Catholic Hermit on Effects of Death of Will

Today marks seven weeks since the death of this nothing consecrated Catholic hermit's will.  It is one of the many spiritual experiences that a soul never forgets.  

In recap, the death of our wills comes as a result of praying for such.  We may not even realize we are asking the Lord to take our wills and replace them with His will.  But we do so every time we pray the Lord's Prayer, or we ask Him to do His will in us, or we read His Living Word and consider that we'd like to follow Him, be in union with Him, be in Heaven with Him for all eternity.

In order for God's will to be done in us on earth as it is in Heaven, our will must die.  Yes, it must die just as Jesus explained the seed must fall to the ground, be crushed and die in order for new life to occur.  In order for us to have union with God, fully, all aspects of our free wills, of our everything, must be replaced by all that is God.

This is the summation of our divine desires, whether or not we consciously consider them, or pray for them now or in the past, or have known of such possibility and desire.  Judgment will bring the desire for Divine Union to the fore.  We will know and have opportunity to desire or not, union with God for eternity.

In our lives, then, the process of dying to our own wills can begin early on.  For most souls, it seems the process is gradual, nearly imperceptible other than those key moments and phases in which suffering brings lessons of death in ways that allow our wills to die to self in bits and pieces, and sometimes in larger chunks.

So it was that seven weeks ago, following three months of intense physical suffering as well as emotional deaths, this hermit's will died.

I did not realize that was what was occurring.  I chalked it off to severe and prolonged physical pain, or to a rough patch with family members and adaptation to loss therein.  Yet neither the physical pain (which has been my constant companion to varying intensities for nearly 32 years) nor the obviously God-willed job change and move of family were that unusual or different to cause such a death within--a death that has never been experienced to this degree.

When I realized that Wednesday morning after Easter that I no longer had the will to do, think--to be--anything and made not by my will a single phone call to someone I'd not spoken with in a couple of years and had not seen for 26 years, the effect was nil.  I then, not by my will but some force other, got off the mattress, walked outside, and started weeding--the first physical action possible as the bodily pain had been unusually severe.  As soon as I pulled a couple weeds, God spoke.

"Your will has died."

With that Word, insights tumbled into thoughts, and I recognized the weight of death lifting, the emptiness of nothingness being dispelled.  I was reminded of the physical death experience years ago in a hospital recovery room.  What did I think death would be?  It is so easy!  There is so much pain, and then no pain--just joy, laughter!  All emotions and thoughts, memory, understanding, intellect--all goes with us, leaving the heavy-laden, suffering body behind.

So it was with the death of my will.  What did I think it would be--as if fairy dust sprinkled on me some night, and I'd awaken in the morning without my will and God's Will instead?  I laughed with this thought; of course, the death of the will would be like the death of our bodies--more gradual usually, bit by bit dying, and also some time of intense suffering until death comes as a relief after we have reached a point in which we desire the relief of what had become seemingly endless agony.

Relief!  And over the past seven weeks since the death of my will, I have noticed the effects.  I guess I had not expected any effects since I've not had such a major death of will.  (My will had died in little bits, now and then, imperceptibly so other than a few bigger chunks lopped off from time to time.  And even now, I do not know for sure that all of my will has died; but I figure it to be thus.  The Lord did say, "Your will has died."  Unless He knew I could not handle if there was yet more will to die, I will take Him at His Word.)

The effects of death of the will, from what I know of personal experience, seem to thus far be a total change in how I react.  I no longer react the way I used to react--the way I reacted to persons, thoughts, words, situations all my life--up to the death of my will.  I was going to write of the effects with specific examples within the first week or so; but then I decided to wait longer.  What if this reflected a temporary effect?

I suppose it still could be, as seven weeks is not long--yet long enough for plenty of situations to occur of substantive crisis to test my reactions.  And in each incident, each situation, I simply do not react as I used to react.  There is not the stress nor strain, there is not the fear or tears, there is not the worry of unknowns.

A long-time friend emailed that it was probably just detachment.  No, it is different from detachment, for there is sense perception, emotion, thoughts, imagination, memory, understanding, and intellect.  None of these are dulled or nulled; yet they are different, they react differently.  It is not my will, that I can tell you.  My will is not like this will that reacts now with equanimity of spirit, with faith, with hope, with love, with freedom and truth.  This will reacts even with laughter--not warped or inappropriate laughter, but with laughter that is sensible, solid laughter mostly without sound emitted.

I suppose we might call it joy.

But it is not always "happy" joy.  The effect of death of my will is that of a serenity in all things.  I am reminded that "serenity" is the 9th "S" of the platform of my rule of life--the rule of life that is the perfect rule of life for all of us: The Gospel Rule.  (Earlier on in my hermit vocation I mistook the 9 S's as being the rule of my hermit life until the Holy Spirit showed me that the Gospel Rule is indeed the perfect rule, the only rule worthy of total adherence, and the 9 S', though, making up a means or platform by which to consider living the Gospel Rule of Life.)

So, the death of my will and it's being replaced by God's will has totally altered the way I react to anything from what would be serious upsets and misunderstandings to slipping and sliding on the pole barn roof yesterday--not once but twice, and a third time one foot sliding out from under causing a full front-to-back splits.  (Am on the mattress today, fairly banged up!)  Other examples of altered reaction--replaced reaction--include no concern at all with what could be dire financial news or the near-miss hospitalization form sepsis poisoning, or simply how the major, overwhelming work load in this hermitage used to affect me. 

 I can even try to consider relationships of the past--memories that used to bring tears and regrets.  The emotions and thoughts can still dip into the past, but there is nothing but serenity, equanimity of spirit, peace, lots of understanding.  God's will remains simply in the present moment yet with faith and hope and love for what is ahead...without going very far ahead.

The only time there has been weeping came in a phone call one morning when the physical pain was at high level; tears flow when the pain is at high tide.

Another effect of the death and replacement of my will with God's Will, has been the insights that have come increasingly ever since that Wednesday morning after Easter.  It seemed at first to be during times of manual labor when the mind would be "away" from the physical pain of body more easily.  Insights would come--thoughts of someone who I'd find out later had been thinking of me at the same time, those who I'd not had contact with for months or years.  Insights would come regarding some message or good to relate or offer someone, or also very much insights for my own good and spiritual growth.

Perhaps as a "type" of insight, bi-locating incidents began to occur with more frequency and ease, yet still totally unexpected, unasked for, and still nothing that I consider from my own old will that would be particularly necessary or desirable.  (I've had bi-location experiences off and on for decades, but only came to grasp what it was after I converted to Catholicism and became familiar with the term and of others describing or having their bi-location experiences described in books.)

But with God's will having replaced my will, the bi-locating--still unexpected when it does occur and typically at night when not needing to focus on not falling off a pole barn metal roof!--is productive, purposeful, and simple.  It would not matter, even, to mention this aspect other than to note the effect from the death of my will and God's replacing it with His will.  (And I will write a bit more on this subject in a later post, as it might be of usefulness to some, as these things are not necessarily unique to just a few but are potential goods for others, to accomplish works of the Spirit, God-willed, of course.)

And yet another effect of the death of my will has been that it is increasingly obvious that my intellect is still very much in me, in rather primary position to the now-His-will in my soul.  And my intellect continues to get in the way, at times, of His will. (Here, again, in the night when my intellect is more at rest, His will can utilize my soul to be taken in Spirit on assignments to help others, according to His will.)

My intellect, thus, impedes His will in some instances, or does not "read" situations accurately for my intellect--my ideas, thoughts, mind--can confuse His insights with my ideas, and my ideas as being His insights.  So I have started to pray earnestly and with great faith that God take my intellect, have it die, and replace it with His Mind, His Thoughts only, His Ideas, His Insights.  All God's--that is what the intellect can be--and eventually must be if Divine Union is ever to occur.

Purgatory is part of that process, but why not avail ourselves of it yet in this life?  Since the death of my will, I now am aware of how cumbersome are my thoughts and ideas, is my own intellect, how impatient and also mistaken can be my thoughts.  Increasingly I am learning to discern and differentiate what are His Insights and what are my ideas and thoughts.  That is a start, at least.

I do trial and error sometimes.  For example, if I get an idea of something that comes to mind, and it might be for someone other, I will go ahead and share the idea.  It can come down to subtle discernment and paying attention to little mental nudges.  One morning my quite elderly aunt came to mind.  The thought was to call her.  Then popped in the thought of some Manuka honey that someone other had emailed me about a few days earlier.  Now, why did that unusual type of honey come to mind upon the heels of the nudge to call my aunt?  Was it that the Manuka honey might help her digestive ailments and overall energy, as she has been ailing for awhile now?

I called the aunt and in conversation mentioned I would like to send her a small jar of this special honey made by bees in New Zealand.  While on the phone, I looked on my laptop and read off to her the benefits that are found in test studies.  Among other good effects, it helps digestive tract balance and over all energy, plus helps build immunity to bacteria and viruses.  She was interested in trying the honey and will report back if it helps her or not.  Now, I did not mention that I am testing out for myself if this is an insight from God's Mind through His will in me, or if it was some thought from my own intellect.  Before long, there may be an answer for both of us.

Another insight came while weeding, and it seemed profoundly an insight, for the message was strong and powerful in ways good for the soul.  It had to do with a cousin and her mother.  I did not want to share the insight right away mainly because my own intellect knew that my cousin might not like hearing the insight. Yet the insight stayed with me in my mind.  I since know this to be an insight from God's Mind as it did stay with me, and eventually my cousin called to chat.

So I told her of the insight, and she seemed to listen that day, although there was some rebuttal.  Yet it did seem to hit home.  And, this effect was as similar insights from God have had in the past:  I felt totally freed once I told her the insight, the message.  But the next day the cousin called back.  She was at that point rejecting the insight.  So I wondered again, with my own intellect, if this was an insight from God's Mind or just some idea that I had in my intellect, my mind?

But no, it came again that this was an insight from God's Mind.  I was quickly able to benefit by it myself, for the good of my own soul with great effect.

I do plan to also write about the particular insight the Lord's Mind gave, that so cooperated with His will that is in me, on a future blog post.  But for this post, I wanted to re-summarize the actual event of the death of the will and then also give the three or so effects thus far, that the death of the will has caused in my reactions and daily life.  And also how the death of the will then leads to the desire and need for our intellects to die and be replaced with God's Intellect, with His Mind, His Insights, etc.

I also desire to share an incident in which I had what I thought to be an insight from God regarding a friend and her husband, particularly for the husband who has been suffering for a long time with serious health issues, and his spirit lately has wavered and weakened into despair.  This incident for a future post demonstrates how sharing with them the death of the will affected his life with an effect that occurred shortly after he asked the Lord a key question about his will.

More later, dear readers.  This body-bruised old hermit is going to rise and try to dress, and do some little manual labor task around the hermitage.  Praise God in all things.  Praising God is of God's will, with all praise redounding to His glory, in His Trinity.

[Yes, it was easy to praise God when the feet were able to stop the body slide two feet from the edge of the pole barn roof.  Praise God that my "habit" worn yesterday (work jeans--the habit is what one wears in the Order of the Present Moment) have paint all down one side as a reminder of the slip-n-slide on wet paint, up on the roof!  And this old world wasn't even getting me down....  I was going to post Carole King's hit record, "Up on the Roof," but the lyrics really did not seem too easily woven into the theme.]

God bless His Real Presence in us!  His Will in me!  His Mind increasingly in me!  And I pray this for all of us to have HIs Will, His Mind, His All in us in all real ways.  Remain in His Love!  Love one another as His Real Presence loves us!

Catholic Hermit: Called to Be Holy

Today the universal church begins, together, proclaiming and pondering St. Paul's "Letter to the Romans."  These lines stand out, having awakened this morning remembering my mother's passing on this day 11 years ago.  I reflected upon her lovely life and her recommitment to Jesus Christ toward the end of her life after exploring a bit off the narrow path.  The Lord called her back, better then ever before!  

Last evening I watched a couple or so video clips of old "What's My Line" television programs.  I recall them from childhood and found myself laughing aloud in the hermitage--some much-needed laughter after some deep, inner questioning and praying for the Lord's guidance and will in various matters.  Yes, I saw Jesus in the laughter; I saw Him in the decorum of people, recalling the 50's and '60's before the yawing opening of our society to more an "anything goes" attitude.

It is not as if sin did not exist prior.  Of course not!  But people more attempted a refinement of loveliness and decency, at least externally.  And the external is a reflection of the internal, as the internal also illuminates through the external.

It is as if a weight has lifted from this hermit, a Catholic, a Catholic professed and avowed for this lifetime in the Consecrated Life of the Church--and more so, espoused and betrothed to Jesus Christ for now and all eternity.

The hermit's young helper's mother returned the call yesterday.

I was able to smooth things over, to apologize, to explain that when I am in Mass and in the very deep mystical state, that all is fresh, clear, raw, unfiltered truth.  In no way would I ever flee from Mass in horror if in the conscious, filtered, temporal state.  Like those before who shielded their inner problems (TV contestant Dorothy Kilgallen had a drinking and infidelity problem but masked it, as another side of her was decent, loving, warm, intelligent, and refined), I would have, during Mass if a priest or some other person did something that was distracting or off-point and off-kilter, simply ignored it and turned the thoughts to Scripture, to Jesus, until the disturbance had passed.

My spiritual father has ordered me not to return to the parish, nor to try to help or talk with the priest, nor to alert the diocese for they already know the situation and are handling it in the way that works best for them. (In God's will, He will take care of the priest and the parishioners over time, in His own way.  There is always opportunity for deeper conversions.)

And that is where this hermit's soul is, now, in the Order of the Present Moment.  I am at a point of deeper conversion.  My rule of life presents itself more than ever: to follow the Gospel Rule.  As a fellow Catholic hermit of yore discovered, the Gospel rule is the perfect rule of life for hermits and for anyone.  So within the Gospel Rule, within the Living Word of God, I am trying to live a life of love, utilizing the Nine S' to support and engage living the Gospel in the Order of the Present Moment.

Silence.  Solitude.  Slowness.  Suffering.  Selflessness.  Simplicity.  Stability.  Stillness.  Serenity.

There will be no more parishes in the foreseeable future.  I was able to explain to the helper's dear mother, that I do not desire to see through situations, through people.  Yes, if all is good, it is bliss.  If not, it is horrific hell to endure.  I have been trying very hard to do as the temporal Catholic rules and laws ask--and then a long-time friend who visited last week reminded me that for centuries, Catholics received Communion once a year....

I have been, with the help of priests and a specialist with the paranormal, trying to figure out what God wills with this rather rare mystical ecstasy at any and every Mass.  I have not so much considered that He wills me to a greater silence of solitude of being with Him.  I had ignored five visions and dreams with locutions (messages) directly advising me that I do not belong to the world of parishes anymore.  The first was within two years of becoming a Catholic!  Since it did not seem to jive with the norm, for I was not in the consecrated part of the Church as religious brothers and sisters, all along I have continued to try to go to Mass in parishes--with rather difficult outcomes.

No one is to blame other than me, I do agree!  I have been not paying attention to the signs, to the messages, to the dreams and visions.  And it was all right to do so because there is this gift called discernment that we must cooperate with fully--not lean unto our own understanding but seek the guidance of wise others and also then seek affirmation and confirmation from the Lord in His Living Word and in His guidance of our souls, in every present moment.

His ways are beyond our understanding and knowledge, for the most part.  What is asked of us it to have complete faith in Him, and to receive the peace He bequeaths.  The peace of the Holy Spirit is always a very good sign that nothing other can replicate--His abiding peace!  Abiding.

We can detect sin in ourselves and others when there is ugliness, envy, pride, vindictiveness, treachery, deception, bickering, detraction, wrong-judging.

I do not want to be in any of these categories.  That is not my nature and never has been.  This morning I feel a cleansing from my sins and a sense of light and love and being lifted out of what I had tried so hard to figure out, to go along with, to be a part of that which the Lord had me pass through, benefit, and then have my angel take me to the Stairway to Heaven.  The Mass is the Stairway, with all its beauty and wonder.  But what is in the Mass?

The Sacraments, all of them, and His Living Word are in the Mass.  The life, death, and RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ are in the Mass.  The passageway between the temporal and into the eternal mystical, union with God, are in the Mass.  And the Mass goes beyond the time and place.  In the Mass, we are sent out to take His Real Presence into life and into lives temporally and mystically, now and forever.

Although not the norm according to the temporal rules which are very good indeed but Jesus is clear that no temporal rule is necessarily eternal, there is the Gospel Rule of Life, of abiding in Him and He abiding in us, that transcends.  Many canonized hermits and saints came to this, and usually through much persecution and with negative judging by others.  Yet they persevered.

Yesterday I was thinking again about John of the Cross and Padre Pio.  They did not leave off their vocations or their temporal names in religious life, nor no longer consider themselves to be Catholic.  Rather, they more deeply understood their vocations, their roles, their Catholicism and very much so their Christianity as followers of Jesus Christ.

So it is with this nothing consecrated Catholic hermit.  Yes, I could use the name I had in religious life, even if I did not remain in that community.  I could go by Pio of the Wounded Heart.  But that is so very temporal, and as a hermit, I am not the same as John of the Cross or Padre Pio.  I am called to be hidden, and to more know the name by which I will be called in heaven, a name told me by the Lord some 19 years ago this fall during a bit of a taste of heaven in the here and now.

But even that, remains a name for heaven, not for my hermit life.  No, I am simply a consecrated Catholic hermit. That is more than enough name.  It reminds me of my vows, of my life and place in the Catholic Church, and of my vocation as an eremite.  And my given name, thought of by my late mother before I was born and gifted on the day of birth, means "gift of God."  That is beautiful!

I thank my mother many times over today, for her lovely life and her loving me and nurturing, protecting, and holding out all kinds of hope in what I might accomplish in life, to do good, to love, to thrive.  She instilled in me a love of God, of Jesus, of the Holy Spirit!  I have already this morning apologized deeply for the bungles I made and still make!  But love transcends our errors when we are sorry, and when we so want to do much good in Christ.  To be holy--that is the desire of this heart!

Through Him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of His name, among all the Gentiles,
among whom you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
--from Romans 1

God bless His Real Presence in me, in you, in us!  Little children, let us love one another for God Is Love!  Accept, embrace, feel, reflect, and share His Love with Him and each other! 

Rule of Life: Tanquerey's Insights

Decided to share an excerpt from the late Very Reverend Adolphe Tanquerey's marvelous contribution to any soul desirous of spiritual progression and Christian perfection. The following are his written insights on developing and living a rule of life, taken from The Spiritual Life:  A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology.  

This hermit knows of no other as thorough and grounded guidance in what every Christian--not just hermits and other consecrated religious individually embrace and live.  A rule of life for anyone and everyone will improve one's life, over all, and bring success to one's vocation and mission in life.  Enjoy!

II. A Rule of Life

#558. A rule of life extends the influence of the director, by imparting to the penitent principles and rules that will enable the latter to sanctify all his acts through obedience, and that will provide him with a norm of conduct at once sound and safe. We shall explain: (1) its utility; (2) its qualities; (3) the manner of keeping it.

n1. ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, "Introd. to A Devout Life," Part. I, C. III, 
Part. III C. XI; TRONSON, "Manuel du Seminariste;" ID., "Traite de 
l'obeissance," III' Partie RIBET, "L'Ascetique," ch. XLI; KEATING, "The 
Priest, His Character and Work," P. I, C. II; "The Secret of Sanctity," C. 

I. Utility of a Rule of Life

Useful even to laymen who seek holiness in the world, a rule of life is of still greater importance to members of religious communities and to priests in the ministry. It is no less conducive to personal sanctification than to the sanctification of the neighbor.

#559. (1) Its utility as a means of personal sanctification. In order to sanctify ourselves we must make good use of our time, supernaturalize our acts, and follow a certain program of perfection. Now, a rule of life wisely made with the help of our spiritual director secures for us this threefold advantage.

A) It enables us to make a better use of our time. Let us actually compare the life of a person that follows a rule with that of another that does not.

a) He that lives without a rule inevitably wastes a great deal of time: 1) He hesitates as to what is the best thing to do. Time is spent in deliberation, in weighing the reasons for and against, and, as in many cases there are no decisive reasons on either side, he is liable to remain inactive; then, natural inclinations gain the upper hand and he runs the risk of being led by curiosity, pleasure or vanity. 

2) He neglects a certain number of duties, for having neither foreseen nor determined the acceptable time and place for their fulfillment, he no longer finds time to perform them all. 3) These negligences engender inconstancy. At times he makes vigorous efforts to steady himself, while at other times he surrenders to his native indolence, and this, just because he has no fixed rule that would act as a corrective to the fickleness of his nature.

#560. b) The man who holds to a well-defined rule of life saves considerable time: 1) He wastes no time in hesitation. He knows exactly what he is to do, and when he is to do it. Even if his schedule is not mathematically detailed, at least it sets off time-periods and lays down principles with regard to religious exercises, recreation, work, etc... 

2) There is little or nothing unforeseen, for even should the unusual occur, he has already provided for it by determining beforehand exercises that may be shortened and the manner of making up for them. At all events, as soon as these exceptional circumstances cease to exist, he immediately comes back to his rule. 

3) Inconstancy likewise vanishes. The rule urges him to do always what is prescribed, and that every day and at every hour of the day. Thus, habits are formed that, give continuity to his life and assure his perseverance; his days are full days, teeming with good works and merit.

#561. B) A rule of life enables us to supernaturalize all our actions. 

a) They are performed through obedience, and this virtue adds its own special merit to that which is proper to every virtuous act. It is in this sense that the saying obtains, that he who lives by rule lives unto God; since it means the constant fulfillment of His holy will. Faithfulness to a rule has, besides, a decided educative value. Instead of caprice and disorder 

that run rampant in an ill ordered life, duty and strength of will prevail, and as a consequence, order and system. The will submits to God, and our inferior faculties yield their obedience to the will. This is a gradual return to the state of original justice.

b) With a rule of life, it is easy to infuse supernatural motives into all our actions. The mere fact of conquering our tastes and whims puts order into our life and directs our actions towards God. Moreover, a good rule provides for a brief thought of God before every action of any importance, and for the forming of a supernatural intention. Thus each and every one of our actions is explicitly sanctified and becomes an act of love. What a great measure of merit can be thus gained each day!

#562. C) A rule gives us a program of sanctification. 

a) What we have described already constitutes such a program, and by following it, we march on to perfection; it is none other than the highway of conformity to the Divine Will so extolled by God's Saints (n. 493-498).

b) Moreover, no rule of life is complete that does not single out the virtues best adapted to the individual penitent's condition in life and to his state of soul. Of course, this program will be subject now and then to change by reason of new needs that arise, but all this will be done in agreement with the spiritual director.

#563. (2) A rule of life cannot but promote the sanctification of the neighbor. To sanctify others, we must join prayer to action, make good use of the time devoted to works of zeal, and give good example. This is exactly what is done by the man who is faithful to his rule.

A) In his well-regulated life he finds the practical means of combining prayer with action. Convinced that the soul of zeal is an interior life, he takes care that his rule devotes a certain portion of time to prayer, Holy Mass, thanksgiving, and all other exercises indispensable as spiritual food to the soul (n. 523).  This does not prevent him from devoting a good measure of his time to works of zeal. Having learned how to make a wise distribution of time (n. 560), he knows how to spare it whilst doing all things in an orderly and methodical manner. Fixed hours are devoted to the divers kinds of parochial work, like confessions and the administration of the Sacraments. The faithful, once they know these arrangements, readily abide by them, happy to know just when they may call on the priest in their various needs.

#564. B) Furthermore, the faithful are edified by the example of punctuality and regularity which they observe in the priest. They cannot help thinking, and repeating that he is a man of duty, ever faithful to the rules laid down by ecclesiastical authorities. When they listen to him urge from the pulpit or in the confessional obedience to the laws of God and of the Church, they feel drawn more by the force of his example than by his words, and they become in turn more faithful in their observance of the Commandments.  A priest that lives up to his rule sanctifies in this manner both himself and the neighbor. This is true also of those of the laity who devote themselves to works of zeal.

I I. Qualities of a Rule of Life

That a rule be productive of these happy results, it must be devised with the help of our spiritual director; it must be at once flexible and firm; it must grade one's duties according to their relative importance.

#565. (1) It must be devised with the help of our spiritual director. Prudence and obedience require this: a) prudence, because to draw up a practical rule of life, great discretion and experience are needed in order to see not only what may be good in itself, but also what is good for this particular individual; what is advisable in his case, what is beyond his strength, what is timely and what is not, considering his circumstances. Few, indeed, are those that can unaided settle all these things wisely.  b) Besides, one of the advantages of a rule of life is to give us occasions to practice the virtue of obedience. This would never be the case if we were its sole framers and did not submit it to a lawful authority.

#566. (2) The rule must be firm enough to sustain the will, yet elastic enough to be adaptable to the various circumstances arising in real life, which not infrequently foil our calculations.

a) It will have the necessary, firmness if it embodies all that is needed to fix, at least in principle, the time and the manner of performing our spiritual exercises, of fulfilling our duties of state, and of practicing the virtues proper to our condition in life.

#567. b) It will possess the required elasticity if, once these points have been determined, it leaves a certain freedom of action as to changes of time, substitution of practices not essential in themselves by their equivalents, and if it makes allowance even for the shortening of exercises at the demand of charity or of some other duty, the more so if the religious exercises be completed at some later time.

This elasticity should especially apply, according to the wise remark of Saint John Eudes, 1, to forms of prayer and the manner of offering our actions to God: "I beg you to notice that the practice of all practices, the secret of secrets, the devotion of devotions, is not to attach oneself exclusively to any one particular practice or exercise of devotion. Take care, on the contrary, in all your exercises and all your actions to give yourself up to the Holy Spirit of Jesus with humility, confidence, and detachment from all things, so that, finding you detached from your own spirit and from your own devotion and dispositions He may have full power and liberty to act in you as He desires, to inspire you with such dispositions and sentiments of devotion as He shall judge well, and to lead you by the ways which are pleasing to Him. "

n1. "The Reign of Jesus," p. 148.

#568. (3) The rule must give each duty its own relative importance for there is a hierarchy in our duties: a) God must evidently hold the first place; then come the welfare of our soul and the sanctification of the neighbor. Assuredly there is no real conflict between these duties; on the contrary they will, if we desire it, blend most harmoniously; for to glorify God means simply to know and love Him. But to know and to love God is to sanctify oneself, and also to sanctify others by making them know and love Him. If, however, one should devote his entire time to works of zeal to the detriment of the great duty of prayer, he would evidently be neglecting the most efficacious means of zeal. It is likewise evident that 
should any one neglect his personal sanctification, he would very soon be lacking in genuine zeal for that of others. So, if we are careful first to give to God the portion of time that should be consecrated to Him and to reserve the necessary time for our essential spiritual exercises, the means of working out our own sanctification, then our works of zeal will most assuredly bear abundant fruit. Therefore, the first and the last moments of the day should be devoted to God and to our soul. Then we can safely give ourselves to works of zeal, stopping however from time to time to raise our mind and heart to God. Our whole life will thus be divided between prayer and works of zeal.

b) However, in urgent circumstances we must be guided by another principle: that the more necessary comes first. A case in point would be that of an urgent sick call; a priest leaves all else to attend to this. Still, while on the way he should strive to occupy his mind with holy thoughts, which will take the place of whatever spiritual exercise was then to be performed.

III. The Manner of Keeping a Rule of Life

#569. That a rule be sanctifying, it must be observed entirely and in a Christian manner.

(1) It must be observed in its entirety, that is to say, fully, in all its parts, and with punctuality.  If we pick and choose among the various points of our rule, and this without reasonable cause, we shall carry out those that cost us less and omit those that are more difficult. We should thus lose the chief advantages to be derived from the exact observance of a rule, for even in the points we should observe we would be in danger of acting from caprice or self-will. The rule, then, must be kept in its totality and to the letter, as far as possible. If for some grave reason this cannot be done, we must abide by the spirit of the rule and do all, that is, morally speaking, within our power.

#570. There are two faults to be avoided here: scrupulosity and laxity. 

1) Let there be no scruples. As long as there is a serious reason to dispense with a given point of the rule, to postpone it or to substitute an equivalent for it, let it be done without misgivings. Thus an urgent duty, a sick-call for instance, is sufficient to dispense from the visit to the Blessed Sacrament, should no time be left for it; one may easily supply for it by communing with Our Eucharistic Lord on the way. The same may be said of a mother's care of her children; it dispenses her from her regular communion, when it is impossible to harmonize this with the other duty. Spiritual communion, in that case can take the place of sacramental communion.

2) Neither let there be laxity. A lack of mortification, the mere desire to prolong conversations without necessity, curiosity, etc., are not adequate reasons for deferring the performance of a given exercise, at the risk of omitting it altogether. Likewise, if the accomplishment of certain duties in the usual manner becomes impossible, we must strive to comply therewith in another way. Thus a priest who is obliged to take the Holy viaticum during his time of meditation, will try to turn the fulfillment of this duty into an affective prayer, by offering his homages to the God of the Eucharist Who rests upon his heart.

#571. Punctuality is an integral part of the observance of a rule of life. Not to begin an exercise at the prescribed moment, and that without a reason, already constitutes an act of resistance to grace, which admits of no delays; it is to run the risk of omitting or at least shortening this exercise from lack of time. If it is question of some public exercise of the ministry, a delay often means considerable inconvenience to the faithful; on the part of a teacher lack of punctuality sets before the students a bad example which they are but too prone to follow.

#572. (2) The rule must be observed in a Christian manner, that is to say, with supernatural motives, in order to do the Will of God, and thus give Him the most genuine proof of our love. This singleness of purpose is the soul of a rule; it gives to each of our actions its true worth, by transforming them all into acts of obedience and love. In order to practice this singleness of purpose, we must reflect a moment before acting, ask ourselves what our rule demands of us at the time, and then regulate our conduct thereby With the view of pleasing God: "I do always the things that please Him." Thus the keeping of a rule will enable us to live constantly for God: "He who lives by rule, lives unto God."

Scripture That Encapsulates Zosimus' Hermit Rule

Even though nothing Catholic hermit is pondering and rejoicing today for the celebration of Gaudete [rejoice] Sunday in Advent, the second reading of today's Mass fits well St. Zosimus' rule of life.

This is the rule that he adopted after he went farther into the desert and found the monastery where older and wiser monks lived this rule.  (In addition, Zosimus was taught to not be curious nor think about what others were doing, how they were living their spiritual and daily lives.)

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  Do not quench the Spirit.  Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.

"May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do this" (1Thessalonians 5:16-24).

What imparts lovingly upon body, mind, heart, and soul is the exhortation to rejoice, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in every circumstance of life.  To realize that God Himself can sanctify us entirely--when we live our lives in accordance for what God wills for us in what ought to be easy-enough instructions, makes one wonder why we yet lump along.  

Perhaps we quench the Spirit?  Or do we not train our minds and hearts to rejoice?  Do we not give thanks to His Real Presence no matter what befalls us or others?  (Do we not find good in all situations and praise Him for that good?)  Do we not train ourselves to set prayerful intentions--simply, not anything too complex--when we go about any task or endeavor, including falling to sleep at night?

When it comes to abstaining from every form of evil, we need to recognize what is evil and what is good.  Maybe we do not pay close attention to discerning good from evil; maybe we do not distinguish what Jesus teaches in Scripture from what society has taught is all right.  The admonition is to abstain from "every form" of evil.

That which on initial reading and consideration seems so do-able, does have its challenges.  This brief selection of Scripture in itself provides much to consider and to put into present moment practice, for the rest of our lives.  Why not try?  

Already this nothing Catholic hermit admits to bits of thoughts as to how the body is extra painful today.  Then came bits of thoughts of how limited the physical life has become over the years....  Well, thank God for having a body that can feel pain and yet function!  Thank God for the beautiful day!  Thank God for His Real Presence!  Rejoice!

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, let us love one another as God Is Love!  Let us do as the Spirit inflames in us and provides the means to come to God--and be sanctified by Him!

Zossima of Palestine, Hermit, and a Significant Rule

Have come upon another hermit.  St. Zossima--this particular Zossima--lived in the 6th century.  He lived many years in a monastery since being sent as a young child.  At a later point in his life, he felt he was not learning and growing spiritually.  

There was no other at the monastery to act as mentor as he had climbed there as far as he could, on the spiritual ladder.  It was not a matter of Zossima being conceited or deceived by his spiritual status.  He simply realized he had come to a plateau, or perhaps a ledge beyond the other monks.  At the time he realized this, he had a vision with locution telling him to go out farther into the desert where he would find another monastery.  There he would find spiritual guidance.

Zossima did indeed find the monastery with many elder monks, wise and proven in their holiness and closeness to God.  He noted their rule of life as significant.  The monks kept praise of God and prayer a constant factor, and they kept their hands busy.  But the key element of their rule was their not knowing anything about how their fellow monks were living their vocations.  

While the hermit monks would come into the monastery on Sunday to celebrate the sacred mysteries and join together in singing the Psalms, during the weekdays they would be out in the desert, praising, praying and working in solitude.  They were to remain solitary and not to notice nor consider nor inquire as to what their fellow monks were thinking or doing.

One day Zossima, having gone deeper into the desert and not having encountered another living being for some time, noticed what he thought a vision of someone in the distance.  As he drew closer, he realized it was not a vision but a woman, whose back was turned to him--but weathered and blackened from years in the desert sun.  There is much more to this segment of Zossima's life, but in short, she was Mary of Egypt from whom he learned much in spiritual friendship.

However, the point in this particular sharing Zossima's first segment of life in the monastery, is that of his coming to a spiritual plateau and recognizing that fact.  Not often do we read of holy persons who outright admit that they have evolved beyond what others in their immediate circle of influence and direction, can teach them.  Perhaps it seems prideful to speak it.  

Yet, obviously many have and do come to that point in their spiritual lives, for we know of saint after saint whose lives took a turn and in which a change was necessary for them to continue to grow and learn, to climb farther the stairway to heaven.  Most do not explain why, not as Zossima humbly admits in his straightforward way--an honesty which some then and today might misconstrue as being prideful. Who does he think he is--thinking he had learned beyond the others in the first monastery and had no one more advanced than him to guide and teach?  In truth, it was the reality and fact.

Perhaps the reality of Zossima's self-assessment and resultant leaving to go deeper into the desert, to find others who were beyond him in the spiritual life, and then later to go out yet farther where he encountered Mary of Egypt, is what each of us ought consider for ourselves at key points in our lives.

Perhaps that is why certain aspects no longer challenge us. Perhaps we are being led further, to seek more, and to find means by which His Real Presence is teaching us when previous conveyors of spiritual instruction are no longer as effective.  It does make sense, all this.  Would God (or man) have us remain in sixth-grade for years and years?  Would we be held in place while running a race, or held part-way through?  Would we train for something, never to attempt again to exceed or desire to excel?

Zossima's simple self-awareness and honest admission that he had learned all he could at the first monastery, brought the needed guidance from God.  Zossima was to cast out into the deep, to move on to where he would find those who were advanced in holiness beyond his current companions and way of life.  He learned from the next monks and plumbed yet more depths of the spiritual life.  Then he was led farther and to the discovery of one (Mary of Egypt) who challenged and taught and showed him even more of God.

Nothing Catholic hermit very much senses that His Real Presence leads it in this way.  The coinciding of learning about Zossima and how he recognized and admitted he had come to a spiritual growth plateau and this hermit's sensing similar, brings assurance to venture further, deeper.

The examples of this sensing, if written here, would be criticized as rude, prideful, and disrespectful of conventional ways and means.  Rather, it is simply this hermit's recognition, yet in a faithful sense, that His Real Presence moves the soul ever onward.  Still in one aspect of the spiritual life, is helpful in knowing why certain aspects in this nothing hermit's life no longer challenge or produce the growth it knows possible, and beckons it to cast out into the deep--yet deeper and deeper--not knowing quite where.  But not to go back and to not fear nor grieve the severing.  Does not Jesus teach us the good of pruning?

This hermit also takes it to heart what a significant aspect of a rule of life, to not be concerned with what others are doing and if and how much and when they are progressing in their ascent to God.  Would someone rappelling a sheer face of rock be looking over or down or up to see how and what other people are doing?

Another aspect that impacts this hermit, is noting how St. Zossima did not waiver in nor doubt the vision and locution telling him to leave where he was stagnating and go on to where he would find those more advanced who could teach him.  He was not told to humble himself and remain unchallenged.  Sometimes it takes more humility to let go of what no longer is helpful for any number of reasons, and in faith, cease the current status:  Cast out into the deep.

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