Have made some apologies recently, regarding the past two years of dealing with the hardships--complaining and being negative far too often. The Living Word of God has touched this hermit's lips--mind and heart. It is praying for the abundance of faith, grace, and God's power to strengthen the will and start lifting up others as well as lifting up the soul to the things of God Above.
Today was spent praying about the fourth homily of Pseudo-Macarius while trying to beat the clock with rain in the forecast. (And it is much-needed in this desert earth as well as desert eremitic exile.)
The fourth homily reminds the nothing consecrated Catholic hermit (and anyone who reads the inspired thoughts of Pseudo-Macarius) that there are choices to be made. They boil down to staying more in the temporal world with temporal attachments and temporal loves, or committing to His Real Presence as a consecrated hermit ought to be doing, and attaching to His Real Presence, plain and simple.
There are details given, and examples, in the sermon. The Scriptures are illuminated. This hermit pondered quite a bit on the Scriptures Macarius cited, regarding how married couples are to love each other with great focus and single purpose in that faithful love to one another. They are to cleave unto one another and separate out from parents ands siblings. And, for the one who is called to God, who is espoused, betrothed, and desiring union with God, the love is to be focused on Him.
Macarius reminds what temporal attachments do to interfere with the goal of divine union. The hermit has been considering similar thoughts lately--revisiting them, as they cycle through the spiritual life in the temporal, daily doings. The country and world news has been a distraction lately. So this hermit is reducing the time spent listening to short video clips or reading articles. Does it not truly know what to pray for in the world?
Of course, the hermit knows! Pray for peace among peoples. Pray for healing for the sick. Pray for help and sustenance for the poor. Pray for government officials. Pray for all people. Pray for their souls. Pray for those who are oppressed and wounded. Pray for those suffering from abuse and crime. Pray for justice. Pray, pray, pray! Pray for the Church! Pray for people to turn to Christ as their Lord and Savior! Pray for families. Pray for friends. Pray for strangers.
And praise. Pray praises for the rising and the setting of sun and people and all creatures and creation, day and night. Pray praises for His Real Presence and all the angels and the saints. Pray for the conversion of sinners and praise Him for His mercy and saving graces. Praise Him for His providence, love, truth, goodness, and beauty. Praise God for Who He Is.
In less than five minutes, the hermit can scan a news site online, if there is a need to find out anything specific. Or to do so as a means of weaning off what has become a more time-consuming habit or a type of attachment that truly is not necessary--and is not helpful, really, nor needful of a consecrated hermit whose life is to exist more on faith and prayer and listening to His Real Presence tell the hermit what He wants it to pray for and about. Yes, just too much mental space was increasingly spent on state, country, and world events, people, crises, and the "talking heads" who have good points to make, but also tend to suck in a viewer. It is about ratings and advertising money, too, we know.
When there are certain aspects that may be more critical, such as before a major election discerning which politician should have a vote and which should not, the Lord asks the hermit to vote for one who is moral and a practicing Christian. Now, that will take a little research, but it does not take long to sort out the wheat from the chaff, so to speak, when we have a lot of the clutter and noise cleaned out of our minds.
Regardless, the hermit is already mostly weaned off the news. It used to be cleared of such, and how amazing the results because the Lord would let the hermit know in various ways, what the prayer needs of a locale, nation, or world, would be. Someone might mention in passing or in a phone call. Or, an insight would come in the stillness and silence. Not sure how the hermit got sucked back into more dependence upon the news delivered by the networks, so to speak. Yes, net-works, as is netting this fish into a kind of recreational news-user. Even an hour spent is an hour gone.
And, most of all that did not lift up the hermit nor inspire the hermit to lift up others to His Real Presence.
This is just one example. Pseudo-Macarius has reached in across the centuries and through the thin veil, and is helping this nothing consecrated Catholic Hermit renew its vigor for love of God above all things, step by step.
(And this is not to say that all hermits ought not dally with the daily news. It is just that this hermit is given reason and a huge nudge to knock it off. Pray for what His Real Presence tells it to pray for; and all that is actually rather obvious, anyway.)
God bless His Real Presence in us! Little children, let us love one another! Remain in His Love--and we will be lifted up and lift up others, and all shall be one in lifted-up-life in His Real Presence.
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