Exhausted today, and I did not do much yesterday. I do very little any day, but the bending to take out some carpet and pad, as well as getting down to dig out weeds and their roots in the outdoor grass, has the muscles quite sore. Am very de-conditioned from so much time spent in bed, keeping vigil with the pain level: pain praying, I pray!
Then come along the words of John of Karpathos, monk and bishop of the 7th century. He wrote in Texts for the encouragement of the monks in India, nos 46, 81, wisdoms and truth of God and the Holy Spirit. 'I am He, ' God says, 'who makes the dry tree flourish; I give life to dry bones'" (cf. Ezek 17:24; 37:5).
I so need God to give life to my dry bones--the tired, painful, dry physical bones and the dryness of the bones of my mind, heart, and spirit. It all takes great faith and trust in God who bequeaths the Holy Spirit upon us, who breathes in us the breath of life now and for eternity.
The phone appointment this morning did not go as I thought. It was very good in the sense of my total nothingness. One thing that was brought up by the other, was that of fear. I was expressing fear of probably the unknowns or process of a situation, and also in pondering it later, the fear of what seems to be lost of something that was quite precious over lengths of temporal lives and times.
However, I was advised to consider it all a win-win, no matter what the outcome. Yes, it required another type of dying to self and dying to what is and what was. And dying includes death to what is to be, also. I wondered in writing to someone, do we ever truly die to self until after passing through purgatory?
Is full dying to self possible in our lifetimes? I can think of some saints who seem to have achieved death to self, particularly John of the Cross, famous for his poetry and teachings and living example of nada, nada nada: detachment to self, detachment to temporal attachments, spiritual detachment, holy indifference.
No matter what transpires, my nothingness remains. I find it humorous that the one in the phone appointment once more had my name wrong. I do not correct it for I figure it does not really matter. I even had to try to help give a point of remembrance in order to discuss the topic in quest for guidance. There was not much recognition, and later I found that not only humorous but uplifting! I enjoyed the laugh of what otherwise has been a process not exuding in the peace of the Holy Spirit. But that lack could be due to my own thoughts and feelings getting in the way.
The Holy Spirit is beckoning me and has been, to turn my focus on the Holy Spirit of Love. The Holy Spirit's purpose involves intertwining and breathing love between the Father and the Son and each of us, each soul created by God. The Holy Spirit gifts Himself upon us. The Holy Spirit replaces "the sequence and laws of nature and habit."
Enjoy what John of Karpathos illumines of the Holy Spirit Who comes upon us and how the Holy Spirit interacts and raises us up beyond ourselves and beyond the temporalities of existence.
"To the soul that doubts how it can ever give birth to Christ through great acts of holiness, these words are said: 'The Holy Spirit shall come upon you' (Lk 1:35).
"Where the Holy Spirit is present do not expect anymore the sequence and laws of nature and habit. The Holy Spirit whom we worship is all-powerful, and in an astonishing way He brings into existence what does not as yet exist within us. The intellect that was previously defeated he now makes victorious.
"For the Paraclete who in compassion comes upon us from above 'is higher than all' (Jn 3:31), and he raises us above all natural impulses.'"
Let us praise God for the gift of the Paraclete given us, and let us pray for all those who are suffering in whatever ways this day, this night. From Solus Deus Hermitage, a nothing Catholic hermit prays for each of you, and for your families and friends.
Please pray for Ron who has been on a ventilator since Sunday evening, age 87, and for his wife whom I've not had an update for two days, who likely is infected with COVID-19, also. Pray for those who have lost loved ones due to any ailment or accident, or from natural causes of a long life lived.
God bless His Real Presence in us!
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