Surely Death Is Not Far Off

It can't get much better than this Ash Wednesday. Surely death is not far off.

Well, the Rector responded that it might be near or a ways off....

The Masses today: Does it ever get better than Mass? The nothing doesn't think it can until death do the nothing part from this world and enter [hopefully] Purgatory, and from there burn it out until Heaven.

Today the nothing began reading Fr. L. Scupoli's The Spiritual Combat. This is the book that inspired St. Francis de Sales and roused him from a deep, dark night. The author gave him a copy. St. Francis de Sales called it his "golden book." The nothing senses SFDS wanting more from the nothing--a little something more. Lent is going to be spent attempting whatever SFDS desires to teach. The nothing has been reading another biography of the saint, also.

Then, the Bishop celebrated the noon Mass. What a tremendous preacher! After, we spoke a bit, and he gave the nothing another prayer assignment--one that is critical, really, and the nothing is also praying for much courage for the B. He has courage, but this situation calls for courage upon courage. Later, he mentioned that he will tell me more about it soon, but the nothing responded that it does not matter--that if the Lord desires me to know more about the situation, that He will let me know, but if not, the nothing does not need to know. The nothing promises prayers and the offering of any sufferings the Lord may exact, if He wills.

Then the nothing asked the B. (and had already asked the VG) to pray for something for the nothing, for Lent. And what is that? To be given perpetual humility! Perpetual? Yes. The nothing needs this very much in order to be more useful to the Lord, for the Church, in prayer.

Then the nothing thanked the B. again for his wisdom in not granting the canonical approval. He said, yes, it is always best to be obedient to one's Bishop.

Oh, but as we lunched a bit later, the nothing panicked that perhaps the nothing was being DISOBEDIENT to the nothing's Bishop! Did he mean in his letter that the nothing was not to be a privately professed hermit? No, that was fine; he then said that he was not opposed to granting the canonical approval, that it was not at all out of the question.

Oh my. The nothing explained that the nothing was totally appreciative of NOT having the approval, not being a publicly professed hermit. It seems the path of greater suffering to struggle to live the life in hidden, private, nothing capacity. Oh? He smiled. And what had been observed regarding canonical approval that made me desire the private? The nothing mentioned two or three points. In fact, the nothing asked if it was sinful to even think there more problems in a canon law? No, and another smile. Then he said some things too sublime for the nothing, and the nothing said to please not think so of the nothing, for the nothing Catholic hermit is but nothing striving to climb the holy mountain--struggling along the path. No, the nothing cannot share the words, for they are too spiritually generous--better off considered a nit-wit. But the words warmed this heart of hope that the nothing could grow into the meanings the words represent.

It was rather amazing that on the day when the nothing Catholic hermit had asked a rector, a confessor and a bishop to please pray for the nothing to be given perpetual humility, that the Bishop would say such lovely things about the nothing. They are offered to the Lord Most High for the Bishop's very needful intention.

Surely great humiliations will follow the nothing's consolations. Prayers are answered, and asking for humility will take the nothing's breath away, no doubt. The Lord raised the nothing on the complimentary words of the Bishop, and the Lord will lower the nothing as the Host is lowered from being elevated by the alter Christi, down, down upon the altar of sacrifice at Holy Mass.

Yes, surely death is not far off. But what kind of death? The nothing should have mentioned to the Rector, at the brief exchange that it can't get better than the beautiful Masses of this Ash Wednesday--than of any Mass--that death is not far off: but the Lord grants many manners and means of deaths for us seedlings, doesn't He?

The nothing must float as limpid through Lent....