Catholic Hermit: On Not Belonging to the World

The Word of the Living Word of God: this from John 17.  Makes sense, deeply, to this soul, this morning and for a few prior....

"I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the evil one.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world."


So it is that this hermit, this soul, ponders on not belonging to the world, yet of not yet being taken out of this world.

What does it mean?  The wondering and pondering brings forth the knowing of His Real Presence, and in knowing Him, one senses the meaning of His Words.  We are here in the temporal, yet we are not at all belonging to it.  We do not belong here--not in the temporal of all that does not lift us upward, spiraling through, with, and in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

Yet we are here and by that of the temporal that can assist in our transitioning, in our spiraling upward in His Real Presence, to know Him, to love Him--we can utilize the temporal of the world. But never of evil--never of that which hinders and is an obstacle.  What is evil?  It is some degree of lacking in good.  So we learn by His grace and love, in the spiraling upward out of this temporal into His commandment of eternity, how to step upon the temporal treads and rise--climb the stairway to heaven.

In that way we transcend, and we overcome, bit by bit, any lack in good and are kept thus--removed by degrees commensurate with the lack of good replaced with good--from evil.  All movement from lack to increase of good, is the movement to the reality of not belonging to the world.  Then, we belong to heaven.  We are taken out of this world and into His Love.

This hermit has been suffering much additional pain in a new area of the temporal body.  How it adapts and views this suffering, whether as a tread and riser on a stairway to heaven or as a limitation and hindrance of the temporal world, makes all the difference between knowing Him and spiraling in His love, or belonging to the world and held by "evil", or a lack of good in perspective and reality of what is actually, of this world an unreality.

The one reality is not belonging to this world but of belonging in His Real Presence.  That belonging--His Real Presence and Perfect Love--is the real world, the one true reality.

Does this make sense?  Can we bring it into practical application in our daily lives, of the temporal that is always passing away and becoming out of this temporal world and into heaven?

Let us pray so!  Lord, please keep removing us from attachments to temporal loves and attach us in Your Perfect Love eternally, here and now.  We do not belong to this world--to any degree of lack of good, and You are the All Good.  Thank You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for our belonging to Your World, now and forever.  

Catholic Hermit: Thoughts of Pseudo-Macarius on Love of God and Temporal Detachment

From the fifth sermon of Pseudo-Macarius:

"For whatever passion a person does not manfully fight against, that is an object of his love.  Such an attachment dominates and holds him down.  It becomes for him an impediment and a chain that prevents him from directing his mind to God and from pleasing him.  In no way can he serve God alone and obtain the kingdom and reach eternal life.

"The soul that truly tends toward the Lord completely forces itself to a total love of him.  It is held fast in a willed dedication, as far as is possible, to God alone.  From him it attains the help of grace. Such a person denies himself and does not obey the will of his mind, because he knows that the mind tends to deal with us in a deceitful way, seducing us to evil.  He yields himself perfectly to the Word of the Lord and frees himself from every visible bond as far as he can will it.  He surrenders completely to the Lord and thus will be able to undergo successfully struggles, labors, and setbacks. Wherever there is a question of affection, there is either a help or an obstacle.  If someone loves something of the world, this becomes for him a burden and a bondage dragging him downward and not allowing him to rise upward to God.

"If, however, he loves the Lord and loves his commandments, this becomes his help.  He is strengthened by this.  His observance of all the Lord's precepts becomes easy for him and tilts him toward the good, or rather, it makes lighter and easier every battle and affliction.  Through divine power he cuts through the world and through the powers of evil which lay snares for the human soul in the world and which use all sorts of desires as nets to ensnare the soul in the depths of the world.  In such a way he is freed from such snares by means of his own faith and great courage and through heavenly aid.  He is accounted worthy of the eternal kingdom which was the goal of his desiring.  He receives from the Lord help and he will not lose eternal life."

And then Pseudo-Macarius adds after giving some Scriptural examples as well as daily life examples...

"Do you not see the complete centering upon the Lord of a perfect love freely given?  And so also those who wish to follow in their footsteps must love nothing besides God so that, when they are tried, they may be found authentically prompt in preserving their love, their perfect love for the Lord.  Such as these are able to endure conflict to the end who have completely and with their whole heart loved God alone and who have freed themselves from all other loves for the world.  Few, however, are found who enjoy such a love, turning away from all pleasures and desires of the world and who manfully endure the assaults and temptations of the evil one."

Pseudo-Macarius insightfully makes a few more points, but this seems enough to sip and savor for now.

God bless His Real Presence in us, and us in His Real Presence.  Let us each and all remain in His Love!

Catholic Hermit Tuckered Out, Yet God's

Today this consecrated Catholic hermit is living up to its moniker as "nothing"--as in doing nothing, or not much.  Yet even though we may feel or think we are doing not much of anything of value or importance, we exist in His Real Presence.  We remain.  Remaining in His Love are Words the Word of Life repeats often in the Gospel of John.

It is a very good command, piece of advice, admonition, or whatever we can attempt in trying to depict God's Words to us.  Truth, it seems, might be the best.  He speaks Truth:  Remain in My Love.

So this hermit is remaining in His Love today while otherwise not doing much of anything physical...other than breathing, thinking, writing, reading, drinking, eating, existing in this tiny cell of Te Deum Hermitage.

Just plum tuckered out, am.  For the last few days have been working the earth.  Some spots have quite a bit of sandy soil with small, gravelly stones.  There has been a dearth of rain other than some sprinkles, so the hose has been put to good use, and the well water is holding--well, rather well.

This morning did read the fifth homily of Pseudo-Macarius.  He continues to exhort, with lots of Scriptural backing, the good and the why and the wherefore of detaching from temporal loves in order to love God above all else and to, thus, remain in His Love.

A friend emailed, saying she found it a bit disturbing to read and understand because if people all detached from temporal loves, wouldn't it be rather an unloving and non-interactive existence?  So she was going to re-read the sermon.  Good!

There is such good in this sermon, such truth!  And, when reading it, one begins to experience the validity of the Scriptures and what Jesus means in His Words.  When we detach from our temporal attachments and loves, it is to attach to God's Love.  Thus, in His Love, remaining in His Love--the Father and Christ make their abode in us, and the Holy Spirit binds and flows the love, both and all.

So we love with His Real Presence's Love, not our temporal loves, not our temporal attempts at what we think might be love, and not with attachment to our or others temporal loves.

It seems very important for us to grasp this truth about loving God above all else and detaching from temporal loves.  There is nothing really wrong about it, or askew.  At first this hermit thought perhaps Pseudo-Macarius was going to explain that detaching from temporal love and attaching to God's love, was for those called to consecrated life or holy orders.  But no, Macarius is preaching the Living Word of God, and he cites Jesus, through and through.  This is for everyone:  Love God in Himself.

When we remain in His Love, when we love Him above all else and detach from the temporal loves that do indeed hinder us from His Love, then we lose our willfulness toward what we have attached ourselves to, in love, of the temporal--and we become at home and attached into the Love of His Real Presence.

Maybe it is kind of like a projector, and God projects His perfect love through us to all else, once we detach from trying to project our imperfect love of temporal persons and things and places.  Just let go, and remain in His Love.  Let His Love be the attachment.  Then all else will flow with perfect love, and we will lose our will into His perfect, loving will.

Consider how it might be to have His projection of His perfect Love reflecting in and through us, like light, casting love onto others, things, and places as if they are images on the screen of life past, present, and future.  How could we then find enemies repulsive?  How would we then have concern over our daily existences and temporal cares?  God's perfect love does not fear or worry; His Love is peace, wisdom, truth, goodness, beauty.  Remaining in His Love projects Him, not us.

Temporal loves hinder us because of attachment to self, self-love.  When we become His Love, the self dissolves into Him, and His is the love; He is the attachment--the only one we ever needed or need, forever.  His Love flows and fills, then, the spiritual, as well as overflows the temporal for as long as our temporal parts are in the temporal.

Perhaps there is a section to share from Pseudo-Macarius' 5th sermon out of 50.  Might share some bits of the treasure in another blog post.

God bless His Real Presence in us, and us in Him!  Let us love one another--through, with, and in Him.  Detach from our temporal loves, and attach to His Love.  Therein is perfect love and our freedom from all temporal hindrances.  In His perfect Love, the projection and perception change all.

Catholic Hermit: Lifted, and Lifting Up

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.