A consecrated Catholic hermit is not set apart from others in the reality that we must tend to temporal tasks. Perhaps the challenge for a hermit is to not let having to tend with temporal tasks be a disruption to our prayer life and praise of God, and our tending to offering ourselves, living penitent lives--and key, always, to live in stricter separation from the world.
When tending to temporal tasks, that stricter separation from the world might have to come in attitude and in heart. The mind somewhat, too, can separate, but today at the chiropractor's I had to keep my mind very much in the body and to the temporal task at hand. I had to answer questions as to what makes the pain worse, what location, direction of the pain in the spine--up into the head or more downward movement.
A bother, yes! Who wants to mindfully go into one's body that is a veritable cross of constant suffering? But there is this most unusually spiritual soul in this doctor, a member of my parish I've learned, and he wanted to do his work well--work that would help me even if temporarily or for awhile. I got my mind into my body and had a look around in there, and focused on feeling despite the headache sickening. I answered his questions as best I could, and he worked on my feet and neck and re-aligned my hip.
Yes, the major body-head smack last summer when I flew from the stairs and never touched ground until I knocked into (what we have been able to figure from blood patterns) the front door jam--that impact causing the head injury also caused some body parts to be set out of alignment. I feel quite a bit better compared to when I went to the chiropractor.
I did ask his opinion about the epidurals scheduled for my neck and thoracic spine. He said definitely to ask the pain MD. I made that phone call, and I will proceed with trying the injections scheduled on Thursday at the hospital. Please pray that I do not have adverse side effects. They can be worse the closer to the head, the injections. I must place my trust, as we all must, in Jesus. I've had reactions to Prednisone, oral, and to an epidural that was years ago, but still with such reactions, the memory remains fresh no matter how long.
I made a phone call today, again, regarding an unfortunate situation. We will see if that gets corrected without other action, but thus far they are still trying to find out if the person is really as the persons has said or their responsibility, for the Bishop's office had no knowledge of this person in their diocese. I don't care if this is another case of someone falling to some hypocrisy or the system failing; but I do care to have some wrongs corrected to protect myself from wrongs perpetrated over a period of time. I also pursue this on behalf of others who have made contact that they, too, were wronged by this person--and fearful of retribution. Evil, then, it is, if it causes such fear of more evil.
It is a sad situation for the Church, but we're familiar with the history of how evil can tempt any of us humans. The wrongs done in the priesthood are a raw example; and the purgation is far-reaching but necessary, which also is quite painful for those who are not doing wrong. We continue to pray.
Then there was a call from a young woman whom I've known since she was 8 years old. She has put herself through college and a master's degree, has a job now working in a counseling center, and told me she went herself to a treatment center recently, for an eating disorder that has plagued her since 8th grade in parochial school. I reminded her how God is building her resume with life experiences that will only help those she counsels, many of them struggling with eating disorders.
She has felt that the devil is trying to take her down into despairs at times, yet she also is quite blessed. So I shared with her some of what Bl. Angela de Foligno lived--how the Lord provided her times of despair and great challenges, while then providing increasing strength and spiritual inspiration, all in a spiraling upward effect of her soul. It all made sense to my young friend as we talked it over on the phone.
(It makes me chuckle yet again when I think of how the good parish priest somehow thought that my mystic self would not be able to interact, even though I assured him that Dr. H. years ago taught me well how to live a "double life". Other than alone with God in my hermitage, or in my writing anonymously, or in encounters--discerned--that God brings to me, am I fully free to be.)
Then Fr. V emailed from Africa. He needs prayers this Saturday for some political elections in which there is concern of much bloodshed. He also gave me some spiritual counsel, as well as reminded me that I am already living a life in conformity with the Cross--that what I need from here on is the faith and strength to endure to the end, the suffering with Christ on the Cross.
I'm unboxing three more boxes of books, and then hope to write something of the inspirations from Bl. Angela de Foligno's life, in next blog post.
God bless His Real Presence in us!
[I'm striving to do more with photos on this blog site, as I used to do several years ago. I'm a bit rusty on the technology, so please bear with me. You have been quite good to not need photos, for those of you who are patient with what often enough is not that edifying or of what you may prefer reading. I'm striving to settle into that element of far more spiritual and of sharing what I learn from the other "spiritual lepers" in the books. The past few years out of civilization were of God's glorious stripping!]
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