Catholic Hermit: Phone Call from Spiritual Father

The phone rang.  It was the spiritual father.  He says the Lord has me as a hermit, and I add: a rather extreme form of hermits, as it is turning out.

I have been thinking lately of the man some scholars consider more the first hermit than St. Antony of the Desert.  Paul of Thebes--found dead and rather calcified in a cave.  He'd not been seen in years, obviously not a Mass attendee, not even walked the miles and miles if he'd lived close enough, to join in once a week with Anthony and a few others out in the desert, living in their separate, distant huts or caves.

Now, it is one thing when one chooses to make one's life increasingly solitary, or to choose to wear  distinguishing and noticeable garb, reminiscent of some religious order or other.  It is another thing to just be bobbing along, working and praying, and then God chooses the circumstances of the eremitic circumcisions, of sorts, that He chooses, and when He chooses.

For me, they come as a surprise, as I must still very much be tethered to temporal hopes and goals.

Even today, as much as the mind knows the body should get up and go outside and mow, for the outer eyes see the need--the body is besieged with enough pain to imitate flu-like symptoms.  Yet, it is not the flu but is physical pain, and the mind must inform the body that it will be as well off, and the emotions and soul will be far better off, if the body gets up and builds up the muscles even a little, with some manual labor.

There are some herb seeds to be planted, old packs from last season.  Yes, we will see if half of them grow!  The statistics are one thing, but after the call from the spiritual father,  I realize I must trust in the Lord for all the answers.  The spiritual father confirmed the hermit vocation yet again, but he mostly said he did not know what to think but insisted that I must cash the check he sent, and soon, for his circumstances are also changing, and he wants his money to go to those he wishes to assist.

He also said it all has to do with Lent, and that Easter is tomorrow, and to have a good Easter.  But as to the increasing conditions here of more physical pain and the stripping of the family members who had been the temporal, human reason for being here, the spiritual father admitted their leaving is major, definite, and not just a short distance away, but a defined moving away.  And the underlying aspects are quite spiritual, in the two worlds--of differing vocations--and even of growing apart in spiritual and material cohesiveness of opinions and thoughts.

So today, what is left of today, the body must still try to rise and exert movement enough to get the blood flowing better, and for the mind to be on top of the physical pain than the physical pain binding the mind.  I have thought to God, in the way one thought-flashes communication with Him and He thought-flashes to us, that this is a time now, for the Lord to work miracles here.

As I look around at the situation and work to be done--heavy work in some instances--and all the outdoor work, as well, it will take some miracles.  Yes, the spiritual father said one must trust in God alone, and as a hermit in unfolding conditions of stricter separation from the world, and that of also of interior thoughts of the world, he said I must try to finish the house, this hermitage here.

I pray that tomorrow the Lord will ease enough of the bodily pain so that there is a resurrection from the mattress.  A friend from afar has offered one of the bedrooms of their empty-nest home, but she added that she doubted I would just give up here.  And she also wrote that the hermit vocation in our time period must be one of the most challenging of all time periods to date.

This nothing Catholic Consecrated Hermit agrees.

I'd never have imagined this current circumcision of the very ones who kept on me to move here, to be the ones removed and removing.  In a temporal sense, the terms of their moving are nothing short of miraculous--quite the blessing in all ways for them!  And the all-tolled sum of good aspects far outweigh the one aspect of ill-temper and bullying of one of the adults (written in some detail in previous post).  And even this hermit's finally mentioning it is not good and not necessary, is minor in the full spectrum, especially since the other adult and even the child have commented in the past and are very well aware.

It does stand to spiritual reason, that a hermit with adult children would eventually be pruned by God, from even whatever strands of attachment to family members.  However, it is not the same for each hermit who had been married in the past or bore children.  There are various examples of it being otherwise for hermits to still have contact and involvement with family members.

Yet there are also many examples of the family members being removed in one form or other, from hermits' lives.  Some of it is by death, some by the hermit first having joined a religious order before segueing into hermit vocation, or some by more distance both physically and also loss of shared views, God's callings, spiritual purpose, and life mission.

Like Jesus on the cross, feeling the pain of betrayal and loss, experiencing the reality of his healthy, young life and mission on earth coming to an end--by necessity of His Sonship, His Godship--for our salvation, all of us need to embrace whatever circumcisions, transitions, phases, and progressions.

And if we can see the spiritual view, we will manage well and our souls grow and thrive.  The spiritual father, in commenting this is LENT, agreed when this hermit commented that it is hard to believe, but many people in the world right now do not even know or remember it is Lent and are oblivious to the spiritual going on in their lives.  To not be aware is to miss out, or to write-off the spiritual and thus God Who Is, and ascribe events as temporal stuff.

At least I am back to more writing of the thoughts.  For awhile, the thoughts were paralyzed by a rather pummeled body, mind, heart and spirit!

Takes So Much Faith!

The past couple of days have caused more challenges.  The power went off again, and this time for over 24 hours.  No space heater, thus.  Finally decided to make the long trip back to civilization, after trying to get to a neighbor's to see if the man would hold the generator on one end so this hermit could do the pulling on the other to try to start it.

Small detail, of course, when sold the generator a year ago.  Not easy for one older person to start.  Takes two or a very strong man.  Then, there is the main breaker to electric panel.  The contractor put one in that is too small, but that is beside the point.  A problem is that the main breaker takes a man's full strength to turn back on, and running the generator requires turning it off.  So need someone to come and push the very tight breaker back, if one is going to use the generator, if one has someone to hold one end of it while the other does the pull cord to start it.

So, we see that the area is not flush with people willing to assist another.  The neighbor who someone said was friendlier than the others, has blockade across their front entrance and a fence with gate to the back, and two dogs....

Headed back into civilization to get warm and to use Lowe's guest internet to check to see when power might be back on out in the remote desert.  Ended up spending the night at the daughter's, which is a way farther from the Lowe's, which is a distance to begin with.

 Can't express how difficult to desire to return to the austerities!  Called the financial adviser to see just what is the final straw?  Can try to endure another 2-3 months or perhaps until spring.  Try to keep working in here with what materials already purchased, and have purchased more insulation to at least try to keep the place warmer.

The daughter mentioned how the heat pump man certainly had a convincing sales pitch a year ago.  Yes, that is how it has turned out to be in this area.  Rather a ruthless environment, with people who seem so genuine and kindly, selling this and that and having others vouch for them.  They do mean well, probably, or so it seems.  But now to find out this area has many power outages and the circuit board can blow in power outages, does not leave this hermit with reliable heat.  The daughter reminded this hermit was told it would heat and cool the whole house, which of course it does not.

The financial adviser is a good and decent Catholic man.  The hermit pointed out the pleading phone calls and emails to the closest Catholic parish, where the priest does the least and doubtful he is consecrating the Host.  The head of the St. Vincent de Paul Society turned a deaf ear to a plea for just one man to come and help for one hour, to please help out this older female hermit with a task.  The priest has said he knows of no man who, when the hermit called asking for help, to assist carrying plywood 4x8 sheets from pole barn to house.  He also said he could not bring communion nor do a house blessing as he needed another person to come with him, and he said there was no one who would come with him.

The financial adviser, far away, said again that there will need to be a point in which this hermit is going to have to give up the efforts, abandon this rather sinking ship of an effort; but he admitted he'd not gone through such a process with any clients before. It is rather sad to think that the resources are dwindling, but that all good intentions, research and hope, faith and prayers went into this.  It is sad to think that all was set and comfortable in the previous hermitage, but the police advised needing to leave due to the threatening couple next door and the protective order running out.  Not to forget the adult children insisting this hermit leave and have a better and safer life, closer to where one lives.

The Catholic realtor did a good sales job, had an upbeat inspector check it over, recommended quite the contractor who she said was such a wonderful man and good contractor....  She even said she'd have the hermit over for dinner, but that never occurred.  The daughter has said she always thought the realtor very phony, but that this hermit always thinks Catholics are going to be so good and trustworthy, when they are not.

Well, that is true.  This hermit always tends to place hope in Catholics, for Catholics have the Eucharist, have His Real Presence.  However, it does not seem to be enough for many.  We can say we are all sinners, but that excuse wears thin, when countered with daily or weekly reception of His Real Presence in the Body and Blood.

The hermit needed a medical doctor, and the parish at a distance--the priest--said there were many doctors in the parish, he would talk with some, and give some names and numbers.  Then he backed away from that offer, and so he and others did from even giving recommendations for plumbers and other workers.  It was so strange, in a way, for people to say they will, and then not, on such simple matters.  The hermit this morning was pondering Matthew 25, and the validity of what Jesus says, and what will happen to people who turn a deaf ear and blind eye to their fellow man.

All this hermit can do, now back in this hermitage, is to try to lift up the spirits and place them before His Real Presence, pray for those who have been a disappointment, pray for wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and get to work.  Even though the place is still quite cold, there is at least a space heater in this small area upstairs, and the hermit will plug in a space heater in a small area downstairs...and start doing anything, just anything, such as bringing in some batts of insulation and fitting them between some studs.

The Psalms in the Office of Reading this morning brought comfort, and the Book of Wisdom in the daily Mass readings is helpful.  Having a downcast spirit, although it certainly could be understandable, is not going to help matters.

Had even mentioned to the daughter of perhaps living with them until spring, and that did not meet with any approval.  No, the Lord asks of this hermit to gut it out, and to keep the faith, and to praise and love and pray and persevere!  This has more to it than the temporal, that is obvious.  It is a matter of a soul striving to rise beyond the temporal, and to not lose faith, hope, and love, especially of those who for whatever reasons, are receiving His Body and Blood but seem stuck in some other world.

Scupoli, in the chapters read quite early this morning when still in civilization, mentioned turning the soul to receiving spiritual Communion each hour.  He writes that this is as effective as the tangible reception, and even more effective and worthwhile than to receive the tangible Body and Blood when the soul is not open or not in a worthy frame of mind.  So this hermit will pray to have a worthy frame of mind, and to desire with all its heart and soul, His Real Presence, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, and to receive Him fully each hour or even each present moment!

In faith, it is all very possible.  And this hermit must strive to be a possibility thinker...and do-er.

As for Catholics and parishes who cannot help someone who asks for a small assistance, once one summer and once the next summer, or cannot suggest names of good doctors or workers from among the faithful, then they are not those of whom the rubber meets the road (so to speak), no matter how marvelous the homilies or how well-attended the parish fund-raisers.  We must pray for the Church, the Body of Christ and all Members.  Surely we can do better, although the Book of Job comes to mind in this hermit's existence, the trials, the errors, and the need to have that total trust in God above all else and all others.

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, let us love one another, for God so loves us and wants us to love Him and all peoples, not just those who are nice or helpful.  Remain in His Love!