Another blessed Sunday is nearly past. The body was up and out of bed more, and the upper back is hurting more, as well. Physical cause-and-effect are ever companions in this earthly existence; there is also mental and emotional cause and effect on earth, as well. On the other side, yes, there seems to be cause-and-effect, as well--but spiritually so. Only spiritual and mystical life is on the other side: life fully consumed with and subsumed into the Holy Trinity. If we are fortunate, if we have great faith in and love of God there can be more spiritual and mystical than physical cause-and-effect here in our earthly journeys.
Due to the availability of some help today, I needed to pick up the toilets from Home Depot. The kindly helpers had them off the truck and into the garage, and loaded up the truck with several items (all heavy!) so that in the morning--God willing and this body able--I will drive all to Habitat for Humanity and donate. (St. Vincent de Paul does not take used toilets, so I will this time make a one-stop drop off at Habitat; I have plenty more items for St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store.)
With the three damaged cabinets out of the garage, also, I hammered and pry-barred these and placed all pieces in the trash container. All fit--just! Praise the Lord for being in the details so wondrously and helpfully! I then finished assembling the two ramps that will be convenient in future off-loads from truck. I think that is why I spent all day yesterday suffering in bed, plus the bulk of Friday; I lifted a bit too much for what the back can yet manage without--yes--physical cause-and-effect.
Sometimes, such as today when was physically important that the body have exercise and have been in bed for a couple or more days, I asked the Lord yesterday to please accept Saturday as this week's Lord's Day of Sabbath Rest. In faith I trust He knows better than I, how much I am called away to this deserted room in Solus Deus Hermitage, to rest and pray on this bed. Cause-and-effect is a reality in my hermit vocation's daily and nightly life.
Jesus had something to teach us regarding cause-and-effect of salt and of lighted lamps. Today's Mass Gospel is familiar to most, and yet I never tire of reading it or hearing it proclaimed. From St. Matthew 5:13-16, we hear the living words of Christ resounding within our minds, hearts, and souls:
"'You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lamp stand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.'"
We must never let our salt lose its taste. In other words, we must not ourselves lose our flavor, our zest, our personalities, our verve for life in Christ Jesus! We must not let anything or any other try to take away our saltiness, nor try to drown out our salt by putting their pepper in us, or sugar, or whatever else that can mask the flavor of our salt.
We also must not hide our light--the light within us that is Christ's light. We are the bearer's of the Light that is Christ Himself! His Light is what gives our lives--our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls--meaning, distinctive purpose, shining blessedness of our very beings created by God and meant to be here with others, in this earthly time period, fulfilling our missions ordained by God for us to fulfill. Our purpose has meaning in Christ; our missions need not be grandiose or even seemingly significant in the eyes of humans around us.
But Christ's light within us must not be minimized nor covered over and dimmed, the light barely or not visible at all. We must always be able to see Christ's Light in us, even if others may not see nor recognize His Light ever shining in us. Some may have the eyes to see Christ's Light immediately or all the time; others may have self-imposed or temporary blindness.
This is not to concern us. We are to simply let Christ's Light always be visible within us, and shining outward in whatever temporal and spiritual way of manifesting the Lord wills. And as with salt, we must not let situations or others hinder the freedom of the Light of Christ in us to shine and to be visible to those with outer and inner eyes to see Christ's glowing Light of Love, Truth, and Eternal Life!
Now to share this writing by Hesychios the Sinaite, a circa 7th century monk and ascetic writer. His time period on earth is not specifically known, but his writings seem of the Byzantine literary period. He is deemed to be the Hegumen (abbot) of St. Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai. His Orthodox Feast Day is March 29; his Roman Catholic Feast Day, Oct. 3. He writes in the following, his thoughts on Matthew 5:13-16: Jesus' teaching on salt and light.
"Just as salt seasons our bread and other food and keeps certain meats from spoiling for quite a time, so the spiritual sweetness and marvelous working which result from the guarding of the intellect effect something similar. For in a divine manner they season and sweeten both the inner and the outer self, driving away the stench of evil thoughts and keeping us continually in communion with good thoughts. Many of our thoughts come from demonic provocation, and from these derive our evil outward actions. If, with the help of Jesus, we instantly quell the thought, we will avoid its corresponding outward action. We will enrich ourselves with the sweetness of divine knowledge and so will find God, who is everywhere.
"Holding the mirror of the intellect firmly towards God, we will be illumined constantly as pure glass is by the sun. Then the intellect, having reached the term of its desires, will in Him cease from all other contemplation.... Just as he who looks at the sun cannot but fill his eyes with light, so he who always gazes intently into his heart cannot fail to be illumined.... When clouds are scattered the air is clear; and when the fantasies of passion are scattered by Jesus Christ, the sun of righteousness, bright and star-like intellections are born in the heart. For the heart is then illumined by Jesus."
Much to consider from Jesus' few yet eternally-rearching words of exhortation. As a yet-consecrated Catholic hermit, one way or another, I find the exegesis of Hesychios of Sinai to be particularly suited for the hermit vocation. We tend not to be out physically so much around people, in which our "good deeds" might be seen so as to glorify our Heavenly Father; but our prayers may be noticed in a supernatural way, or our words written to others can shine like the stars of the universe, as silent, written words can be very brilliant in loving encouragement or they can be discouraging and darkening whatever faint light in someone's personal life or situation. Our silent prayers and silent words can flavor and improve another's existence, or even their moment or day; and the light of Christ in us can shine through our prayers and silent words, through our thoughts or a rare phone call or encounter with others.
May we hidden and solitary, silent hermits be salt and light for the glory of God in our lives devoted to praise of God and prayer for the salvation of the world! May we hermits ever and always use our salt and our Christ-in-us-Light make others' salt and Christ-Light be all the more effective and glorious in their flavor and light of Christ, helping them bring glory to God in their daily lives, in whatever way the Lord enables us and them to flavor and light the world in Jesus' Name and God's Divine Will!
God bless His Real Presence in us!
No comments:
Post a Comment