Catholic Hermit Forges Forward

The body is quite tired as painting above the head and scrunched under eaves, trying to remain on steeply slanted porch roof, rather exacts all the energy physically.  All the while, the mind prays and the heart grieves.  The soul is in and out and all about, and in that soul is His Real Presence, making His abode.

Yesterday afternoon the prayers turned to some levity, as the term "human Mass-o-meter" came to mind.  It is actually a painful experience when the needle shoots to "horrific" and then "hell."  But the experience hits the gong of "bliss" when all is well and nothing untoward going on.

Alas, the advice given is this nothing consecrated Catholic hermit must not at all return to that parish for Mass.  The blessing is that the body and voice did not call out or scream; the voice is always one of the last of physical faculties to be returned.  That is something for which this hermit yesterday was quite grateful.

In reflection this morning, the grieving for the parish and parishioners and even the priest, needs to turn to an appreciation and gratefulness that they are content in their fish tank parish.  They swim about in lovely surroundings and are well used to one another and how it is in the tank--all things kept at an equilibrium of basic survival.  There are no waves, no temperature shifts, no challenges.  They all are cohesive, and what they do not sense or realize helps them not know what they are missing or what could be for their spiritual lives and their souls.

Most of all, though, they do not realize just how very rich is the Mass in the spiritual realm, and that all care must be taken to please Jesus and to follow Him intimately, through and through.

And, this brings this hermit to today's thoughts that it does not follow Jesus intimately at times, and more and more times, as surely as well as it ought and should and could.  So the eremitic vocation comes to mind, and when the hermit must get its painful body up and dressed and atop the porch roof, back to its painting of tedious little siding shingles, it will pray and ponder and ask Jesus some questions regarding its own living out of the hermit vocation to which this soul was and is called.

And, today's intention for the spiritual friend far away bodily, is that of the Gift of the Holy Spirit: Fortitude.  From The Catechism of the Catholic Church comes this definition:

• Fortitude (courage): with the gift of fortitude/courage, we overcome our fear and are willing to take risks as a follower of Jesus Christ. A person with courage is willing to stand up for what is right in the sight of God, even if it means accepting rejection, verbal abuse, or physical harm. The gift of courage allows people the firmness of mind that is required both in doing good and in enduring evil;

God bless His Real Presence in us!  May we accept the Gifts of the Holy Spirit as well as any spiritual gifts that come our way, and appreciate them even if painful in some instances, and blissful in others.