Hermitage as Stable

Have been in civilization for a couple or three days, practicing being a guest and also practicing servanthood, helping paint woodwork.

In the midst of that came a last-minute St. Bernard Love of God Bourbon Ball order, and nothing Catholic hermit decided to stick with the endeavor, costly as it is to purchase more bourbon and pecans, and considering the time commitment, packaging efforts, and distance to mail the order.  

What swung the needle to "yes" is the prayer involved.  Prayer for a hermit is a bulk of the vocation.  

Recently, the hermit here has felt weak in faith and doubting in the efforts made to be of use and help in this world, to even be adoring of His Real Presence.  Distractions can easily settle in, and a major distraction has been physical pain, as of late.  And, there is the emotional pain of a couple of the adult children having severed ties.  It seems so unnecessary and inexplicable, other than allowing God to do as He wills; for all the recent spiritual reading has reminded the hermit that detaching from family is necessary in order to all the more attach to His Real Presence.

As St. Bernard wrote about love of God, once we come to a sincerity of loving God in Himself, we then love through, with, and in God, all His creation--human beings, souls, included.  And this means all people, all souls--not only family and friends or known enemies, but those living and already passed from this earth.  Love, sheer love, Is God.

This morning Francisco is coming to help.  The place is even in worse condition with building supplies piled about, and old stuff needing yet to be removed.  Am praying he will be understanding and tolerant of how difficult to work in cramped conditions.  The body today is very pained, and so we will just do as we can, as best we can, and nothing Catholic hermit is profoundly grateful that Raphael is sending one of his men to help.

We will focus on building the stair landing.  Washer and dryer (not used due to conditions inside and the outdoor, cold, winter weather) need to be shoved aside--where?  God will provide shoving space, somehow.  We will construct the box and place it upon stilt-studs, with sleigh-type support underneath.  We will place it beneath the current stairs, where it must be for the finished project.  Later we can demolish the steep, narrow, shallow stairway and build new steps.  

The landing provides for a stopping point, and then a turn in direction with three steps farther to the upper floor.  Building stairs is more complicated than one might consider initially.  But much research and asking questions of Craig at lumber yard, helps with the courage to take this first leap:  the landing.

This hermitage is a stable.  It has been home to various critters over the years--far more critters than human beings.  Constructing the stairway landing is a major "step" to make, these two days before Christmas.  There is much to ponder in this hermitage stable, and to relate with the stable and events of 2014 years ago.  Consider Joseph the carpenter, as one connection.  Consider none of the commercial aspects we have now, of Christmas preparation.  Consider a basic dwelling, used for animals mostly, and where Jesus Christ was born.

Consider the stairway to heaven, and the angels ascending and descending.  Consider the hills where the shepherds watched their flocks, as hills require ascending and descending.  As for a landing as a turning point and place to catch one's breath in the ascent, we can find many parallels and much for spiritual reflection.

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, let us love one another!  Let us consider the stable as the abode in which the Trinity has come to dwell in us and us in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  No matter the temporal construction of our dwelling places, consider the stable as our home in His Real Presence.  As a cave of sorts, He was born in such a dwelling and was buried in similar.

And the Violent Bear It Away

This Scripture from Matthew 11 was selected by the late author Flannery O'Conner as the title to her only novel.  (She is known for her profound short stories, mostly.)

Reviewing and pondering what Jesus meant in His words, brings up the aspect of extremism.

Knowing Jesus Christ, following Jesus Christ, and being united in Jesus Christ are extreme measures in living and existing, without and within.

Yet, in this Advent season, we are reminded of the extremism of Jesus, the extremism of the conditions of His coming to earth, the extremism of how Mary conceived and bore a Child Who would be a contradiction to the "world" and yet be its Savior.

In our world today, and in so many souls, there is the extremism of secularism, of paganism, of anti-Christianity--not just atheism and agnosticism.  There is what is dubbed the "War on Christmas", and when we take a look at the world-at-large and the people in it, even those within Christian churches, we find a ebbing of passion, a weakening and lessening of those who, like John the Baptist, are willing to do anything at all for Jesus Christ, even to admit we are Christians or to show it by our love.

The violent (or violence) will bear it away.  Those with extreme love and devotion, with extreme passion for Jesus Christ, will be, as have always been, the ones to live and die for love of Christ.  It takes a willingness to desire all in His Real Presence that will bear away the darkness, that will confound the evil, that will raise up Jesus's merciful love over those whose love has been distorted in and by the darkness of secularism.

Extreme love for Jesus Christ means violating our fears of what others think, or of losing our temporal securities.  It means to love beyond all measure, His Real Presence, and to bear all in our lives in faith in God's goodness and supremacy over evil.  It means that we in whatever small ways daily and nightly, embrace the extreme and passionate efforts within ourselves, to conquer whatever hinders us from overcoming our hesitations, our resistances to His mercy and love.

Let us not fear the extremism of what it means to violently bear Christianity and conquer sin, beginning within our own beings.  Extreme love knows no bounds and yet can bear away darkness soundlessly and invisibly in addition to being seen and known, depending upon the conflict.  Yet at times we may be called upon to take more visible action, to let the Light shine, to be expressly fearless in Christ.

Put on the armor of Christmas!  Let the reality of God with us, God in us, and us in God, is extreme love, violent--passionate--faith, hope, and love that overcomes all opposition from sins outer and inner.  Let Christ in us and us in Him, live love and light over darkness and death.

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, love one another, just as He loves us, extremely, birthing and bearing love in order to conquer darkness and death.

Sad Observation in a Post Office

Finally got St. Bernard Love of God Bourbon Ball order completed.  One obstacle after another, though, and took four days of hassling, including finally Apple replacing the "lemon" laptop.  God bless them!  

But then the HP Jet Pro Printer would not work.  Apple Care did their best to help.  God bless them again!  Finally HP sent a download of the driver, for the new Apple operating system.  God bless them.  Then the labels would not print properly.  Contacted Avery.com, and their website was having difficulties due to a not-so-good update program.

All through the hours of frustration and obstacles (have just brushed the surface of them), the man placing the order and this hermit figured it was the devil trying to disrupt.  But with the label snafu, this hermit began to consider that it may be His Real Presence letting the hermit know that making bourbon balls and fudge--love of God and fortitude though they be--is not His will, at least for now or the near future.

Decided this would be the end for awhile, at least with shipping to the main customer.  Had to send them without labels, and that is not good.  Hand-wrote the main label but could not do the ingredients label.  So am gifting them to the customer.

Drove to civilization to assist again with something a young boy is doing as an act of charity in his neighborhood, so mailed the order from a post office.  While waiting in line, noticed the Christmas stamp selection.  One out of 12 stamp designs was Christian, and it was rather limited in being an image of three camels in silhouette.

Mentioned to the postal worker how sad this is, considering Christmas is a Christian major event!  One of of twelve stamp designs being a Christian theme, is sad!  He agreed.  In recent years at least there was a stamp of Mary holding Infant Jesus.

Regardless, wanted to make also the point that sometimes when we face obstacles that seem uncanny and chaotic, it surely has elements of the devil interfering.  But we may also want to consider that His Real Presence is allowing the obstacles, and that it also could be God's means of closing doors for us even if but temporarily. Or, He may wish some other avenue for us.  This hermit considered the time and effort, especially in making the condiments in another kitchen, not on site--and perhaps His Real Presence prefers efforts spent on spiritual reading, writing, and hermitage manual labor.

All the more emphasis to the Christian path of striving after Jesus--considering the lack of adoration and glory He is given in something as simple as only one postage stamp reflecting the sole reason for Christmas!

God bless His Real Presence in us!  For, it seems He is not in as much of what He used to be, out there in our world.  Little children, let us love one another, for in that way we can be living stamps of Jesus, reflecting His love and image, when out and about.