The View from Pendle Hill

A consideration of the radical nature of the Gospel. Christianity began as a social and political as well as religious revolution. The Magnificat sets a tone which may best be expressed as "the world turned upside down." Jesus was a gadfly to the establishment of His time, and bequeathed the same mentality to His Apostles. They changed the world, and within the lifetime of the last living Apostle, simple Christianity was well on the way to transforming the known world.

My Photo
Name:
Location: San Francisco, California, United States

You will learn of me from the writings on the blog. The Gospel is all-important. If we fail to live up to its potential, we have failed to realize our full potential.

Monday, August 22, 2005

After some time...

In mid-June my Mother suffered a stroke. Shortly after being taken into hospital, Mother contracted pneumonia. This caused me great grief, as I was certain she was dying. Happily, the Lord spared Mother, and after some time convalescing in hospital and a rehabilitation facility, Mother was released to me to come home.
This would be a terribly difficult job for a younger person, but I am 55 years of age and having to lift and move Mother (as slender as she has become) and the many other tasks associated with her care, I am often frustrated and greatly fatigued.
Still, one does what one must. How anyone could allow their parent to go to the care of some stranger, is beyond me. Home is where one ought to be, whether well or ill. Once the hospital has done their job, recovery in the care of loved ones really is the best, and, I think, most natural.
What all this leads me to is that I have learned more and more to rely upon the Most High for strength and guidance. There are times Mother speaks in cruel and hurtful terms. Well, she is in pain and confused!
I must then depend that the Lord will give me the wisdom not to respond in kind, but speak in tender kindness and charity to her. After all, she is the more disabled. It is she who is bed-bound, not me. I have little to be frustrated with, while Mother, who has always been fiercely independent, is justifiably confused and hurt by her sudden change in circumstances.
Since I am the Christian, following a Friendly way, surely it is up to me to behave properly. According to Scripture, as I minister to Mother so do I minister unto Jesus. This is a great opportunity to learn the Christian life.
In the medieval Church, one would look to the religious orders for these lessons. In today's world, such lessons are not so easily found, but we must learn them nonetheless.
The Christian life is really the only Way to follow. That the world does not realize this truth, so much the more reason for us, the Faithful, to remain faithful and exemplify the Truth to an errant people.
I have ordered two books by Rufus Jones, New Eyes for Invisibles and Radiant Life. I enjoy reading a spiritual book when I am at rest, though I have precious little free time any longer. When I finally get to bed, I am so tired, I can scarcely keep my eyes open.
Now, for instance, my eyes are growing heavy and there is so much more to write.
I think, though, I shall leave that for another day.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home