Catholic Hermit: Being Reminded of Holy Focus

St. Augustine, centuries ago, experienced quite the re-conversion and returned to Jesus Christ for salvation.  From that point onward in his life. Augustine kept his Holy Focus.

In an alternate Gospel reading for today's Mass, Matthew 22:23 seems clearly what I am to ponder in keeping a Holy Focus.

Jesus told His disciples after a series of woeful warnings to the scribes and Pharisees' hypocrisy and focus on externals even in religious laws and practices:

"...one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God
and by Him who is seated on it."

The past couple of days this pained, consecrated Catholic hermit is transitioning from the mind attending to details in fine-tuning the hermitage, readying it for whoever is next to dwell here--to a major lessening of attention to requisite finishing work and into vast swaths of contemplative pondering.  And, with this freedom has come from the Holy Spirit several dire prayer intentions emailed, messaged, and phone-called, asking me to pray and in some cases also counsel those in great need.  

The Lord is with us, always, and we are through, with, and in Him!  Remain in His Love--Jesus asks this of us!  It is simple enough to comply; we give ourselves to Christ in thought, word, and deed by simply accepting His love and offering ours--which is actually His love in us--back to Him.

In that love for Christ and remaining in His Love, and His Love for us, it seems inconceivable that we could have other than love for our fellow humans, creatures, and all of God's creation.  However, we lose our Holy Focus rather easily, it seems.  

As in Jesus' time on earth, it can be lost through a type of obsession with power, prestige, position as well as with the laws of the times--and it did not take long for the laws developed in the early Church to increase over the centuries and to divert Holy Focus in some instances, or to become a distraction, hamstringing some to swear more by that which is not the throne of God and He Who Is seated on it.

I know how easy it can be to drift into lesser than Holy Focus.  We all are probably aware of having slipped into less than that which is love, light, and all things holy and which is of above.

This morning I received a call and am praying for a man, husband, and father to let go of resentments or whatever has gotten to him, so that he does not have a hatred for the family dog.  The dislike has grown over a couple of years, and the man keeps at it--wanting to get rid of the pet.  Granted, the little dog is not a highly intelligent breed and has a stubborn streak (does not obey commands impeccably), but he is a sweet little dog, easy to be around people, enjoys snoozing, and rather simple in needs and desires.

The caller and I discussed possible reasons for the man to have developed and maintained increasingly this dislike for the dog, and it will likely end with their giving the dog away--which is a sad end in some ways, although there will be any number of persons wanting this dog.  

But what is most sad about the situation besides the dog needing to adapt to new people and place, is that the man will not have learned to overcome his resentment and unnecessary dislike, nor will he be stopped in what is rather an obsession that has more taken over his mind and core than will ever be a problem for the little dog.

Where is the Holy Focus?  It is so far buried as to have nearly been forgotten by me, a Catholic hermit writing about it as an example of how easy it is for us to lose Holy Focus in our daily lives.  Perhaps it is a matter, also, of how easy an obsession and dislike can be planted like a tiny bacteria within and then grow into a massive infection that takes all thought, heart, and spirit to deal with that of rather external disease and dis-ease. both.

And to this point, dear readers, yes, people have brought it to my attention that there is yet someone out there who has continued now for ten years to seemingly be smitten and obsessed with detraction from any angle imaginable.  I am aware of it, I forgive the person, I do not resent in the least, but rather have compassion and commit to pathos and prayer.  

Some of you have thought the person "crazy", others say "shameful", "envious", and "sick".  I think not of any analysis, for does not trying to ascribe a label or reason to someone else's issues, just a means of the evil one to distract us from our Holy Focus in our daily lives and in the heart of our very souls?

Just as with the man who has developed an obsession and dislike of the little pet dog (of whom I consider to be one of the sweetest dogs and have often referred to him as "Lambie-pie" for his little face and muzzle have the appearance of a lamb's head), the only recourse is to have compassion for someone who allows a fellow creature to make him imprisoned by dislike and to be annoyed with any even remotely factual aspect.  For it then leads to deceive self, justify self to attack and demean the object of personal issue.

Detraction and dislike held onto for any period of time simply is not holy in any manner; and the great sorrow is that it deprives the person of a Holy Focus.  The man with the dog is a practicing Christian, the one who can't seem to let go of detracting me is a fellow Catholic.  Yet there it is--on going obsessive dislike.  Just see how we Christians can lose our way, by one means or another, and can keep up an obsessive dislike for days, weeks, months and then years?  There is no way, truth, beauty or freedom in Christ in that form of imprisonment.

St. Augustine lost his Holy Focus, having been reared as a devout Christian by his holy mother, St. Monica.  But thankfully, through prayer and love, Augustine returned to Jesus Christ and a Holy Focus, later on and in time for him to do much good for so many people and for the Lord Jesus Christ.  

And I ask you readers who have personally commented to me, to continue praying for the person who for whatever reasons (seemingly quite logical to that person), continues to be shackled by whatever personal dislikes and disgruntlements. You also do not need to let me know when the person erupts; it serves no holy purpose as it tends be reoccurring.  Rather, pray with me that the person can let go and let God, so to speak, and return to Christ's inner peace and consistent Holy Focus.  

I also ask you to pray for the man and the little dog, and his family.  While it seems a small matter, the problem lies within the person, and without trying to analyze how or why a person can develop such an obsessive disgruntlement, no matter how logical the reasons might seem to the person him- or herself--it is no way to live as a Christian.  It only makes the one obsessed be hindered and seem all the lesser or limited a follower of Christ.

This is also a good prayer for ourselves.  It is a prayer for myself.  And I ask you to pray for me, as well, in my time of transition from so much prayer in manual labor to be in prayer without the pressure of manual labor, as the Lord has called me into whatever is now and next.  

"Next" is continuing prayer for the needs of so many hurting people and distressful situations in their lives, yet without my needing to pour my body into physical work to the degree it had become accustomed.  Yes, it seems quite strange to not be in such solid ora et labora (prayer and work) and more so now in ora.  I must put my temporal body into manual labor as it is requisite for my pain management benefit--but far less in urgency of an earthly time frame and temporal reason.

The Holy Focus remains, but it has gone through a honing of massive proportions.  Yes, it is but seven weeks today that I could have easily been paralyzed or killed from the major smack of my body propelling through the air in the "flight from the stairway to heaven"--as I called the stairway my dear angel and I constructed in this temporal dwelling, the Te Deum Hermitage.

Gone is the need to have mental space allotted for remembering construction facts and figures, for figuring out detailed finishing work.  However, I still call upon St.  Joseph and Jesus and Mother Mary, and my Angel Beth, as Joseph and Jesus were carpenters, and Mary a mother.  All were of earth and of Heaven, and it is our Christ who reminds us, explains to us, admonishes us thus:

"one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God
and by Him Who is seated on it."

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

Catholic Hermit Rejoices!

I was informed that a hermit colleague has been blessed with a spiritual gift, a spiritual phenomenon.  I am rejoicing over this news!  This particular hermit has in the past has seemed more leaning to the laws of minds; thus I have been praying for some time for the Holy Spirit to reach into the hermit's soul and inflame it with a touch of God's law of love, of the supernatural realities which soften us and remind us that the temporal is passing but the realm of the Spirit is eternal.

We can be reminded of St. Thomas Aquinas, a scholar of theology, an erudite writer of great intellect who spent the bulk of his priestly years in studious development and provision of theological thoughts and premises.  His contribution is appreciated to this day in many ways; but toward the end of Aquinas' life, he experienced a profound mystical event, opening him to the law of God, the law of love.

Henceforth, Aquinas left off his studious and legal, theological laden writings.  He is known to have exclaimed following the mystical experience:  "All words as are straw" as he compared his voluminous writings to the touch of God's Spirit upon him in a very real yet mystical sense.  Aquinas wrote no more.  He turned to a life of prayer and love of God.

St. Bernard, on the other hand, discovered the power of God's love over studious interpretations of canon laws and aspects of theology.  He seemed to grasp the spiritual hindrance of too much thinking with the "head" rather than the spiritual progression of thinking with the "heart."  Bernard of Clairvaux had union in God's love earlier on in his life and wrote of the desire of God to have union with us in His love.  He expounded beautifully of the four degrees of love and especially the pinnacle of such love being loving God in Himself.

When I was informed of my fellow hermit's spiritual experience, I smiled inwardly and have been rejoicing outwardly in my hermitage, while I work and pray.  I smiled for two reasons.  One is that I am overjoyed with this development in the spiritual life of my comrade in the eremitic vocation, as a fellow Catholic, fellow consecrated hermit even if our professions differ, our vows and rules of life differ in what amounts to minor details in the full spectrum of life.  

I am praising the Lord for the softening and awe of love that occurs when one--and this applies to any one of us--receives a spiritual gift from God.

The other inner smiling comes from the effect that when I had written about a spiritual gift the Lord gave me, that of mystical ecstasy during Mass, my description was rather met otherwise--with suggestion by my colleague that I was mentally unstable, emotional, hysterical, a fraud, etc.  

So it is that the Lord in his loving kindness alters our ways of being by giving us a gift in which we then can realize what such gifts are like, and He bestows in us a means of knowing deep within that the gift is genuine or not--regardless of what others may surmise.  The Lord has His way of then showing us that we are not the judge, but he Is.  I've been shown this, myself, in the past and am grateful to be reminded of the lesson to be learned over and over.

So it is that we can know our gifts are genuine; the Lord lets us know in various means and ways hard to describe.  I trust that we have excellent spiritual directors as well as have enough common sense to recognize the techniques of deception plied upon us by the devil.   And we do well to be far more scrutinizing of ourselves than what others might be.   In fact, it is better to scrutinize ourselves sufficiently than for others to judge from afar.  

The fruit of spiritual experiences can vary in the externals, but to the soul itself they bring a closer abiding in God, a greater sense and delight in His love of us, and create a deeper desire in us to love God in Himself above all things.  From this love of God in Himself, God's love flows through us so that we, in turn, love one another as He loves us.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!  Now when I see the prayer tree I planted as a reminder to pray and praise God for my fellow hermit colleague (as well as for all hermits, but this colleague in particular) I will rejoice for the spiritual gift that my fellow hermit has received!  It is a time for rejoicing!

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

(And it is also a time for me to rise after extended, bodily rest and to continue installing ceiling boards.  Finish up the nailing of boards!  I have an aunt to pray for in a major way; I've not been praying nearly enough for this soul who is advanced in years and currently obsessing over the writing of her own obituary, desiring that others appreciate her.  I heard my late dad's voice last night remind me, regarding such aspects:  "Don't toot your own horn."  He always had a way of hitting the nail on the head with such aphorisms, wise advice.)

Catholic Hermit: "Beware of the Scribes"

A few days ago, the daily Mass readings included Jesus' warning:  Beware of the scribes!  The warning has remained in my thoughts even though have been very hard at work during the daylight hours and then needing rest and dealing with increased pain in the night hours.

Yesterday morning, while waiting for the spinal headache to abate some, I found this commentary in Bensons's Biblical Commentary.  Today I pray to beware present day "scribes" and beseech the Lord that I be preserved from pride, arrogance, and all forms of "lording it over others."  

In Jesus' day, the scribes had evolved not only from writing and copying religious laws, they also were heavily into embellishing and interpreting the laws of which they utilized to make themselves seem all the more grandiose and superior to others. 

I am extra thankful for the increased pain following trying to install the heavy French doors, with help from the neighbor boys--two brothers who came in shifts to assist me.  Although the doors do not fit on all the hinges and do not close--!--I have a bag of cement up against them and also stuffed plastic bags as best I could around the openings to help keep out the crisp, cold air.  

Added pain, such as a far worse spinal headache than yesterday's, can remind of our mortal limitations, of our weaknesses, yet of our attempts to persevere.  While I have no idea when and if anyone can return to help figure out why the door hinges do not all line up and why the doors do not close in their frame, I do know that I desire to be humbled and to be humble.  Humility is the key to all graces; we must be thankful for any aspect in our daily lives that promotes humility. 

From Benson's on Mark 12:38-40 Beware of the scribes:

"See that ye do not imitate their hypocrisy, or imbibe their principles, and be on your guard against their insidious counsels and designs." There was an absolute necessity for these repeated cautions of our Lord.  For, considering the inveterate prejudices of these scribes against Him and His doctrine, it could never be supposed that the common people would receive the gospel till these incorrigible blasphemers of it were brought to a just disgrace.  

Yet He delayed speaking in this manner till a little before His passion, as knowing what effect it would quickly produce.  "Which love to go in long clothing...."  Here our Lord assigns the reason why He bid His disciples "beware" of imitating them.  

They were excessively proud and arrogant, as was plain from their affected gravity of dress, from the anxiety which they discovered to get the principal seats at feasts, and all public meetings, as things belonging to them, on account of their superior worth, and from their courting to be saluted in the streets with particular marks of respect, and to be addressed with the sounding titles of rabbi, father, and master, thinking such public acknowledgments of their merits due from all who met them."

We can look about in our own lives, and beware of those who may be similar in some fashion or form, in some manner of behavior or speaking or writing, in some attitude of arrogant thought and bearing.  We must beware these types of people--and beware that we do not imitate or follow suit.

What matters to God?  What is God's law that is the fulfillment of all other laws?  These must be our concerns and our guiding principles.  Love God.  Love others as ourselves.  Seek union with Jesus Christ.  Take His yoke upon us and follow Him.

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