Catholic Hermit in Spiritual Warfare

The more I pray on the final injustice over these ridiculous kitchen cabinets, countertops, sink, appliances--the more the clarity of spiritual warfare comes to the fore.

This is a major purpose of my existence not just as a Christian, not just as a Catholic and consecrated hermit, but also as a mystic.  My work is for that of souls--not tangibles.  Yet it is in the daily life and encounters that the souls come forth.  It is nothing new.

And my work is to pray for the souls who have chosen lies, ugliness, injustice, immorality, unethical practices.  

I have put on the armor of God.  Times past have come to mind in which I was called upon to do battle for some souls in deep trouble.  Sometimes it concluded with conversions; other times some have been plucked out of situations and also in a vivid instance, from this temporal world.

I'd rather pray for the conversions of souls, as that seems to us a victory more than the plucking out.  However, in God's view, being plucked out can be loving mercy for some souls who otherwise would damn themselves.  Better time spent in purgatory than eternity in hell.

So, tomorrow I will go into that Lowe's and pray with the power of the Holy Spirit, and beg the Lord to cast the evil from the place.  I will do this silently, of course. I will have my blessed crucifix which was a miraculous gift from the Lord in marvelous circumstances, 13 years ago.  I will have the cross burned and now a scar on my chest, and the crucifix Jesus Himself placed in my heart, back in September of 1999, early one morning as I lay in bed.

May the Lord bring about justice, yes, and vindicate me.  But of course, far more important is my plea that these souls who have chosen wrong-doing, be converted and saved.  That is what matters.  That is my work here on earth, and that is the reason I had the "chance" of walking into that store over three years ago, and met the cabinet employee who from that point on, as well as his successor, caused such unbelievable hassle and ordeal.

I have suffered much from such ridiculous encounters and ordeals over simply and ludicrously: cabinets from Lowe's!  As for the temporal aspects, we are just about at the end of the race.  One good manager has corrected the bulk; just two more errors to be corrected.  Still, I may end up having to figure out how to pay for them myself, at least in the short run, depending upon what transpires with the final person to whom I can appeal before going to corporate.

However, yes, the whole point of all this struggle is to implore the Lord, to suffer, to desire with all my heart, the conversion of the very few employees--really just four out of a store full--whose souls are in need of cleansing with God's grace, mercy, and love.

I can do this, yes.  I will try my very best in spiritual warfare, fighting for the two employees and the manager and the assistant manager who lied to me three times and tried to cheat me of $900.  The good manager will be back, and even if he somehow errs in this, none of it matters but souls.

God bless His Real Presence in us!  We fight evil with the power of God's love and mercy!

Catholic Hermit: Onward, Christian Soldiers

Well, this Lowe's manager, Mark (not the lovely Mark of a year ago who is now at a different store--happy for him), tried to put blame on me for the employee's ongoing mess-up.  He thinks I should pay for a new cabinet even though the employee should know what size.  I've spent thousands at that store.  He offered to knock off a little but me pay for a new sink....

We had words.  He told me I'm not to talk to others than him.  Oh, no, I don't think that is how it works.  I let him know that unless they get these last two items taken care of, I will need to speak to whomever and also warn anyone of what can happen if they purchase cabinets at their store.

I am waiting for the good John to return next week, although I suppose he will be influenced by the other manager with whom I spoke a bit ago.

Should I get a lawyer or first contact corporate offices?  I mentioned to this man, Mark, that this is a moral and ethical situation, in which their employee lied from the start which caused an entire unfolding of problem after problem, with removal of cabinets and countertops, and now a damaged sink and wrong cabinet size, still, above range. 

He disagreed.  Somehow he thinks that since I did not tell them right away that the sink was damaged, I should pay for it.  He said perhaps I did the damage....  I somehow was able to suck up 16-gauge stainless steel to pop it up on one side?  Why would I do that--cause more trials for myself?  And I should not have accepted the employee's telling me what size for the above microwave cabinet; somehow I was supposed to know what size to get?

I did mention perhaps I should be the one working in their cabinet department since their employees don't seem to know what they are doing, then?

He taunted me, asking why I'd wait a week for John B. to return from vacation and put off having a kitchen?  I pointed out I've been without for months this time, and prior to that battling their employee's lies for nearly two years. What is another week for justice?

What it comes down to, for this nothing consecrated Catholic hermit, is if I let someone like this Mark G. to do something quite immoral and downright wrong. He tried to make a deal, I pay for one or the other, then he changed that to a little off for the sink but I pay all for the cabinet.  I said this is not a time for making deals on what simply is their employee's fault.  Take it out of the employee's salary, if that helps.

No, I cannot let them do something that is so wrong for their souls, that will come to them at judgment or even before.  The Lord smites us down when we do grievous wrongs against others, and He does so one way or another in our lives.  And I would be at fault to let this Lowe's manager pull this wrong-doing.

I did point out that my doctorate is not in countertops, so I did not realize that the sink was not going to work with problem of it bubbled up.  In fact, I did not realize until the countertop installers arrived.  I did not know the above microwave cabinet would be not right until the microwave was up there and saw it was too high, and the countertop men noticed it as well and said the vent fan won't even work with it that high. No, I am not the Lowe's employees who are supposed to know what cabinets to sell and also to not sell cabinets that are being discontinued due to problems with them.

Ah, life.

I have turned to painting woodwork in the one room that has any chance of soon being completed: the bathroom.  Tomorrow this wearied-but-determined Christian soldier will battle on.  I must go to a dermatologist as I have some unfortunate spots that will have to be removed, quite close to my eye.

Pray for this man named Mark and for the manager I had worked with before, although there is no guarantee now that he will agree to replacing the cabinet and sink, either.  But I must try, for their souls' sakes, to have them accountable for what was not in any way, my fault.  Mercy, I even mentioned the terrible inconvenience and stress over the nearly three years, total, of this Lowe's kitchen cabinet nightmare.

Onward, Christian soldiers, going as to war.