Catholic Hermit Still Around...

Been very tired recently--working hard, praying much, striving to manage pain.

The Catholic deputy has sold their home and moving so that he and his family can attend a valid Catholic parish with licit Mass.  Found out this priest in area parish will be around another year or two.  Yet it does not change the parishioners' attitudes, for what happens to people when set in ways and wills?  Ran out the previous priest for being too spiritual, wanting adoration and the like.  Imagine that!

Yes, am very tired.  People do not return phone calls.  A friend from far away mentioned it is due to people texting rather than speaking.  For those of us with very old phones and not able to text, and not affording the costly plans of the more costly phones, makes life difficult such as trying to get helpers and workers for even minor tasks.

Would like to write some on a topic that is going to be meaningful tomorrow especially.  It is the 20th anniversary of a major mystical event--and probably very good that this consecrated Catholic hermit ponder it and remember the details.  It was in easier, more pleasant, lovelier time of life--still much pain in the body, but without the seeming hopelessness that comes at times, to pick at the fruit of whatever positive the hermit can ripen in the physical aspects of this existence.  (The birds have been plucking whatever fruit they can get once the hermit leaves the orchard area--still trying to get the bird netting in place even if they figured a way to pull away the netting over the strawberries!)

Perhaps this hermit needs to ponder the perseverance of these birds and pray for like perseverance, an instinctive perseverance, and without emotion of relationships and no need of return phone calls because no need for help with work.  Birds build their own nests, after all, and if they cannot manage it, they succumb to the reason they cannot--broken wing, illness, old age, pestilence, predators.

Now, on that note, must go out and change the sprinklers and soaker hose.  And then finish another wheelbarrow of mulch, and then get to the bird netting.  So much for the fake owl purchased at suggestion of clerk who said it really works.  Did seem to help keep the birds from returning to area of roof in which they previously could enter into Te Deum Hermitage; but they are undaunted by it when there is fruit to be scavenged.

Yes, this hermit needs some of that rather bold and ruthless energy and determination.  Please, Lord!

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, let us love one another, remain in His Love, and kindly be polite to others and return phone messages.  It is the charitable action; not everyone has texting capabilities, and even hermits need help now and then.  Birds do seem to work together, at times.

Fear Is the Flip-side of Faith

This wisdom was told the "nothing Catholic hermit" years ago.  Think it was John the Baptist who shared it in one of the first encounters, that Dr. H. taped at the suggestion of an angel or someone on the other side, entering this temporal realm to be of such great assistance in a time of learning and opening to the supernatural realities.  God Is Love!

Yes, fear is the flip-side of faith.

An example recently reminded this "nothing" of the great truth.  [John had also said one can learn much about faith in Luke 17.  Check it out.]

A dear one helping install cabinets has much physical strength and intellectual genius.  Working hard, there was much straining, intensity, and verbal noises and outcries associated with something very difficult to screw into place.  So "nothing Catholic hermit" assumed it had not the strength to screw in the cabinet bolts, especially after two right shoulder surgeries and given age and gender. 

Yes, by the groans and sighs and occasional shouts, and a few stripped screw heads, it seemed far beyond the capabilities of this hermit to even attempt bolting in a base cabinet.  Obviously, upper cabinets needed two people--one to hold up on the temporary horizontal support board, and another to pre-drill and then drive in the cabinet screws.

So when there still was work to be done on fine-tuning, and some could not return again for quite awhile due to work schedules, the electrician who has been helping with electrical agreed and was hired to help install the remaining cabinets and re-do a couple that had shifted.  He is a large and strong man, also.

Then when the evening arrived and there were still a couple more base cabinets to be finished, he said he was sure this old lady hermit could manage to bolt those plus build the base to which to screw into the floor and then secure the peninsula cabinets to that.  Yes, sawing and screwing to the floor was one thing, and shimming and leveling the base cabinets another--but there was much fear in attempting to bolt the cabinets to the wall and each other based upon how difficult it was assumed due to the sounds and brute force seemingly necessary.

Fearsome!  What if screw heads were stripped?  Had already had to remove a cabinet that another had bolted in, the head stripped.  Used the reciprocating metal saw blade, and the heat burned the cabinet finish. Fortunately had another cabinet that was gratis as cabinet man mistakenly ordered an extra.  God provides!

So into the mind comes the reminder from John the Baptist, the wisdom that fear is the flip side of faith, and to have faith!  To simply keep going, to simply keep going, and how simple that is, he also had said some 26 years ago.

With faith overcoming fear, the nothing Catholic hermit did the routine.  Pre-drill, then drive in the cabinet screw bolt.  First one bolt, then another, then another and another.  Went in quite easily.  Took out some screws that had been driven awhile ago by others and replaced with the proper screws.  (This was no one's fault; just had not been told what type of screws to use to bolt cabinets one to another.  Once we found out, it is a matter of removing and replacing the ones we can.)

Anyway, in a rather tedious and relatively unimportant task of the temporal realm, and one that will not matter to anyone else nor will be an issue again in this hermit's life as the kitchen cabinets are installed, the main if not only reason for this life experience is to have a reality experience in the great truth and wisdom that fear is the flip side of faith, and to overcome fear with faith.

Lots of extra tension and force and verbalizations don't necessarily assist us in tasks but rather are distractions and deplete the focus that silence and prayer can provide for a successful outcome.  Also, assuming something is too difficult based upon observations of how others may approach a project, and allowing fear to rule the mind and heart and thus the body, is giving into fear.  At least try, in faith, and pray, and then praise God regardless the temporal outcomes for all is a spiritual victory when faith overcomes fear.

Now, that is truly simple, is it not?  Yes, but learning it and practicing it takes some reminding and some practice, and how else to learn it than in the little details of daily life?

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, let us love one another!

Keep Seeking, Working and Praying

Am reminded through Dom Lorenzo Scupoli, author of The Spiritual Combat, to not give into thoughts of being overwhelmed in any way, as God does not overwhelm.  Rather, keep focused and do something concrete, such as manual labor or any action possible.  Thinking, speaking, listening, writing, reading can be actions, too.

But do not let immensity of tasks immobilize the mind or body.  Also, do not let immensity of spiritual thoughts, bombard or overwhelm and tempt into putting off, giving up.  This is akin to falling into sloth or also spiritual acedia, or dryness.

Stay focused and force ourselves to do something even if a small something.

These thoughts and suggestions are not solely from Scupoli but are a compendium of suggestions from various spiritual writers.  When thoughts and suggestions flow through various wise and spiritually accomplished persons known for holiness, then there is a high likelihood that not only are they excellent thoughts but also that they bring successful results to the soul and the spiritual journey.

Another thought has come while "nothing" hermit has been sanding and priming some ceiling tongue-in-groove boards.  (Am trying to ready the materials as four family members are coming to the hermitage tomorrow to help finish an area of ceiling plus finish installing some kitchen cabinets.)
The thought while priming the boards came from some place deep in the soul, beyond where the heart sings but within where the soul hums the sounds of His Real Presence's created universe.

It was an assurance that it does not matter what earth time it takes to find our way, our place, our room within His House, our small spot within the room.  It also does not matter if after a time we are beckoned by His touch or call, or His arranging of circumstances in the temporal or the spiritual realms, to enter another room, find another spot.  It can even not be a room but a closet or a stairway, or a hallway of passage.  We may find ourselves in any of these for long periods of earth time or for short periods. 

But the important thing is to seek the spot no matter how slow we might be in cracking the clues or understanding His directions in where to "be."  And, we must remember that "Only God Is Forever." 

We are not.  We are nothing.  So if we are slow at the commands and clues and in finding a spot whether temporary or not in a seemingly approved place by our or others reasoning, or not like the spots others have found, it is all right.

Just keep working and praying and pondering.  And keep loving His Real Presence and anyone or thing of His creation He brings into the thoughts, vision, sounds or physical encounter, or of those we may meet if out and about. 

It really does not matter how long it takes or that when it seems we are in between "spots."   We may find then that our place is up high on a ladder or standing on some soil in the outdoors of this great planet, or in some other universe in our thoughts, while working, thinking, sleeping, listening, speaking, or praying.

We must not let anyone try to cajole or convince us into some room or spot.  Perhaps His Real Presence wants us by ourselves for awhile or a long time, on a ladder or outside, or in a closet, or on the roof, or in an underground cellar--perhaps, yes, a storm cellar to wait out some turmoil!

And don't be concerned as to where other people have their spots in what house or room or place within a room, or not in a room, either.  Nor ought we be curious about their places because their spots could change in an instant without notice.  It is pointless to try to monitor where others "are" or where they might "be" when we have more than enough to figure out where God wills us to be.  We must be attentive to His asking us to be elsewhere, at any given present moment.

To express this point further, wishing we could have a certain spot or not have a certain spot, or envying others' spots or worrying if others are in the spot we think they ought to be, or not be--well, that is fruitless.  About the time we might think we have it all figured out in our minds as to what is for another, they may have been beckoned on to another spot by His Real Presence.  In the meantime, we may have been so curious and frustrated about some other person's spot, that we might miss our own hearkening call from His Real Presence to be in a new spot, ourselves.

Keep seeking His Real Presence and the place He has for each of us not only in heaven--but on earth as it is in heaven.  Keep working no matter how trivial and no matter if there is much other that could distract and overwhelm.  Keep praying, for that is the means of talking with and listening to His Real Presence.  In this way, we may find assurance as to where He desires us to "be", in what spot for now or at some other time, for then, and at some point forever.

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, let us love one another for love is of God.