Well, the elderly friend emailed the latest. The monsignor of their cathedral has once more changed his decision as to which door is to be holy. They had a ceremony for the holy door, which he ended up changing back to be the doors facing the main thoroughfare, of which the friend adroitly pointed out are actually double doors of which few ever use.
But the ceremony was held; they declined to be in attendance which is wise this time of year considering weather, viruses, night venue, and age.
So two of the doors are now officially holy, and perhaps more technically so because few if any of us unholy humans pass through them.
The exhaustion from physical pain continues here with this hermit. Today will attempt Chapter 2 of Hebrews, not that what I write will be of interest to anyone but God. He is always interested in what we are about, what we do, think, speak, feel.
Even if what I write, as I was recently reminded, might be beautifully written and profound, the person informing me also added that it is not what most people grasp. He mentioned some famous media types who with ghostwriters put out books that people buy and read, as well as they write some children's books.
Of course, the comment was meant to be for me to perhaps try to write something that actual people enjoy reading and can grasp, or that which is pleasing to others including children.
However, while I did write a children's book once and illustrated it, my life has shifted some over the years, and I see through situations with more reality, perhaps, and I seek all the more my purpose for being here in accordance to what God has in Mind. The pain rivets me to deeper thoughts and to realism.
For example, when I read an article about the current pope a year ago excoriating the clerics in the Vatican curia for having embezzled, taken bribes, been immoral, lived in excess and gluttony--and this year was once more addressing them, but this time trying to get them to learn to be honest and moral, to live a couple of basic virtues--I had to ask myself why are these clerics, some of them having committed criminal acts, still in the curia?
What is wrong with grown ups who had years ago been gifted with years of paid instruction and formation and then even more years of paid and glorified lived experience--supposed to be sons of God who were anointed with the oil of gladness, given the scepter of righteousness, told to love justice and hate wickedness? Why are they not out working at some job more suited to their inability to have grasped what is simple honesty, years ago?
If these alter Christi did not get the message from the pope a year ago, why still be trying to explain to them what is honesty and ask them to try living simple virtues, now? If they did not grasp the simple definitions of virtues and to live good lives when children growing up in their mostly Catholic homes--taught simple right from wrong--why is the top leader of a major church in the world, still attempting to cajole them into trying on a bit of goodness, yet, a year later?
Would any owner of a dog put up with such disobedience after having trained the animal otherwise as a pup?
I can see how Jesus was perturbed with the high priests, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the scribes--of the various hypocrisies of the Temple goers and doers. He turned to the lowly people, then, through preaching and teaching. He knew their neediness as not having viable leaders for their souls.
He gave His hope to their neediness, at least, and their lostness, their seeking a shepherd to guide them when the ones to whom was given by God the scepter of righteousness had either dropped the scepter or started to use it as a sword to fight for personal power, prestige, position, and possessions. Or maybe the scepter had poked their eyes out. Blind shepherds, then, trying to lead lost sheep.
We each and every one of us need to find our God-given purpose in life, our holy point for being here, and to take a realistic view of what it is that God asks of us. We need to grasp the scepter of righteousness even if not ceremonially ordained. We must pray to be touched in our minds and hearts and souls by His oil of gladness, and to deeply love justice and to resolutely hate wickedness. We must be noble in our purpose and never let go of what is right; we must listen to and follow Jesus. Remain in His Love!
The others--those entangled in the nets just beneath the surface--we must let God touch them, deal with them, love and rescue them. We must swim on out into the deep, not knowing where we are going but going in faith, yet not get entangled ourselves in humanly uncuttable nets. Just keep swimming toward the depths of His Real Presence. We must!
