible.
Need someone to shove down on an ABS pipe from under the kitchen sink, as the hermit pushes up on the pipe from in the crawlspace--within the 3-4 second time span before the ABS pipe glue sets permanently. That is not much time when coordinating with another, with a floor between us and tight quarters for the work.
Also need someone to hold the main drain pipe that goes down into the ground and to the septic tank. This consecrated Catholic hermit tried to saw the opened pipe (had to remove the original stack of drain pipes going down as am re-doing the hermitage plumbing to make it all code). The pipe wobbled so much, that the hermit could not get a good draw with the saw blade; the pipe wobbled so much that the concern is it will crack or break off under the soil line. So even the pipe needs support.
Friends across the miles have been praying much, and their prayers are appreciated. This pain siege has been a whopper. It continues somewhat, affecting focus, thoughts, and especially emotions. Pain can do all kinds of things to a person's body, mind, heart, and spirit. It is a powerful force.
Pain works. Just consider Jesus on the Cross being Crucified and saving our souls for all eternity. Well, those souls who love and follow His Truth, Way, and Life are redeemed. And we just never know if we are or are not, until we face our individual judgments, face-to-face (with whatever that actually will translate in visuals or some other sensing) with His Real Presence.
Yesterday was finally able to read some more in Pseudo-Dionysius. It is the chapter on God as the Good, and what constitutes evil. It is fascinating, Scripture soaked, inspired, and is the truth. But the introductions to this volume are written by three different scholars who write about Pseudo-Dionysius (whoever he was; they don't really know for sure) and his writings. Each scholar covers a period of Christian history and include an assessment of how the people of those time periods (including clerics and scholars) viewed and assimilated Dionysius' writings.
For the most part, those who tend toward the more concrete comprehension could not grasp the thoughts. Those who were more of the mystical, such as John of the Cross, Tauler, Eckardt, and too many others to mention (and not just of the Middle Ages but prior and after) had their lives altered and uplifted by the writings. And sometimes the writings would be refuted. Martin Luther studied Pseudo-Dionysius' writings and grasped in the earlier years of his priestly formation, but he later dismissed them when he changed his views and allegiance theologically. Some Cistercians as well as other notable religious, read but not always supported the writings.
So we have support again, as well as its opposite, a lack of support. What that boils down to is that some people can grasp thoughts at more esoteric levels, and others cannot. Some like certain activities, and some do not. Some enjoy certain books, and some do not. The reasons for the support or lack therein of certain ways of life, thoughts, beliefs, interests, and so forth, is due to personality, intelligence, temperament style, and even somewhat cultural belief and political disposition.
In a previous post in a different blog [orderofthepresentmoment.blogspot.com], this hermit wrote of a paradigm which explains basic differences, calling it a difference between the dockers and the floaters. Because that paradigm was given as an inspiring insight, His Real Presence teaching this nothing Catholic hermit why there is conflict at times, or misunderstanding, or totally differing perceptions when it seems such ought be unnecessary, it just seems to be natural and to make sense of these matters.
It is important to understand why some can grasp what might be called loftier thoughts or less tangible ideas, and others respond to concrete and temporal thoughts and ideas. These may be truths being expressed, all the same, yet those requiring concretism do not at all gravitate or understand the other ways of expressing.
Such was the case of the older spiritual friend who started to read the first few pages of Pseudo-Dionysius and said it seemed like mush to her--could not latch on and drink it down. But the other spiritual friend read the first chapter and admitted that while it stretched the brain cells that had otherwise succumbed often to diaper changing and settling toddler-squabbles, it lifted her up and beyond and at the same time, made total, beautiful sense. With the former mentioned friend--The Imitation of Christ made sense and salves the spiritual palate. With the latter friend, Pseudo-Dionysius reads like fine wine on the order of the wine Jesus created at the Wedding Feast of Cana.
Thankfully, the nothing Consecrated Catholic hermit enjoys and digests both, but it's inclinations are to the expression of truths and thoughts of God that tend to float and take this body, mind, heart, and spirit with them, like incense prayers wafting up--or deeply in--to His Real Presence. So we each have our "tastes" and ways in which we are best able to grasp and understand matters of soul and matters of His Real Presence Who Is Love and abides in us and us in Him.
Yes, when we are primed and performing God's works for the Good to which we have been graced, to fall short in any degree is what constitutes evil. Evil itself is not a being, for all beings are created by God and are thus created as good. Evil is some lack of good but never is there a total lack of good in a being, for beings are created by God. There will always be that aspect of good in a being. Well, for another post, perhaps, this sip of Pseudo-Dionysius' inspired writings.
But regardless of our temperament styles, personalities, intellects, cultural and political bent--support is necessary, one for another. Even a most solitary Consecrated Catholic Hermit needs a helping hand as well as support--even to be respected and loved...but not due to any self-notion its own worthiness. Quite the opposite, for it is nothing compared to God's All. Yet a nothing anything can be respected and loved simply because it is a created being of God, imperfect and falling short of the good God desires of it, many times over. Any created being or thing of God ought to be respected and loved due to God's creating it.
And that is why we should respect and love all of God's created souls and creatures and earth and life as His, as well as to respect and love Him above all.
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