Catholic Hermit: Relying All the More IN Christ

It's been awhile since I've written.  Been working very hard physically, trying to get the hermitage (old farm house) finished.  It is time to be moving on.  Finances and weather affecting the pain issues require relocation.  Changing location is nothing new for hermits following the traditional eremitic vocation.  Some were more transient than those who found a hut in a forest or a cave in the mountains in which they could remain hidden for all their earthly years.

However, perhaps it is not the ideal--to have to relocate.  Once again, the hermit vocation is guided by the Lord in individual ways, conforming the soul and the body, the spiritual and the temporal, to what is, not what one wishes or would like to plan as the "ideal."  God knows best; God unfolds and guides this consecrated Catholic hermit's every present moment--lest I forget that reality!

For nearly 34 years now, the Lord has utilized physical pain to help contain me in the channel of His will.  I was making progress in the past few weeks with the manual labor as well as the spiritual life: prayer and pondering His Living Word.  I had lovely help from mortals in loading a rental truck to take some of the earthly possessions to a storage unit; I had someone even help share the driving.  

But a pain siege struck me down, and I'm still down but through the worst of the suffering.   Flying back and returning to Te Deum Hermitage is rather a blur.  This pain siege included some black-out periods; I remember not much of the past three days.  Yet God's Real Presence is quite clear.  Praise Him for all the miraculous helps and providence!

The temptation even in remaining on sleeping bag on floor in here, is to consider what next, where next, and how next.   But to remain in The Order of the Present Moment includes keeping the mind in the present; thinking ahead is not productive nor peaceful.  A temporary plan is all the Lord is allowing me--to get somewhere in which I am able to stay temporarily once this abode is finished and sold is as far forward as He allows.  One door at a time is opening, and beyond that one door, there are other doors but all with locks for now.

Relying on Christ is the only way to proceed in life as well as the only way to truly rest in Christ.  The operative word is "in"--not "with," not "through," but "in."  The need is to be in Him, securely so.  How to effect that--how to be "in" Him?

The recent Gospel readings in which Jesus tells us that He is the Living Bread, and that all those who come to Him will have eternal life, will have Him, explain the reality as it stands.  It is simply a matter of loving Christ and desiring to be in Him, and to ask Him to take us into Himself.  We give ourselves to Him, and He takes us in.

And in faith, in simple belief of His loving desire to take us into Himself and to keep us fast in Him, the action and reality is effected.  We thus are in Him.

More than my being on this sleeping bag, under the blanket and in the temporal warmth of covering, I am in Christ right now as I breathe, think, feel, and write.  When I but think about being "in" Christ, I have a share in and of His peace.  The concern of what is ahead no longer dangles words nor images in my mind.  The concern of pain limiting forward progress in the temporal or spiritual no longer frustrates the emotions; plans of what is to be are deleted from the mind-screen.

In Christ, there are marvelous surprises!  Yesterday while dealing with higher level pain, I received a phone call from the spiritual father!  Totally unexpected, and I'd not heard his voice in a couple or more years. Ironically, it was the day of temporal birth--a fact he has never known.  But the Lord allowed it as a surprise and most welcome birthday gift.  And a gift to him, perhaps if the Lord allows in Him, in His Present Moment, there might be a  temporal, physical visit from this hermit to the spiritual father at some present moment point in another time and place.

Yet we can grasp now, how unnecessary are thoughts on what may or may not be future present moments as well as how unnecessary returning to past present moments, in general.  Remaining in the present moment of which we are in Christ Who Is always in His Real Presence in the Present Moment keeps us best in Him.  When we take ourselves to past moments or imagine future moments, we distance ourselves from being in Christ; we dilute the power of being in Him in His Real Presence of which He is most omnipotent and omniscient in His Present Presence.

It seems to help me to pray--to ask Him to keep me in His Real Presence in His Present Moment.  Some aspects of our temporal lives do seem to require some planning, such as I had to reserve a rental moving truck and a rental storage unit, and I had to communicate with a couple teens to help load the truck, and communicate and coordinate with another who would come and help drive the distance.  But I noticed how the bulk of all the temporal aspects of the past few days resided in His will and His will alone, for all the aspects--temporal and spiritual--relied upon His providence, His will, His choosing.  

The pain siege certainly came of His providence in the present moment--totally unexpected as much as the duration of it is unknown-to-me.  Suffering is powerful and special like that--as is any type of death to self:  We know not the day nor the hour.  That sums up living in Christ, for when we live in Him, we do not know other than peaceful resting in Him which includes remaining in His Love, His Will, and in His Powerful Pain.

Holy Door Update

Well, the elderly friend emailed the latest.  The monsignor of their cathedral has once more changed his decision as to which door is to be holy.  They had a ceremony for the holy door, which he ended up changing back to be the doors facing the main thoroughfare, of which the friend adroitly pointed out are actually double doors of which few ever use.

But the ceremony was held; they declined to be in attendance which is wise this time of year considering weather, viruses, night venue, and age.

So two of the doors are now officially holy, and perhaps more technically so because few if any of us unholy humans pass through them.

The exhaustion from physical pain continues here with this hermit.  Today will attempt Chapter 2 of Hebrews, not that what I write will be of interest to anyone but God.  He is always interested in what we are about, what we do, think, speak, feel.

Even if what I write, as I was recently reminded, might be beautifully written and profound, the person informing me also added that it is not what most people grasp.  He mentioned some famous media types who with ghostwriters put out books that people buy and read, as well as they write some children's books.

Of course, the comment was meant to be for me to perhaps try to write something that actual people enjoy reading and can grasp, or that which is pleasing to others including children.

However, while I did write a children's book once and illustrated it, my life has shifted some over the years, and I see through situations with more reality, perhaps, and I seek all the more my purpose for being here in accordance to what God has in Mind.  The pain rivets me to deeper thoughts and to realism.

For example, when I read an article about the current pope a year ago excoriating the clerics in the Vatican curia for having embezzled, taken bribes, been immoral, lived in excess and gluttony--and this year was once more addressing them, but this time trying to get them to learn to be honest and moral, to live a couple of basic virtues--I had to ask myself why are these clerics, some of them having committed criminal acts, still in the curia?  

What is wrong with grown ups who had years ago been gifted with years of paid instruction and formation and then even more years of paid and glorified lived experience--supposed to be sons of God who were anointed with the oil of gladness, given the scepter of righteousness, told to love justice and hate wickedness?  Why are they not out working at some job more suited to their inability to have grasped what is simple honesty, years ago?  

If these alter Christi did not get the message from the pope a year ago, why still be trying to explain to them what is honesty and ask them to try living simple virtues, now?  If they did not grasp the simple definitions of virtues and to live good lives when children growing up in their mostly Catholic homes--taught simple right from wrong--why is the top leader of a major church in the world, still attempting to cajole them into trying on a bit of goodness, yet, a year later?

Would any owner of a dog put up with such disobedience after having trained the animal otherwise as a pup?

I can see how Jesus was perturbed with the high priests, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the scribes--of the various hypocrisies of the Temple goers and doers.  He turned to the lowly people, then, through preaching and teaching. He knew their neediness as not having viable leaders for their souls.  

He gave His hope to their neediness, at least, and their lostness, their seeking a shepherd to guide them when the ones to whom was given by God the scepter of righteousness had either dropped the scepter or started to use it as a sword to fight for personal power, prestige, position, and possessions.  Or maybe the scepter had poked their eyes out.  Blind shepherds, then, trying to lead lost sheep.

We each and every one of us need to find our God-given purpose in life, our holy point for being here, and to take a realistic view of what it is that God asks of us. We need to grasp the scepter of righteousness even if not ceremonially ordained.  We must pray to be touched in our minds and hearts and souls by His oil of gladness, and to deeply love justice and to resolutely hate wickedness.  We must be noble in our purpose and never let go of what is right; we must listen to and follow Jesus.  Remain in His Love!

The others--those entangled in the nets just beneath the surface--we must let God touch them, deal with them, love and rescue them.  We must swim on out into the deep, not knowing where we are going but going in faith, yet not get entangled ourselves in humanly uncuttable nets.  Just keep swimming toward the depths of His Real Presence.  We must!

Catholic Hermit Re-celebrates, Reprises: "Christ the King"

This morning upon awakening, this nothing consecrated Catholic hermit thought of Christ the King!  In remembering a post a few years ago on a separate blog site (no longer active but viewable), I wanted to re-read it and re-share it, today.  

And then, while praying and installing some door handles and dead bolts, tidying up some of the mess, figuring out how to load a brad nailer, and loading the truck with some trash for a dump run tomorrow...I thought of how His Real Presence considers us as royal--royal subjects of His Kingdom on earth and in preparation for His Kingdom in Heaven some day.  Christ the King sees us in our simpicity, in our attempts to love, in our basic efforts in daily life as well as our exulting in His special Feast Day today.  Exciting!

The following is the post from this Catholic hermit from another place, a different phase, a previous time ~

We continue to realize our role living in His Kingdom, remaining in His love, every present moment.  Our inner and outer deportment must reflect the refulgent facets of His love.  We must learn and demonstrate, within and without: patience, kindness, humility, gentility, generosity, docility, compassion, long-suffering and selflessness. 

As princes and princesses of Christ the King, we represent Him as emissaries of His Kingdom.  Thus, we do all we can with our inner and outer appearance and bearing to reflect the nobility and grace of which we share in His Person, created in the image and likeness of God.  

The inner reaches of our souls are scrubbed clean in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, souls refreshed and as new as in our Baptism, for sacramental confession is a re-baptism as rains washing afresh a parched earth.  Freed from sins, over and over, our souls worthily may receive Christ's true Body and Blood in the Sacrament of Eucharist.  All, His love.

We are men and maids in waiting of the Queen, the Blessed Virgin Mary.  She prepares us for His royal service.  The Queen is the dispenser of all graces, and from her we develop from the depth of grace, into willing subjects eternally transformed in His love.  Not only do we learn virtues but also how to work hard at our temporal tasks, to gain discipline and obedience, loyalty and respect, to grow in wisdom and stature so that we may represent the King and His Kingdom with ease and decorum.

When we comprehend that we are the princes and princesses of the King of Kings, and begin responding to the responsibility and honor bestowed upon us--to think that He considers us for such inclusion into His love forever--we cannot help but rejoice in His love, His will, His truth!  Jesus thanked the Father for giving us to Him, and He called us gifts!  He so loves us, His gifts, that He wants us with Him where He is, always.  Imagine!  So we willingly cooperate, those of us who desire, more than anything, even ourselves, to remain in His love, to obey His command to love, to live in Christ in every present moment...His love, His will, His truth.

This is the first Solemnity of Christ the King in which I have experienced from remaining in His love and as prince or princess.  I perked when the priest mentioned recent world news of a prince and his princess, and who the world considered the greatest king, the wealthy King of Thailand.  The priest, of course, explained that is of the world, and in the Kingdom of God, Christ is our King!  Yes, and my heart exclaimed, and we who belong to Him, who remain in His love, are His princes and princesses forever!  We do not belong to the world but to the Kingdom of God!

In this morning's Office of Readings, Origen writes of this and more.  The kingdom of God, in the words of our Lord and Savior, does not come for all to see; nor shall they say: Behold, here it is, or behold, there it is; but the kingdom of God is within us, for the word of God is very near, in our mouth and in our heart. Thus it is clear that he who prays for the coming of God's kingdom prays rightly to have it within himself, that there it may grow and bear fruit and become perfect.  For God reigns in each of his holy ones.

Pinch ourselves, those who are remaining in His love!  And those who are not yet grasping, pinch yourselves with the reality that we all can actually be His holy ones!  Believe in Him, obey His commands, remain in His love!

Origin continues his discourse. Note this too about the kingdom of God.  It is not a sharing of justice with iniquity, nor a society of light with darkness, nor a meeting of Christ with Belial.  The kingdom of God cannot exist alongside the reign of sin.  Therefore, if we wish God to reign in us, in now way should sin reign in our mortal body; rather we should mortify our members which are upon the earth and bear fruit in the Spirit.  

There should be in us a kind of spiritual paradise where God may walk and be our sole ruler with His Christ.  In us the Lord will sit at the right hand of that spiritual power which we wish to receive. And He will sit there until all his enemies who are within us become his footstool. 

And so, what is corruptible in us must be clothed in holiness and incorruptibility; and what is mortal must be clothed, now that death has been conquered, in the Father's immortality.  Then God will reign in us, and we shall enjoy even now the blessings of rebirth and resurrection.

So we know this with assurance, that we may remain in His love and all these things shall be added unto us.  And to remain in His love is to remain in His will and His truth.  

But if we find we are not in His love, we call upon His name day and night for help, expressing our desire to remain in His Kingdom now and forever.  Each time we pray...Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven...we are praying to remain in His love, in His kingdom that is for those who believe in Him and obey His commands, who remain in His love, now on earth as in heaven.  

The entire Lord's prayer is a flowering of: Remain in My love.  Ponder, pray, sing anew.  Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.  Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil...for Thine is the Kingdom, and the Glory, and the Power forever! Amen.

[Note:  This post is from my blog site titled Christ in the Present Moment.]

  

Catholic Hermit: God's Law

Romans 13:8-12 provides all this nothing consecrated Catholic hermit needs in the next phase of spiritual growth, spiritual life, interior movement (and exterior) in climbing the stairway to Heaven.  These words of the Living Word of God pare to the simple...and the simply profound truth!

"Brothers and sisters:
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another;
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

"The commandments, 
'You shall not commit adultery;
you shall not kill;
you shall not steal;
you shall not covet,'
and whatever other commandment there may be,
are summed up in this saying, namely,
'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
Love does no evil to the neighbor;
hence, love is the fulfillment of the law."

I emboldened the words that I shall carry with me today.  Am back in civilization, having been called back to help with the situation requiring loving effort and teamwork in time of others' need.

Remember the fulfillment of the law.  Love others.  Love is the fulfillment of the law.

Perfection in love!  All else can be determined, ruled, enacted under this fulfillment of God's law.

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, let us LOVE!  God Is Love!  Remain in His Love!

Warning and Blessing: Detraction

Detraction of others in any shape or form is a pernicious sin.  Like pine gum on the fingers, removing detraction from one's thoughts, words, and actions requires more than soap and water.

Detraction belittles, denigrates, lessens, smears, puts down, besmirches, diminishes, deprecates, depreciates, condemns, mocks, disparages, slanders, libels, and bullies others.  Most often, the poison of detraction trickles or erupts from anger, envy and malicious criticism.  Detraction serves to lower another's self-esteem and standing as a person among peers, as a child of God.

Wrongful judging occurs in detraction.  Rightful judging is that which derives from thoughtful observation, wise and holy discernment, by those whose position is to rightfully judge.  The intent of rightful judging is to discover truth and desire justice.  There are few occasions other than in the legal profession, in which we are likely to be called upon to rightfully judge.

Discernment is more a personal matter of which we are to make critical judgments regarding ourselves, our actions, our thoughts.  Discernment of self is necessary for spiritual growth; discernment of others is not so necessary.  If we honestly discern our own thoughts, words, and actions, we will have enough information to make changes in our lives. Self-discernment, thus, will replace the temptation to deceive ourselves that we are only "discerning" others, when in fact we slip into judging them.

For example, a young man came to do some plumbing when this hermit was yet ill.  He ruined some plumbing parts, made vital errors in placement of holes for pipes, and misspoke about code.  The hermit detracted the young man by discussing his wrong-doings with others, as well as slipped into anger over the wages paid and costs to replace parts and redo the project.

Holy discernment would have provided the hermit with all the truth it needed--without detraction of the plumber.  Had this hermit privately recognized the young man's errors, that would have been enough to know what actions to take in remedying the plumbing.  If the errors had amounted to great sums, there is legal recourse via the law of the land.  In this situation, prayer for the young man, privately letting him know he had erred, and giving him opportunity to make right his wrongs, is the correct course of action--not detraction.

A key element in rightful judging and wise discernment is factual truths and what we do with factual truths.  If the facts upon which we base our judging and discerning are not true but more our opinions, then we slip into wrongful judging and wrong discernment.  We next can slide on and into detraction if we think, write, or speak based upon our inaccurate facts or upon our opinions.

Jesus is clear on how to avoid the sin of detraction (which does include wrongful judging--and best to avoid judging unless by profession a judge in the land's justice system!).

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
       a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and                overflowing, will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you"  (Luke 6:36-38).

[Yesterday while consolidating grains of rice from one container into another, the marvelous image of a good measure came clear.  While pouring the rice it seemed the canister could not possibly hold all the grains.  The nothing Catholic hermit tamped the rice, shook it down, and what seemed impossible for the canister to hold, poured in with space remaining!  How pictorially metaphoric, Jesus' words!]

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, let us love one another!  Refrain from any temptation to detract others. Let our judging and discerning be of ourselves, for therein is the greatest opportunity for growth--and blessed gifts--of remaining in His Love!