Eremitic Life: Limitations Set

The climb up the mountain becomes increasingly difficult physically. Some hermits have good health; others do not. Sometimes the eremitic vocation is conjoined with other vocations, such as that of suffering. Or, the sufferer recognizes at some point that God is choosing it for the eremitic life.

Within the eremitic life, regardless of dual vocation, the Holy Spirit effects gradual shifts as the hermit progresses. This can be done through interior recognition of changes needing to be made. It does make sense. One climbing a mountain might need to drop off some of the supplies that become burdensome. It is not dumped all of a sudden, for some of the supplies are necessary for part of the journey. And some of the supplies might be necessary for the other vocation, if one has conjoined calls.

If the hermit strives for not being noticed as it climbs, then the increasing limitations being set are not understood by others. If the hermit is more public, then others might expect more and more--much as the onlookers at the race track expect the horse to run faster than what the horse is capable. But then others in the crowd or columnists might argue that the horse cannot be this or that. Or should be, or is right or wrong. And it gets all the more into a public scrutiny, and maybe this is helpful for the horse, the jockey, the owners and trainers--or maybe not.

The nothing Catholic hermit is a climber who is not noticed as a climber (or race horse or whatever analogy). But God expects it to keep climbing, just the same. The Holy Spirit spurs it on, and certain limitations are placed along the way. The path becomes more narrow, steeper, stone obstacles, thinner air.... But yet, the path is right in view of others, for they watch people with binoculars. They watch without knowing it is a mountain climber; they watch those who aren't mountain climbers. They watch. We all watch somewhat. The eyes are part of the Body.

They don't understand just because they watch, however. But the climber must adapt and adjust the climb according to the will of God. The Holy Spirit whispers the instructions, and the climber must breathe them sooner or later, or fall back.

The nothing Catholic hermit experiences new limitations being set in the eremitic life, at this stage of the climb. It has to do with the eremitic as well as the life of suffering. It cannot enact physically the acts of charity which others would like, expect, or even the hermit itself would like to do or would expect to be allowed to do. But it cannot.

Rather, the responsibilities of solitude and the work involved, both physical and spiritual, of each day in the Rule of the Nine S', prohibit the nothing from much else. The "s" of suffering heightens as the climb proceeds. This "s" demands added limitations to be set. Perhaps it is temporary, and more can be added to the backpack later on, but probably not. The suffering might be met with increased energy, in time, but the new limitations seem also very good for any eremitic, as with cloistered religious.

It's just that with cloistered religious, there is a group with support, and while they climb individually, they are part of a team.

The hermit, particularly the one called to remain hidden, does not have that visible team. It has a team, but the team is also hidden. It's only earthly guides are the confessor, spiritual director and Bishop. But the mystical team lends support in mystical ways. This is good.

Those on earth with binoculars, however, will be easily offended--and seemingly justified in their hurt. And, if the hermit who is accepting new limitations set, waivers, it can only cause more confusion for those watching. The hermit can try to explain, but cannot explain by explaining its religious vocation. In this nothing hermit's circumstance, the others mostly are not Catholic, and the Catholics would not deal well with the suffering part. It has been tried and didn't work then; and with the limitations being set more firmly, it would be less so now.

The good landscape man and his helper have arrived at Agnus Dei to repair the rock cave-in on the lower level. The nothing must shower, dress and ready for the last act of outward charity to the elderly couple, the man being released from the hospital this morning. The nothing will take them to the nursing home and apt., each, and then visit its spiritual father. God arranged the timing perfectly, knowing He had determined it was time to thin the air enough to cause the nothing to struggle more in the climb.

The nothing must mention to the landscape men some trees planted that are shifting forward, so the men can stake them back. They do not question the nothing's quiet life. The neighbors last evening, on their deck, watching the nothing weeding (ah, and with what physical effort--but that is the point of the nothing's having gardens, for it does need to be pushed to new limits), hummed the theme to the Twilight Zone program of years past. They never did understand the nothing Catholic hermit. It's spiritual father said the nothing's presence can bring the "very devil" out of hiding. A priest said once that some souls sense the nothing's interior, and react in envy and guilt.

Whatever, the nothing offered the silly humming to God for the souls of these people who are not allowed by sheriff's order, to speak. And, there was a bit of humor in it all, for the nothing realized that God's ways are inscrutable. There is joy in this fact, and the new limitations against much if any active works of mercy have caused growth in the interior caves of love.

Best not to question much, if at all, the limitations that are set, in stages and levels, along the climb in the eremitic life. God has His reasons, and the hermit must simply obey.