Catholic Hermit Ponders Jesus' Warning About Daily Life Anxieties

The following of the Living Word of God dwelt within me since a morning reading last week.  I especially felt the warning of that which I placed in bold: "Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy...from the anxieties of daily life."

It is the anxieties of daily life that tend to trip me in various ways.  I become drowsy in my prayer life unless I offer as prayer the anxieties and the physical pain that when out of control becomes mental and emotional pain.

Yes, the physical pain has been out of control off and on, day in, day out, sometimes skips a day, but seems to go with barometric pressure shifts in weather: storms.  So storms have become the anxieties of daily life--and the cold!  Despite insulation, heat pump--the hermitage is very cold downstairs.

The monk priest up the road today suggested stapling plastic over the stairwell opening....

[I just lost with one wrong tap of a laptop key, the bulk of the text of what I wrote of the anxieties of daily life and am too weary to attempt the rewriting.  So a swath of sharing, ideas, and obviously not crucial thoughts to you readers and to God Himself, are several paragraphs omitted now due to their being lost forever, which is perhaps a mercy!

Some of the words included examples of more obstacles in various ways, of daily life anxieties of this consecrated Catholic hermit and mystic, including a bizarre event this morning requiring much prayer for a man involved in an accident...requiring the cabinet installer to have to leave before he even began the final effort to finish the hermitage kitchen. By now, after various repetitive such occurrences with about anything attempted in the hermitage, or also with doctors, I am convinced God's reasons are for me to pray for the people and events and not be concerned with the obstacles preventing a temporal means to an end.

I'm not sure what I wrote prior to these words, but It had something to do with being prepared to meet at any time, in judgment, and the only to whom we ought be concerned ultimately:]

are the Christ, the Son of Man, the Son of God, God in Three Persons, His Real Presence.

There is more I'd like to share, such as additional thoughts of the Lord's helping me adapt to and accept the more austere aspect of hermit life, that of more reclusion and the practical reasons thereof.  As for the spiritual benefits, there are also challenges; but He will guide, lead, unfold and sustain me in the gradual but currently unavoidable process.

How marvelous is the Lord in all aspects of every detail of our lives! I must remember to not over work the efforts nor to fret the obstacles, to not succumb to the anxieties of daily life.   For now, I pray whenever it comes to mind, day or night:  Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.


Luke 21:34-36

"Jesus said to His disciples:
'Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life,
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man.'"

Catholic Hermit Continues Manual Labor, Praying

Have appreciated the daily Mass Scripture readings.  The Lord speaks to us in His Living Word!

Although am physically weary from pain, age, and life efforts, I will continue today with the praying while laboring around the hermitage.  After several days of helping family members prepare their house for selling, am returned to hermitage.  Then made another journey to the lumber yard early yesterday to pick up a very good deal that Craig offered this hermit.

I noticed when at the lumber yard returning some fence wood that we did not need at the family member's house, a double-paned, solid wood, exterior French door in the store's "bone yard."  (The bone yard is what many lumber companies call their area of returned items, usually special orders returned by customers for one reason or another, and then discounted to sell.  Bone yard deals have helped this hermit immensely in rehabilitating this hermitage.)

Yes, Craig made a deal I could not pass up.  The door is an inch or so shorter than normal exterior doors, but it will be lovely to replace an old, vinyl sliding door.  It's odd size will fit just fine since that side of the room has a lower ceiling line than the normal 8', while the ceiling then vaults to the other side to 11' or so.  An inch or two is not going to matter, in door height.

Since my summer helper is evidently not going to be assisting any more (Mass situation probably too difficult and awkward for his parents to assimilate and accept--and can't blame them), the new neighbor boys have been eager to help out on occasion.  What is marvelous about this development is that they ask far less per hour than my young Catholic helper wanted, plus they can just walk to assist even in something relatively small as helping unload the new and heavy French door from the pick-up, Precious Blood.

Tomorrow one of the teens will return to help install it.  God provides!  Each door weighs a substantial amount, and this old hermit cannot lift them nor hold them steady and at the same time screw the hinges to the frame.  Our guardian angels do so much in helping us--and that includes arranging for helpers when we need!

As for my summer Catholic helper and his parents, I did call and leave a message, offering the work to him first out of loyalty and love.  But already, with finances continuing to dwindle, I was open to the new neighbor boys and their much lower hourly wage-requests.  I always consider that God provides in the way He wills and desires.  Perhaps there is some reason for the hermit to interact with the new lads, for the summer helper will always remain in this hermit's heart of prayers.  Such a dear and sweet boy and lovely, loving family will always be remembered with prayers and thankfulness.

Looking back upon the priest and Mass situation at the area parish, it most certainly would seem terrible to others--and quite judgmental of me to have said what was seen and sensed within.  Only God and this hermit and the spiritual father and the priests and spiritual friends who have known me for years understand that I would never have seemingly judged, thus, had it not been for the intensity of the unfiltered state during Mass which senses so clearly truth, beauty, goodness--and also that which degrades, is unhealthy and counters truth, beauty, and goodness.

This nothing consecrated Catholic hermit is at peace with acceptance of what has transpired since and in obedience to my spiritual father.  The Lord has been teaching much in the past three months of mostly the silence of solitude, being hidden from the eyes of men, in praise and prayer and penance!  What is a sacrifice is proving to be prayerful offering for all priests, for all parishioners, for the Church, for this my soul and all souls--here and in eternity. 

God Bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, let us learn to love to live God's law of love--the fulfillment of all laws.  Love God and one another!