Catholic Hermit Working Hard!

Many spiritual thoughts and occurrences, lots of manual labor, struggling against odds, and body attempting to overcome illness.

Through it all, God is so merciful.

It is Lent!  Am praying often the Jesus Prayer.  Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy.  Or a shorter version: Lord Jesus.  Or a longer version:  Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.  Or yet longer:  Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Many of the early Church fathers and saints knew and taught to pray this prayer which will help bring the soul to stillness.  It helps one connect with His Real Presence, within in the Abode He (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) have made in us; and we are in Him.  The Jesus Prayer is also known to cause the demons to flee.

Any remembrance of Jesus, of His Real Presence in us, helps to still the soul and keep us in divine connection with Him.  It is a goal and His desire, that we have such loving and fervent embodiment of His Real Presence.  Prior to praying the Jesus prayer or invoking the Holy Name, Lord Jesus, we ought bring ourselves into His Real Presence by remembering and pondering (even if briefly first) God's glory, power, and might!

There are some incidents to chronicle, dear readers, and not so much for any of you, but for this nothing Catholic hermit to be able to write out and in due course, to praise His Real Presence, to make some petitions, and to keep focused on God's will always, and thank Him in all circumstances.

This nothing hermit has also reflected and been reminded to encourage all aspiring Catholic hermits, to keep in mind we are consecrated religious eremitics called to live and keep our valid private vows. Regardless which of the now two Church-approved paths (privately or since 1983 publicly expressed vows), we ought prayerfully live daily and nightly the three evangelical counsels, and all else asked of hermits, according to The Catechism of the Catholic Church.  

Do not be disheartened!  Do not be deterred or thrown off course.  This is an encouragement to those who do not desire nor have been called by God to the more recently included publicly professed hermit pathway.  If privately professed and and feeling debunked by those few who otherwise feel the publicly approved path is somehow better or preferred,  call upon the hundreds if not thousands of Catholic hermits who lived successfully and divinely, the eremitic life.  At this point in Church history, the bulk of Catholic hermits were and are consecrated religious--privately professed, avowed in the life of the centuries-old tradition of all Catholic hermits (and many of them now canonized saints).

Yet regardless of which Church allowed path currently, we Catholic hermits--each and all, without concern over thinking one better than the other--ought humbly live our vocations to the best of our imperfect, human attempts, ever counting on the graces of His Real Presence, of Mary our mentor and Holy Mother, our earthly superiors and spiritual directors, in prayer, penance, and stricter separation from the world, hidden from the eyes of men.

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, let us love one another, for God Is Love!  Remain in His Love!  This is what matters most!

[Note:  Every so often, nothing Catholic hermit reminds those dear readers of our calling, of our little, hidden niche as consecrated, religious eremites in the Church today.  It is not to spark further debate but rather to embolden all Catholic hermits to respect and support one another in the living out of a challenging and difficult vocation, as it is and has been and will be, regardless of valid and approved pathways allowed by Holy Mother Church and Her Hierarchy.  As far as this nothing Catholic hermit can research, there are not many other privately professed Catholic hermits chronicling the more traditional and historical (at this moment in temporal time) pathway.  There are some others chronicling the also now Church-valid, publicly professed, consecrated religious eremitic path.  If you are called to this latter path, it is recommended you read of those who very ably write of that 1983, Canon 603, option.  This blog is specifically written by and for those who are interested in and called to the privately professed path of consecrated religious Catholic hermits as specified in The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 920-921.]