Catholic Hermit Departs Island

By the time anyone may read this, the Catholic hermit will have departed its little island stopping point.

Having crossed the island, nothing did stumble upon
an old log, and underneath was material that seems
best to expose and clarify. Not that it will matter to any
mystical Catholic world hermit, but those who are still
discerning what God wills of their hermit vocations, it
might help to be reminded that there is much information
on the internet. People can say they are experts or have
law degrees, or are in religious orders or have been; and
it may be true or sort of true or not true at all. Caveat emptor!

The confessor, a man esteemed and reputed for great
abilities in the Church, smiled, shook his head no, and
said that hermits had a simpler life before internet.
This was in reaction to being told of some person who may or may not have a canon law degree writing online that hermits who are not canonically approved are not to refer that they are Catholic hermits, for that implies they are canonically approved. Also, such hermits should not have confessors to guide them.... So, we have here an example of someone out in the blogosphere interpreting canon law using personal augmentation and opinion. The reality of a statement of fact can be twisted any which way, but fact is fact. What another wants to think depends upon that others' frame of reference. To be a Catholic hermit means just that: Catholic and hermit. It does not imply or infer the status in the temporal Catholic world known as canonical approval or disapproval. Also, there is nothing in Canon law that states a Catholic hermit ought not be guided or supervised by his or her confessor. Ask a priest canon lawyer.

Moving on from that log and detritus, nothing next stumbled across a question as to how it had been fried to the temporal Catholic world. This brought to mind the image of a slice of fried mush which God did not want for the nothing Catholic hermit. The fried mush is in an iron skillet, and then placed in the sink and filled with water to soak the mush free. The nothing Catholic hermit realized that it was fried from the TCW, and it totally lost its appetite for that, also. Seems like God allows an island respite sometimes to loosen a soul wrongly stuck.

If all could comprehend what the ascetical and mystical theologians have explained in their writings, regarding the body, the soul, and the spirit and the components of each as paradigms of "worlds", then the temporal Catholic world and the mystical Catholic world would make much sense. Even the hierarchies of the angels have an order to them, with each having differing hierarchical "worlds" which represent a form of active or contemplative function, with choirs of varying degrees and yet inclusive in love.

So what hermits ought consider in discerning their vocation, is if he or she is called by God to be a temporal Catholic world hermit or a mystical Catholic world hermit. The former would lend itself better in governance of temporal Catholic world matters, inclusive of canonical approvals, regulations and observance to prevent vocation abuses, and active involvement in such world venues as the internet, public speaking, published writings, known identity, and temporal Catholic world church work.

The latter, the mystical Catholic world hermit, would lend itself better, solely to attendance upon God (the Most Holy Trinity). This would involve an increasing affinity to contemplation and worship of the divine, with accompanying self-annihilation to less and less...to nothing. The approval for and of the mystical Catholic world hermit is nothing known to the TCW; it is a credibility and approval of a mystical nature, and thus is nothing necessary at all. What is necessary for the MCW hermit is to be in full attendance upon God, spiraling by degrees in servitude, knowledge and love of God.

While each hermit is called by God to his or her vocation, there is also a choosing that occurs--TCW or MCW hermit. God chooses, and the hermit chooses what God chooses. It takes some prayer and discernment, with the help of the hermit's confessor and spiritual director, the hermit's bishop, also--to know for sure, what God wills. Then the hermit must make necessary choices in response.

Nothing Catholic hermit thus, in this island respite, has found the internet to be just another dimension of the distracting world--the good and the bad. As the da recently mused, "Why would anyone go back to that if he has come to this?" Having crossed the island on foot, nothing Catholic hermit knows it must float out again, farther into the mystical Catholic world where God desires full embrace.

Perhaps this may be imaged as a coffin pew floating on the Mass sea; and the mystical Catholic world Catholic hermit is reposed there in God's rest, while others look on and murmur, "My. Well. He looks so peaceful. Yes. Surely he is in a better place."

nothing Catholic hermit disappears in the waves....