Visiting

An adult child desired a visit, and of course the nothing desires to visit in love. There is a different element when the one being visited comprehends the hermit's life somewhat, and also the physical suffering.

It is a relatively short visit but meaningful, prayerful within, and an act of charity for all concerned. The act is not so much physical, despite the effort of getting the body from point A to point B. Once at the visit location, the nothing can be very stilled, and there are no expectations or affectations on the part of anyone.

And, the adult child had said that once this trip was effected, the nothing would not have to go anywhere for a long time. The adult children comprehend very much the effort in travel. Love does help endure pain, of course!

During a visit such as this, with a difference in religious background (nothing is a convert of 13 years), the rule of life is maintained, but remains very much hidden. Daily Mass cannot occur, as the body is very drained from the travel, and it is not so feasible as a guest. Sunday Mass will occur, regardless, for the hosts embrace Christianity and thus Sunday is upheld as a church day. The nothing hasn't always accommodated, but it has seemed best for physical and charitable reasons to forego daily Mass.

This is not easy. The nothing yearns for Mass. All you reading this do, too! So, you comprehend! Last night there was not much sleep, and the nothing curled up within the Sacred Heart, and considered the grace of spiritual communions. And, throughout the day, the nothing tries to be the happy, positive, upbeat, inside-out-joyful Eucharistic Catholic without showing it to any extreme! Here we have, perhaps, the practice of interior acts of mercy and charity.

The interior acts of charity glow gently; they do not beam into anyone's eyes.

The other night, prior to leaving Agnus Dei, the doorbell rang at shortly before 2 a.m. The nothing was not sleeping well due to pain, and so getting up to go to the door was not a fog. There stood a sheriff's deputy, beaming his flashlight. The nothing's first thoughts were to brace itself, for perhaps something had happened to one of the adult children. But no, they always send two to give that news. The next thought was something had occurred with the neighbors who are now trying to sell their house to get away from the nothing--considering the horrific events of last fall and winter.

But no, the very fit and gentle deputy sheriff asked if the nothing was all right--and did it realize its garage door was up? No, so the deputy waited until the nothing got it closed. A trash can had been in the way, and the automatic detector had caused the door to go back up after the nothing thought it had been closed. The deputy said when he saw it open, he was concerned that something had happened to the nothing, a break-in, perhaps.

What a lovely act of charity for this deputy to come up to the house, in the rain, and check on the nothing! In a little-developed subdivision out in the county, the nothing had never considered the sheriff's dept. would cruise a patrol during the wee hours. Now, that was an active work of mercy! It is his career, his vocation, and also his ability as a very buff young man. It also revealed his kind character and concern, for he could have skipped this little-built up subdivision, or enjoyed a hot cup of coffee in his patrol car, in a strip mall parking lot a couple miles away.

The nothing is becoming more affirmed in the Lord's will for non-active charity. By this, it is meant the physical and overt. It is not the nothing's vocation, other than some exceptions along the path. The Lord will make clear the exceptions. This visit is a bit of one.

The nothing will practice interior charity for awhile, and not be pulled into activity which is charitable but not so feasible for the nothing. The Blessed Virgin Mary is a sublime example of interior charity, the type that does not beam but is instead softly glowing.

Much of hermit life, the vocation itself, evolves softly glowing--not didactically theological.