Yesterday I was able to return to a little manual labor and had a young helper for a couple hours here in Solus Deus Hermitage. We removed an upper and a base cabinet from St. John the Baptist (upstairs) bathroom. Had to remove trim around door and baseboards, as well. Then we removed the toilet of which, thankfully, the tank is removable. The helper did the lifting and carrying out to the garage until I can get the Precious Blood pick-up truck loaded with the toilet, cabinets, and ceiling fan to a donation organization--St. Vincent de Paul or Habitat for Humanity.
Today I also was able to do a little manual labor. A neighbor couple came and helped get more base cabinets out; the counter top and two sinks and faucets still in the counter--two men carried that out to the garage yesterday as they happened by to give a bid on moving some carpet from one room to another. God provides!
Yes, the little bit of manual labor yesterday had me in bed until later afternoon today when the neighbor couple arrived to help the continuation of "gutting" the bathroom. Part of our time was spent trying to locate the interior water shut-off handle, to no avail. My physical pain needs to be a tad less for me to remember! It's been a year since the inspector showed me many locations of many aspects of this dwelling. I'll ask my angel this evening, and probably by morning have an answer; but chances are the turn off is behind something in the garage....
The rest of this day has involved praising God for the many blessings He provides, always! Prayers were offered in general and specifics, but then came a lovely text from a niece with whom reconnection occurred as an outcome of a sibling (her mother) who is suffering from cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. God brings such good out of any situation--including those that we humans think are negative. Prayers needed for the niece's teen son!
A prayer that came to mind--an old prayer involving humility and the conforming of our hearts to that of Jesus' heart--I have prayed for this young man. "Jesus meek and humble of heart, make [name] heart like unto Thine!" I repeat it for myself and my niece, for our hearts, also to be made humble and conformed in Christ. Mother's of teens can always use an extra measure of Christ's loving support and tender mercy. Quite a challenge to rear teenagers in this society and time period!
Reviewing today's Mass Scripture Readings, Jesus in the Gospel (Mark 6:1-6), was being mocked, angered, resented, and doubted. His ability to teach, inspire, heal, and speak beyond what those in the temple and Nazareth were able to comprehend. How is it that a carpenter's son--a young man who grew up in their midsts--could do and speak as he does--and even perform miracles?
"Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.' So he was not able to perform any might deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed by their lack of faith."
I've always been touched with the fact that Jesus' being able to perform His deeds in our lives, does help through our faith. This is the truth of how we ourselves can hinder Christ within us--when we lack faith. While Christ is God and God can do all things, our lack of faith, our hardness of hearts, in essence is our refusing to accept and believe in Christ; we thus reject Christ by our lack of faith. Further, it is a lack of faith, which can also be considered in that we can be of little faith, for "lack" can be of degrees. The greater our faith in Christ, the greater our personal relationship with Christ.
But the following excerpt, an Apostolic Exhortation, "Redemptoris custos," by St. John Paul II, helps all of us, including those of us consecrated Catholic hermits who ascribe to this portion of St. Benedict's Rule of Life: ora et labora (pray and work). St. Pope JPII offers us much uplift and encouragement in this gift God provides--yet what we may not always value: manual labor. For a hermit whose life is devoted to praise of God and prayer for the salvation of the world, God's gift of manual labor allows us to praise and pray while at the same time get bodily exercise and be temporally productive.
Even though manual labor may be less manual than more, even Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, fully bedfast, would hand sew clothing for children. St. Seraphim the Seraph stacked stones along a creek bed. I am finally able to paint a wall, or with help remove some old cabinets, and get the trash bin to the curb. Thus I appreciate all the more, ora et labora through St. John Paul II's enjoining us to engage and appreciate one of God's practicable and sagacious gifts to us, that of manual labor.
"Work was the daily expression of love in the life of the Family of Nazareth.... Having learned the work of his presumed father, he was known as 'the carpenter's son' (Mt 13:55). If the Family of Nazareth is an example and model for human families, in the order of salvation and holiness, so too, by analogy, is Jesus' work at the side of Joseph the carpenter....
"Human work, and especially manual labor, receive special prominence in the Gospel. Along with the humanity of the Son of God, work has been taken up in the mystery of the Incarnation, and has also been redeemed in a special way. At the workbench where he plied his trade together with Jesus, Joseph brought human work closer to the mystery of the Redemption.
"In the human growth of Jesus in wisdom, age and grace, the virtue of industriousness played a notable role, since work is a human good which transforms nature and makes man in a sense, more human.
"The importance of work in human life demands that its meaning be known and assimilated in order to help all people to come closer to God, the Creator and Redeemer, to participate in his salvific plan for man and the world, and to deepen friendship with Christ in their lives, by accepting, through faith, a living participation in his threefold mission as Priest, Prophet, and King. What is crucially important here is the sanctification of daily life, a sanctification which each person must acquire according to his or her own state [of life]."
God bless His Real Presence in us! Little children, let us love God above all things, love God in Himself, and love others as God loves!
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