The physical body is struggling with pain--sprained ankle a couple weeks ago, better, now worse again. One must persevere, must keep going. Am tiling the upstairs' bathroom shower which is in part under a slanted ceiling. I have two boxes of large subway tile remaining and will use all, then figure how much more will be required to complete the task.
A lad has been helping with some work. He is younger brother of lad who helped three summers ago. The first two or three days went well, but work ennui has set in. I'm struggling to find tasks that he will enjoy and thus do a good job at it. At this point of finishing up the hermitage, readying it for selling, the tasks that someone other can do involve yard work. If I were not concerned with my dwindling finances, I could consider the boy's help as more an outreach on my part.
But I do want to instill a work ethic, and I mentioned the other day when he obviously was unwilling to help me with getting dirt off weeds and tossing them in the wheelbarrow, that in future, he'd not likely find employers who will find other tasks that he might "enjoy." We switched to another task that I thought he might like better, but I think he was plainly and simply tired.
In trying to demonstrate omnia pro Deo (all for God) as a point of work focus, or even to offer the work as intention for his dad who has been battling with gnarly cancer, I realize that persevering is not easy, and keeping focus all for God is not easy to embrace and live out in our lives.
In today's Gospel reading for Mass, I consider a linkage to the above, temporal "chatter" about persevering and trying to live our lives for Christ even in the most dull and tedious of earthly tasks. It can be a matter of shifting the thought, such as I mentioned how I learned to love weeding by telling myself that I love it, by considering each weed as a sin I was removing by the roots and shaking off the good soil to continue on nourishing the earth and the virtues needing good soil to grow. Also, weeding is excellent exercise--bending, stretching, pulling with hands in the warm soil and lungs breathing in the fresh air. And, of course, there is the matter of ora et labora: pray and work! Weeding is particularly meditative--even a doorway into contemplative prayer.
Jesus reminds us (John 15:26-16:4) that when and as we follow Him and remain in His love, and as He sends the Holy Spirit to fill us and teach us all truth, Who testifies as to Jesus being the Son of God--we, too, then will testify to Jesus, in truth.
And our living in Christ and testifying as to Who Christ Is--we will then be tested and tried. Even those who think they are worshipping--genuinely believe they are in the right--will persecute followers of Christ, those who testify not only with words but in action, in spirit and truth and light.
We must persevere! The devil will try to infiltrate and oppose even something as simple and small as trying to live omnia pro Deo, of pulling out weeds and whacking the soil from the roots, dumping the weeds on a burn pile. It is the opposition to our hearts being in Christ that is the trigger point for evil to try to dissuade, interrupt, persecute, stop our progress of prayer and testifying in word and deed that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, our Savior!
Darkness does not like the light.
Jesus reminds us to not be surprised nor dismayed when the time comes (and it can occur repeatedly in various ways in our daily lives) that others will either attack in a sense of righteousness or indignation, or disbelief, or might fall away failing to grasp the power of our testifying as to Christ's truth in small and simple ways in our daily efforts.
We must persevere! We believe in Jesus Christ, and we follow Him. We must not fall away but rather keep going, simply keep going. Think on that which is above, remain in His love, use our body, heart, mind, and spirit to worship and adore Jesus in every breath and movement. Remain in His love and take heart, be encouraged.
Of course, a young lad might not yet grasp the significance of such perseverance and the depth of spiritual life involved in simple chores. Thinking of how much money to be gained is a natural temptation, and the delight of a new job and being paid can wear off rather quickly--especially when the spiritual is not the basis of whatever we do.
Yet those who do grasp at whatever age (and I've had some young persons grasp, early on) that in some of the simplest or also hidden efforts we can be testifying to Christ in goodness and truth--are blessed in the process. Others may scorn or worse. We should persevere in testifying, all the same.
God bless His Real Presence in us! Remain in His Love! Allow the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to inspire us to exude His truth and life in all we are and can be and do!
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