The Cathoic Hermit: Words of Wisdom and Advice from St. John Vianney

 

These words written by the late St. John Vianney struck me as invaluable especially for one or others who might have become years ago, prone to ugliness from the surreptitious viper of pride that can slither about, unsupervised and unknown to those who are to be supervising such a one.  The viper bites the one who seemingly does not flinch due to a numbing desire for self-importance and misplaced hopes of being an authority in something, anything, that to the bitten and smitten appears grandiose.  Such a one might embellish their backgrounds and time lines, exaggerates (cousin to deceive) and then proceeds to demean and detract any other who such a person fears threatens their supremacy even in such a vocation as hermit--the vocation intended for the least of these, the lowly nothings to God's ALL.  

For any of my blog readers who been deceived and demeaned by such a one, you likely realize the poisoned one may be incapable of ceasing. Rather, such a one has become more devious and clever (distinctive trademarks of the devil who is often referenced as a snake), and most all of us do all to avoid such a one by keeping the armor of God on us at all times, including the added layer of humility to strengthen the armor.   These wise words of advice from St. John Vianney are for any of us who have been victim to such a snake-poisoned person, for we know it is by the grace of God that we have not fallen likewise to the viper's poison. We pray never to become like those who fall to temptation to prestige, position, and power--as ridiculous as that would seem for a hermit to succumb to deception in that desire.

For our protection and reminder to not follow in the scandalous, scurrilous words and actions of those who persist in mean-spirited treachery, no matter how cleverly masked or plead false denials of wrong-doing, let us keep these words of St. John Vianney close at hand-and-heart.  Let us re-read often, for as is true of those sad souls, bitten by pride and poisoned by narcissism (and other vices)--we are vulnerable ourselves to the devil-viper of evil, and must do all to protect ourselves from a likewise demise of character.  We know from such examples of those bitten and poisoned, from all the damage they have done to those they chose to denegrate--that before long such ones became or become habitual, poisoned, disordered personalities, transparent to humankind and God alike.   

Likewise we know as hermits of God, we would instead of risking all to the fate of those poisoned by the demon viper, we pray do all to ask God to receive the implanted Tree of Humility, whose roots God implants in our minds and hearts.  We vow and strive by God's grace to nurture God's Tree of Humility so it can sprout up and outward  from our very souls regardless the cost of this Tree of Humility--priceless to any Christian but especially desired by true and devoutly seeking hermits of God.  We pray and never lose hope for those bitten and poisoned by the demon-viper, for conversion and reversal from such ugliness. But we know to practice in earnest the avoidance of what St. John Vianney reminds us that will tear down others--as he states below--and instead to seek words and actions of loving kindness that build up each and every soul and thus uplift the Body of Christ. These uplifted souls of the Body of Christ are given to God Is Love in the Person of Jesus Christ, the Head.  Thereby His Church is elevated.  

Let no one be detracted, attacked, libeled or slandered, meanly criticized, by us.  May we learn from the woes of the evil doers, bitten and. poisioned by the demon-viper; may we pray for them and attempt Chrsitian, fraternal correction.  If that fails, keep praying but stay clear of the evil-doers.  They may be so poisoned they know no what they are doing.  Forgive, take back our peace, shake he dust as testament against them, and move on to the next place which for us is to live the most holy and devout of hermit or other vocational lives we will be graced to live with the Tree of Humility and by the love of the Trinity. 

Saint John-Mary Vianney (1786-1859)

priest, curé of Ars

Sermon for the 11th Sunday after Pentecost

"His ears opened and his mouth opened and he spoke correctly" Mk 7:35

How desirable it would be, my brothers, that we could say of each of us what the Gospel says of this mute that Jesus healed, that he spoke very well. Alas! My brothers, could we not, on the contrary, reproach that we almost always speak badly, especially when we talk about our neighbor. What is the conduct of most Christians these days? Here it is. Criticize, censor, blacken and condemn what the neighbor does and says: these are all the most common, the most universally widespread vices, and, perhaps, the worst of all. Vice that you can never hate enough, vice which has the most fatal consequences, which carries disturbance and desolation everywhere. Ah! May God give me one of these coals of which the angel used to purify the lips of the prophet Isaiah (cf. is 6, 6-7), in order to purify the language of all men! Oh ! How many ailments would be banished from the earth, if we could chase away this backbiting! May I, my brothers, give you so much horror, that you have the happiness of correcting you forever! I finish saying that, not only, it is bad to depreciate and slander others, but also to listen to backbiting and slander with pleasure; Because if no one listened, there would be no sown. (…) Let us often say: "My God, give me the grace to know myself. "Happy ! A thousand times happy, the one who will only use his tongue to ask God for forgiveness for his sins and sing his praises!"

Christian Catholic Hermit Mystic: corrected version

 I haven't posted much on social media in awhile, other than responding with likes and hearts and hopefully encouraging comments to what others post, but I do want to share that I had a major turn around 12 days ago. The knee pain is so horrible and no one willing to do anything about it, and I was the only one researching and asking for this or that procedure which I've read will help even if temporarily, like injections that can soften the hard fibrotic growth that has covered me knee and hardened now, and injections also are known to reduce the pain.

That has been refused; the surgeon has a serious fear of infections. That is why I was not allowed to go to a Medicare-full-paid rehab facility after the knee replacement surgery. I had a PT the surgeon sent who did not recognize or claims he didn't know about arthrofibrosis post-op; the surgeon's PA did not recognize it, either. My pain doctor has tossed it back to the surgeon who he knows does not want to bother with it, but the pain doctor does not want to, either. (And he shouldn't have to, except that in past he has helped me when bad things have happened.).

The only thing the surgeon will do is send me for yet more PT, after the other PT's said nothing to be done; they showed me many stretches I'm tokeep doing through out the day for however long my earthly bodily duration. I'm to go for deep tissue knee massage, said the surgeon to the pain doctor. The surgeon has not even seen nor touched my knee since June 20, the day of the knee replacement surgery. There is no way anyone can massage the hard stone that is my knee. I'll go, but the frustration level shot up, the anger and darkness and sadness and ugliness pervaded to a point that the Holy Spirit reached in those 12 days ago. He turned me around, placed me on a far better path.

In addition to Love and Pray (what I've been reminded to do in other situations ongoing that are unjust, persecutorial, sorrowful, and unkind), I was told to FORGIVE! Forgiveness is so crucial in addition to love and pray for others and for situations themselves--and I know this, and you all know this! But I didn't really, really know it, not know it deep down in the fullness of my soul as it needs to be known, felt, an enacted. The shift was within two or three minutes. I have the needed ingredients for traversing the rest of this life and into the next of which Love, Pray, and Forgive are learned if not already, or an automatic "breath and heartbeat" if not.

So I've been existing on Love, Pray, and Forgive ever since. Then, of course, there are the temporal whammies, just little things that present themselves like should I send a card or not, or when I've been told my social media comments aren't acceptable, don't have the proper "social media vibe" so I'm not to comment, not even short and positive ones because they are "different", there is that adaptation to letting go of social media, definitely not to leave comments for those who are bothered by mine. So more Love, Pray, and Forgive.

One must consider all in life--situations and persons--with the lens of pray, love, and forgive. But also, one must consider the temporal-spiritual aspects of "who". Who is it that God desires for us in this life? Who tolerates us, who accepts us as we are and for what we have to offer? This means, even if we are gimped and grumped with severe, non-stop pain, or we cannot be active, or we perceive in ways not seemingly the societal norm but yet accurate, can be thoughtful, insightful....

This means, who is it that God desires for us, who accepts or tolerates us--in a way that we don't have to cease to be or do who and what we are and how God created us, unless it is that which is best for us to cease being or doing. However, when another is bothered enough to make requests of negation or who view us negatively as odd or weird, or think we over think, or find this or that in us that needs to change (or says we are demonically oppressed)--are these persons enjoying us, comfortable with us, or do we frustrate them, cause them to fear we will embarrass them or to what their friends might think of us? Are these persons like the apostle John, listening to us, standing at the foot of our crosses, or do they seem to wish and prefer we be made in their own image, or an image of what they deem acceptable or per society or social media's tolerated image of acceptability, of social and their view of "normality"?

This brings us to bridges, and burning or not burning them. I recall a vision dream years ago in which I was shown a burning. bridge, and I was told that some bridges are worth being burned. Burning a bridge sometimes is invaluable in that it keeps us from going back over when it is better we never go back again. But burning bridges also brings up the point of who burns the bridge? Is it one of the persons making conditions of relationship, criticizing the other, wishing without maybe consciously realizing that the other is frustrating to be around or know?

Or is the bridge burner the one who doesn't conform to the wishes or image the other wants in his or her relationships? And again, maybe some bridges are better off being burned regardless of who lights the match or who is the wood being lit?

We now come to sifting the ashes. What remains if we do not accept or cannot tolerate others for varying reasons? Does it matter? Persons come and go in relationships as well as in the temporal world; people die, one after another. On the other side, out of the ashes come souls who are shown truth, beauty, and goodness.

The showing then leads to learning. We learn we are to love, learn to pray, learn we are forgiven; we learn how to love those who didn't fit into our scheme of social norms. we learn to pray to accept what it is we could not change. We learn that it does not matter that everyone perceives the same, or is in our own likeness and image, or that they are frustrated by us because they could not control how they were, how we are. We learn to love, we learn to LOVE to learn to love. And then we love others with this love of which when we love as God loves, we are loving with God's love.

We learn to forgive--forgive ourselves and to forgive these others because they couldn't make themselves be as we wanted them to be--or we couldn't make ourselves be as they wished us to be--in some image of normal or successful or calm or at peace or light-hearted or more serious, or whatever it is our or their image of normal and right they, or we, were and are not. We forgive them because we recognize how God forgives us--without conditions.

As for social media or temporal friendships, those will read or post or try to be what is wanted and which fits whatever image based upon the person who posts it. Those who don't like it because it is too long or too deep or does not fit the "social media vibe" can block the unacceptable-to-them poster's posts. Or, the poster can choose to share thoughts and insights on any number of other media options not as open to the mainstream as the usual, the typical.

Or not. As for people as in acquaintances and friendships, there is always God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as well as manifold holy personages existing on the other side with free-access to us (and us to them) any moment day or night. They exist as we ought--in the Order of the Present Moment. They love to help us find our way through this life and hopefully to exist here also as in eternity, if we are so inclined.

There is no one more perfect a friend than is Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit. Just depends upon strength of faith as to the degree of reality these personages exists as a true friend in need and in deed. We do not have to be concerned, for example, about Jesus being bothered about our comments seemingly "different." His words and insights were deemed that, was called worse, called "crazy." Jesus therefore understands those of us who have been thus called. Jesus will never burn a bridge with us, and if we are finding in Jesus a true love, there is never a need, not even a temptation, to burn bridges with Him.

Bottom line, if someone finds himself a sign of consternation to others on earth, no worries--he or she will be welcomed by the souls on the other side who are always with us, eager for friendship and conversation, of sharing their insights and holy lives with us.

If the folks in this world who are frustrated by or find us unappealing, cannot tolerate or accept when there is no actual means to altar our minds, hearts, and souls or our temporal, bodily conditions, they or we can choose to expand the bounds of relationship. Or when in essence the temporalites burn bridges with us by their choosing, we (or even they) may pick up with those who already know how to pray, love, and forgive; align with those who are into building bonds--align those who can perceive beyond what constrains others here and now.

This is a totally non-vibe, non-acceptable piece ofof social media whatever genre. Guaranteed only a handful or less than less will read it. I'm not into burning any bridges, but I've learned to let the bridges out there bring those who are interested in thosesuch as me, to walk over on the various media modalities available.

And I lovingly welcome those who have a need or desire to burn bridges with me, to do so. This aspect is a gift from God to me. Those who find me not to their total liking need to be freed from frustrations and worries, exasperations and embarrassments they perceive--and maybe rightly so--that such as myself can cause them in the ways and wilds of the temporal world.

God is forming me; God is progressing me and perfecting me in His way and time, considering God recognizes and accepts my imperfections as He's developing me as He wills. He's doing that with anyone who wants and asks, even if they have as many flaws as myself.

Life becomes much easier, the path less ugly, dark, and fiery when we learn to love to love, pray, and forgive. (And there may be more key words added to this initial list, but these are basic and essentials) Plus, there is no time chart nor chains involved once one steps off the bridge, so to speak, so that others don't have a need to burn it out from under us, or keep us from walking over to interact with them.

Christian Catholic Hermit Mystic: Helpful Quote of St. John Henry Newman

 

God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He as not committed to another. I have my mission; I never may know in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I have a part in a great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep His commandments and serve Him in my calling. 

St John Henry Newman 

The Catholic Hermit: St. Leonard of Noblac

 SAINT LEONARD OF NOBLAC

(† c. 550)

        St. Leonard was one of the chief personages of the court of King Clovis I. He was also sponsored by the Monarch in baptism. St. Leonard was so moved by the discourse and example of St. Remigius that he relinquished the world and became a priest.

        St. Leonard was an apostle to the Franks. He preached in Aquitaine and ministered to prisoners. He distanced himself from influential roles and eventually trained disciples as a hemit. Thus, St. Leonard withdrew to the monastery of Micy near Orleans and afterward to the solitude of Noblac near Limoges. He founded an abbey there, and the town of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat is named after him.

        St. Leonard's charity accustomed him to remain active in works of mercy: comforting hospital patients and visiting prisoners. He is alive today in the presence of God and receives prayers for intercession. He is the patron saint of captives and prisoners.

Thoughts on the Mystic Portal (from March 31, 2011)

 

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Thoughts on The Mystic Portal

I am living the temporal humanity of Christ.
I bear His temporal pain and breathe His soul's suffering.
Yet only when the human is subsumed in His mystical Divinity
is there one Joy, one Love, the one Reality: God-Man.

Only then do the two worlds, temporal and mystical, 
become one reality, the Divine Reality.
The temporal is a shadow of the full humanity of Christ   
if without union in the mystical reality of His Divinity.

The temporal Catholic world is a holding cell 
for passage through the mystic portal, 
to become the full humanity of Christ in His Divinity, 
to be fully one in the One in the one true reality.

(I hope I am stating it meaningfully, accurately; 
words are incompetent secretaries to insights.)

It is something like this, and I must get through 
the mystic portal with His physical and soul suffering,
in order to be in the true reality: one reality of oneness in God.

Do you see that the Sacraments, all of them, 
but most frequently Eucharist in Mass 
and Reconciliation in Confession,  
are portal passage points 
for the temporal to enter into the mystical, 
and that without the One in reality of the mystical,
in these sacraments, there would be false reality? 

Jesus in His full humanity 
is the Divine ever-flowing into within the temporal.  
He is not the temporal occasionally touching the mystical.
 
When we pain-bearing soul-suffering humans pass 
through the mystic portal to be subsumed in His Divinity, 
we awash the temporal in and by His living waters.  
We then may fully live His humanity mystically Divine 
as we are become one with the One Reality.

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives strength to the weary,
And to the one who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who [d]wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will [e]mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

Christian Catholic Hermit Mystic: On Love, Pray, and Forgive (and more!)

 

I haven't posted much on social media in awhile, other than responding with likes and hearts and hopefully encouraging comments to what others post, but I do want to share that I had a major turn around 12 days ago. The knee pain is so horrible and no one willing to do anything about it, and I was the only one researching and asking for this or that procedure which I've read will help even if temporarily, like injections that can soften the hard fibrotic growth that has covered me knee and hardened now, and injections also are known to reduce the pain.

That has been refused; the surgeon has a serious fear of infections. That is why I was not allowed to go to a Medicare-full-paid rehab facility after the knee replacement surgery. I had a PT the surgeon sent who did not recognize or claims he didn't know about arthrofibrosis post-op; the surgeon's PA did not recognize it, either. My pain doctor has tossed it back to the surgeon who he knows does not want to bother with it, but the pain doctor does not want to, either. (And he shouldn't have to, except that in past he has helped me when bad things have happened.).

The only thing the surgeon will do is send me for yet more PT, after the other PT's said nothing to be done; they showed me many stretches I'm to keep doing through out the day for however long my earthly bodily duration. I'm to go for deep tissue knee massage, said the surgeon to the pain doctor. The surgeon has not even seen nor touched my knee since June 20, the day of the knee replacement surgery. There is no way anyone can massage the hard stone that is my knee. I'll go, but the frustration level shot up, the anger and darkness and sadness and ugliness pervaded to a point that the Holy Spirit reached in those 12 days ago. He turned me around, placed me on a far better path.

In addition to Love and Pray (what I've been reminded to do in other situations ongoing that are unjust, persecutorial, sorrowful, and unkind), I was told to FORGIVE! Forgiveness is so crucial in addition to love and pray for others and for situations themselves--and I know this, and you all know this! But I didn't really, really know it, not know it deep down in the fullness of my soul as it needs to be known, felt, an enacted. The shift was within two or three minutes. I have the needed ingredients for traversing the rest of this life and into the next of which Love, Pray, and Forgive are learned if not already, or an automatic "breath and heartbeat" if not.

So I've been existing on Love, Pray, and Forgive ever since. Then, of course, there are the temporal whammies, just little things that present themselves like should I send a card or not, or when I've been told my social media comments aren't acceptable, don't have the proper "social media vibe" so I'm not to comment, not even short and positive ones because they are "different", there is that adaptation to letting go of social media, definitely not to leave comments for those who are bothered by mine. So more Love, Pray, and Forgive.

One must consider all in life--situations and persons--with the lens of pray, love, and forgive. But also, one must consider the temporal-spiritual aspects of "who". Who is it that God desires for us in this life? Who tolerates us, who accepts us as we are and for what we have to offer? This means, even if we are gimped and grumped with severe, non-stop pain, or we cannot be active, or we perceive in ways not seemingly the societal norm but yet accurate, can be thoughtful, insightful....

This means, who is it that God desires for us, who accepts or tolerates us--in a way that we don't have to cease to be or do who and what we are and how God created us, unless it is that which is best for us to cease being or doing. However, when another is bothered enough to make requests of negation or who view us negatively as odd or weird, or think we over think, or find this or that in us that needs to change (or says we are demonically oppressed)--are these persons enjoying us, comfortable with us, or do we frustrate them, cause them to fear we will embarrass them or to what their friends might think of us?

Are these persons like the apostle John, listening to us, standing at the foot of our crosses, or do they seem to wish and prefer we be made in their own image, or an image of what they deem acceptable or per society or social media's tolerated image of acceptability, of social and their view of "normality"?

This brings us to bridges, and burning or not burning them. I recall a vision dream years ago in which I was shown a burning. bridge, and I was told that some bridges are worth being burned. Burning a bridge sometimes is invaluable in that it keeps us from going back over when it is better we never go back again. But burning bridges also brings up the point of who burns the bridge? Is it one of the persons making conditions of relationship, criticizing the other, wishing without maybe consciously realizing that the other is frustrating to be around or know?

Or is the bridge burner the one who doesn't conform to the wishes or image the other wants in his or her relationships? And again, maybe some bridges are better off being burned regardless of who lights the match or who is the wood being lit?

We now come to sifting the ashes. What remains if we do not accept or cannot tolerate others for varying reasons? Does it matter? Persons come and go in relationships as well as in the temporal world; people die, one after another. On the other side, out of the ashes come souls who are shown truth, beauty, and goodness.

The showing then leads to learning. We learn we are to love, learn to prayer, learn we are forgiven; we learn how to love those who didn't fit into our scheme of social norms. we learn to pray to accept what it is we could not change; we learn that it does not matter that everyone perceives or is in our own likeness and image, or that they frustrated us because we could not control how they were. We learn be loved, and we learn to LOVE to learn to love, and then we love others with this love which when we love as God loves, we are loving with God's love.

We learn to forgive--forgive ourselves and to forgive these others because they couldn't make themselves be as we wanted them to be, in our image of normal or successful or calm or at peace or light-hearted or more serious, or whatever it is our image of normal and right they were not. We forgive them because we recognize how God forgives us--without conditions.

As for social media or temporal friendships, those will read or post what is wanted and which fits whatever image based upon the person who posts it. Those who don't like it because it is too long or too deep or does not fit the "social media vibe" can block the unacceptable-to-them poster's posts. Or, the poster can recognize and can share thoughts and insights on any number of other media options.

Or not. As for people as in acquaintances and friendships, there is always God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as well as manifold holy personages existing on the other side with free-access to us any moment day or night. They exist as we ought--in the Order of the Present Moment. They love to help us find our way through this life and hopefully to exist here also as in eternity, if we are so inclined.

There is no one more perfect a friend than is Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit. Just depends upon strength of faith as to the degree of reality these personages exists as a true friend in need and in deed. We do not have to be concerned, for example, about Jesus being bothered about our comments seemingly "different." His words and insights were deemed that, was called worse, called "crazy." Jesus therefore understands those of us who have been thus called. Jesus will never burn a bridge with us, and if we are finding in Jesus a true love, there is never a need, not even a temptation, to burn bridges with Him.

Bottom line, if someone finds himself a sign of consternation to others on earth, no worries--he or she will be welcomed by the souls on the other side who are always with us, eager for friendship and conversation, of sharing their insights and holy lives with us.

If the folks in this world are frustrated or find us unappealing, cannot tolerate or accept when there is no actual means to altar our minds, hearts, and souls or our temporal, bodily conditions, expand the bounds of relationships when in essence the the temporalites are burning bridges with us by their choosing, and pick up with those who already know how to pray, love, and forgive and are into building bonds with those who can perceive beyond what constrains others here and now.

This blog post (and blog in general) is a totally non-vibe, non-acceptable social media whatever. Guaranteed not many will read it due to length if not other criticisms. I'm not into burning any bridges, but I've learned to let the bridges out there bring those who are interested in such as me, to walk over on the various media modalities available.

And I lovingly welcome those who have a need or desire to burn bridges with me, to do so. This aspect is a newly arrived gift just this morning, from God to me. Those who find me not to their total liking need to be freed from frustrations and worries, exasperations and embarrassments they perceive and maybe rightly so, that such as myself can cause them in the wilds of the temporal world.

God is forming me; God is progressing me and perfecting me in His way and time, considering God recognizes and accepts my imperfections as He's developing me as He wills. He's doing that with anyone who wants and asks, even if they have as many flaws as myself.

Life becomes much easier, the path less ugly, dark, and fiery when we learn to love to love, pray, and forgive. (And there may be more key words added to this initial list, but these are basic and essentials. Plus, there is no time chart nor chains involved once one steps off the bridge, so to speak, so that others don't have a need to burn it out from under us or keep us from walking over to interact with them.

Christian Catholic Hermit Mystic: Mostly Spiritual, Not Temporal

I'm mostly spiritual, not temporal. I'm interested in the spiritual life, of the life of Christ, of the mystical elements of religion (a title of two volumes by a great writer, Baron Von Hugel), and of the spiritual and temporal application of Scripture in personal and societal daily life.  I enjoy sensing and pondering and writing of that which is above, of the Law of God--God's Law of Love--more than the laws created by humankind, especially that of canon (or church) laws.  

I grieve for Catholics who become ensnared in the entangling nets of the temporal.... their limbs thrashing about 'neath the surface of the waters of which years ago God showed me that I was desperately trying to untangle the nets to free the people--some whom I recognized from parishes including priests--who were caught in these nets.  Then God spoke to me.  He said, "They will be all right. I will help them. But you--you must swim on out into the deep! Go! Swim on to the other side!" 

So I stopped treading water by the immense nets that held all these people just below the surface of of the waters, and I turned outward and began to swim.  I looked to as far as my sight would allow, and I saw no end of the vast waters.  I swam on and on, and I am still swimming.

I am swimming, progressing onward into the deep, into the unknown of which God pointed and and directed those years ago.  I am swimming and progressing onward,despite my spine half fused and the next level up already deteriorating; and my neck has gone from being deemed "bad" to severe in less than a year between MRI's.  It is so severe that the neurosurgeon decided he did not want to operate unless it becomes life-threatening.  He had neurological testing performed, and although at times I wake up with my arms thumb through the hands, thus far feeling has returned in time.  

Recently, I have had another major surgery on my left knee; that, too, has been a failed surgery of 4-6% who have this occurrence of collagen cells reacting even during surgery to what is called oxidative stress.  This causes the cells to grow rapidly and thickly in a fibrous, impervious layer--mine two-inches thick covering over my artificial knee.  The pain is horrendous; my life style is forever altered between trying to do painful stretches throughout the day and using pain medications, and also trying to tend to the temporal responsibilities of the temporal aspect of my bodily existence here, now, on this temporal earth.

Yet my soul supersedes all else. I know this even if the temporal existence and those temporalites who exist around my temporal body, mostly unseen by me but here, there, ensnared and thrashing about in the immense nets beneath the surface of what is the temporal world and that of the deep and wide of eternity.  That is, of the world in which faith in God leads those of us who have all but the bodily left off from the temporal world and those thrashing about.  That is, of the temporalites who are ensnared in the temporal nets 'neath the surface of the waters; the focus and bulk of their accountability given over to the temporal world of temporal experiences and situations with other temporalites.  

The only way forward, out  of the entangling nets of the temporal, is to keep swimming, keep going, onward and forward, seeing not the other side.  Yet know that  freedom and blissful of touches of grace await us the more we broaden our sights, strengthen our strokes, not look back! Keep on! Keep on swimming out into the deep, onward with faith and hope, having let go of trying to free those who are not yet ready, those who do not grasp in reality there is something far more that awaits us the farther we reach with our hearts and minds and our very souls determined in faith that God is with us and also there for us, both, and, for all eternity.

But we must stay clear of the entangling nets, once we have been freed from the temporal reality that these nets ensnare us, keep us tied and entangled to a point of the blind thrashing about  becoming our norm within our existence in the temporal world and indeed, ensnared as well in the temporal tangibles and temporalizations of the temporal world of the temporal church. 

From the moment of realization of what is beyond us, what is unseen yet so very real, beyond us out into the depths and breadths of the spiritual life in His Real Presence, always and forever, we in trust simply and profoundly, in unknowingness of ontological beingness--we keep progress.

Onward and forward we progress into the very soul of God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. Yet God is the One, the All, to Whom we keep progressing despite the hindrances of our insufferable temporal bodies. For within these bodies, once we free ourselves in faith, hope, and love to give over to God the tending of those caught up into and of the entangling nets of the temporal realm of the world at large and the temporal world of church, and of all those choosing to remain stuck reman entangled in the temporal--we find that we are brought through and onward and forward, despite the ongoing effort of exchanging our own thrashing about with that of taking progressively forward strokes. 

We are bound and determined, no matter what, to keep going to whatever is there--to the heaven of God's Beingness and Energy, to that of God's pervasive and effervescent God's Allness.  God is there for us; God is with us along the endless breadth and depth of forward progression.  We know not but that God loves us and asks of us to keep on receiving His Love and learning His Love, to learn to love, to love God and others (and ourselves) as God loves.

This is the mostly spiritual  that at some point of which we do not know other than to know this point exists, in which we become deeply spiritual within the spiritual of God Himself. We become one with God's Beingness and Allness.  We become as if one with God's Supreme Soul. The as if becomes the truth, beauty, and goodness of not only spiritual union, but of mystical marriage with consummation.

This is what awaits us. This is why becoming aware of something more out there, beyond the entangling nets 'neath the surface of the waters. This is why we persevere in our seeking, no matter what befalls us or tries to interfere with the progression, we keep advancing by becoming mostly spiritual and less to least temporal.  We become unentangled from those temporalites who yet choose or acccept--either one--the temporal always mostly, and more than the the breadth and depth of the spiritual counterparts God desires for us, for our minds, hearts, and souls--if we simply keep going, once we are freed from the stuckness of the temporal nets.

Pray His Real Presence free everyone's mind, heart, and soul from the stuckness of entanglement in the ensnaring nets of whatever temporal.  Note the difference between being entangled by those temporal nets that represent the temporalization of the world at large and the world of church, as well as of the world of ourselves remaining entangled until by the grace of God, we are released through the teachings and life and sacrificial death of Christ Jesus, and ultimately by God's will we are freed from ourselves being entangled. Praise God with each inch of disentanglement, God's will and desire for us.

If I were an adept artist, I'd watercolor or pencil or ink sketch an image of this most powerful and real locution and vision.  I pray the description and word-metaphor of the entangling nets 'neath the doldrum-deceptive surface of the waters, assists the awakening from the living dead alive.  I pray that all temporalites realize the vast depths and breadths of the spiritual and masterful mystical realm of eternity that awaits us now, and has for every now of the present moment we've spent remaining piteously and desperately blind to our thrashing about stuckness in the temporal, of the entangling nets.

God bless His Real Presence is within us, the love of God, the love of God as others love, and to love ourselves as God loves, will always be ours to grasp and take with us onward and forward to reach that point of center, amidst the breadth and width of the Holiness of God's desire for us.

Swim on, swim on!  God will take care of all these others who are in His care, of whom God will free, will detangle these others who then must stay free and clear of the entangling nets. Rather, praise God for the faith, hope, and love of the reality of the blissful crossing that God has for us, onward and forward.  

The Stairway to Heaven is ours; we are by swimming onward and forward, not held back--we are led to the base.  The swimming onward and forward propels us, despite not knowing where nor able to see beyond ourselves. 

The Stairway to Heaven is given us, to provide for our onward and forward progression into, and then eternally remaining in the spiritual of our God-infused minds, hearts, and souls.  We advance all the while our insufferable attachments to our bodies and the temporalized aspects of the temporal world of varying types, fall far beyond us as well as the temporalites' plights.

God will take care of them, just as God is taking care of us.  It is never too late nor too early to learn to love, to love to learn to love God, to love others (and ourselves) as God loves!