Catholic Hermit Still Wants to Share

Yes, I still want to write about the insight on sleep of a couple or more weeks ago.  And there is the post I wanted to write last evening regarding a daily-life miracle that is powerful reminder of the Lord's constant watching over us.

As mentioned yesterday, shimming and setting and installing the bathroom base cabinets took much effort.  While using the power drill to cut 2 1/2" holes with a hole bit, the drill jammed at one point and whipped back the right thumb, giving it a hard yank and twist.

Then I had to deal with a cabinet drawer that is faulty--and that involved contacting the cabinet employee to light more fire under the rest of the cabinet issues yet to be resolved.  At least it seems there might be progress, and it has been determined best to not involve the cabinet representative because we've wasted a full year with his excuses.

Somehow, though, there is personal progress, for this nothing consecrated Catholic hermit had a steadiness and calm in making the phone call.  And this despite the reality of the consequence that if we don't get these issues resolved in a more timely manner than the year gone by:  remove the cabinets and return them for refund. Start over with a different manufacturer. 

Time belongs to God, and although myself and others have spent a lot of time installing all the cabinets in this hermitage, sometimes one must lay out the ultimate consequences when justice is not rendered.  Even hermits in our times have to deal with the temporal world; we pay for most goods and services, and we must hold ourselves and others accountable to just standards.

I don't think it will come to pass that I need to return cabinets, but I will if no proper resolution comes to pass on the visible issues that can be corrected, but not by me--or at least not easily.  I am no cabinet specialist, although I have learned how to install them.  But dealing with intricate hardware runners or needing to cut a drawer opening larger, I will leave to the professional cabinet makers.

Then I woke up with extreme pain in the low back.  Too much cabinet wrangling yesterday, getting them into position, shimming under them, lifting up enough to scoot onto shims--something irked the titanium rods which in turn irritated the many nerves that entwine spines.  

The thumb is so painful that holding a tooth brush caused chills from sharp pain.  Ah, a friend had sent a wrist brace as the left wrist has an old ligament injury.  This hermit wears the brace when that flares; and today it was flipped upside down to wear on the right wrist, as bands tighten somewhat around the area of the thumb that is so wrenched and painful.

Writing is not the easiest, but the thumb is not moving much at all.

So, praying occurs more "formally" on days like this when progress could have been made on mixing some Thinset mortar and spreading a thin layer on the bathroom floor, and cutting the Hardie-backer 1/4" cement board that goes over the plywood sub-flooring.  But tools in the right hand will exacerbate the thumb sprain, and the back is not fit to be much off this mattress--and not to lift cement board.

As far as "formal praying" goes, this hermit does not mean verbal or mental prayers.  No, what is meant is more prayer of stillness and of much suffering.  There is the praying of thoughts that are barely thoughts, for suffering becomes the message and messenger.  Suffering can be quite formal in a certain sense.  And the prayer when suffering is indeed a formal-ity that is meaningful.

Just about all else is swept from the present moment when heightened pain comes to visit, unexpected and unannounced.  One has to adapt to a shift from activity and distraction to what the Lord has in Mind within the pulsating pain that becomes an offering of love and prayer.  So that is what is formal prayer--a form of prayer that the Lord graces by means of unexpected circumstances that come with suffering.

Like many of us who are aware of and compassionating with the victims and families of the recent terrorist attacks, our prayers do matter despite what some in the media suggested otherwise.  Yes, "doing" is very important; action in emergencies can take precedence over the seeming inaction of prayer.  Yet not all of us can take action to effect circumstances physically, or at least not always.  

So we pray, and suffering-enhanced prayer indeed is a gift from God that is to be offered on behalf of Christ's suffering-enhanced prayer on the cross.  In the stillness and silence of serious suffering, all else is set aside in the present moment.  We suffer and love and pray.

God bless His Real Presence in us, little children, as we love one another and love God above all things.