That is, nothing changes my soul's trajectory in God. And if anyone's soul is in God, in Christ, in the Holy Spirit, nothing will change that soul's trajectory; the trajectory will always be in God. The trajectory will be always, through, with, and in His Real Presence.
Upon awakening this morning, the Lord was reminding me of this reality, that no matter what, my life in Him is not going to change in any actual temporal way that will be personally or integrally different. I will ever by His hermit, and always consecrated in Christ. However, the outer will change one way or another. Either I will be a CL603 diocese hermit, or I might not be a hermit, not a Catholic hermit nor a hermit in the consecrated life of the Church--depending on what the bishop wishes.
And I'm totally fine with it all! Granted, a path of greater suffering by which part of my vow of suffering mentions as choice--when two paths laid out before me--could be either one, either way. Either one is good...will not matter regarding my daily, lived life. All vocations will cease with our passing away from earthly life: married, single, religious sisters and brothers, hermits, societies of the faithful, new institutes, widows and virgins will not be our vocations in purgatory and heaven. Only priests are priests forever in the Order of Melchizedek.
It is not as if my Christian Catholic and eremitic life lived--the daily temporal routine and my spiritual focus of mind, heart, and soul--in the past two of decades will change. In fact, my life has been increasingly focused with all that is less hermit-like trimmed away, over the years. The Lord forms me accordingly in His will, even though I continue to be a sinner and tend to veer from narrow path as is quite the human imperfection...of which I am so human.
So the Gospel of today's Mass reading is particularly meaningful for a hermit! It is also excellent for all Christians of all vocations to come away by ourselves to a deserted place and rest; and while resting to pray, to ponder life and the Creator of all life: God.
It is good for children and adults both to come away to a place of personal repose, to rest in the Lord. And I think especially of value for their future lives, when the world will become complicated--for children to have a place or other to come away to rest, to be in solitude. Parents may not consider how beneficial it is for children to have quiet time, to come away to a safe but deserted place to consider God, to pray, to get to know in their tender hearts: Jesus.
"The Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile.' People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things (Mk 6:30-34)."
All the more in my temporal and spiritual life, the Lord gifts me with hours upon hours of His created time in which I am in a deserted place with nothing other than to rest awhile. Such was my entire day, and most of yesterday, quite a bit of day prior: rest in the Lord in a deserted place, with more silence of solitude and hiddenness, the blessedness of a beautiful scene of God's glorious natural beauty outside the window, a blessing of a firm bed upon which my pained body suffered with gratitude for His Real Presence awake and alive in my and others' lives, with us, active, in His world!
The following excerpt from St. Anthony of Padua's sermon on the Gospel of St. John the Evangelist, offers an expansive description of Jesus' interactions with the Apostles and the throngs of people wanting their Shepherd to teach and guide and protect them from the unknowns and uncertainties of life. St. Anthony brings out what is otherwise termed "the three ways of the spiritual life"--that of the purgative, illuminative, and unitive way; or described as the dark night of senses, the dark night of soul, and the living flame of love (St. John of the Cross' designations.
Today my little goal of drilling four holes in two 2"x12"x 6-foot boards and attaching them to metal apparati that will hook on the pick-up truck's tailgate and create a handy ramp to slide supplies down so my back does not have to lift--dashed, off the do-able wish list. Rather, the Lord kept me bed-bound, stilled in the silence of solitude, resting in Him and pondering the expressive thoughts of St. Anthony, Doctor of the Church, on this particular Gospel selection.
"If you wish to come and find me, seek me aside. As Mark says: 'Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile. People were coming and going in great numbers and they had no opportunity even to eat" (Mk 6:31).
"Alas, such are the passions of the flesh and the turmoil of thoughts coming and going in our hearts that we have o time to eat the food of everlasting sweetness nor perceive the taste of interior contemplation. That is why our Lord says: 'Come away' from the noisy crowd 'to a deserted place,' to solitude of mind and heart, 'and rest awhile.' For truly, as the book of Revelation says: 'There will be silence in heaven for about half an hour' (Rv 8:1); and in the Psalm: 'Who will give me wings like a dove that I might fly away and find rest' (Ps 54:7 LXX).
"But let us listen to what the prophet Hosea says: 'I will seduce her and lead her into the wilderness, and I will speak to her heart' (cf. Hos 2:16 Vg). These three expressions: seduce, lead into the wilderness, speak to her heart, represent the three stages of the spiritual life: the beginning, development, and perfection. The Lord seduces the beginner when he enlightens him with his grace so that he may grow and progress from virtue to virtue. Then he leads him aside from the din of the vices and disordered thoughts into peace of spirit. Finally, once guided to perfection, God speaks to his heart. Then the soul experiences the sweetness of divine inspiration and can surrender totally to joy of spirit.
"What depth of devotion of wonderment and happiness in his heart! By devotion he is raised above himself; through wonder he is led above himself; through happiness he is transported out of himself. "
Truly, Jesus was speaking a truth among truths when Mary of Bethany sat at his feet, listening--absorbing into her heart--to all that Jesus was speaking to her and all that he did not need to speak, as she remained in stillness in His Divine and Real Presence while Martha was busy about many things. "Mary has chosen the better part."
May I ever appreciate more the Lord's keeping me in His Heart, remaining in His Love regardless the physical suffering or not accomplishing temporal tasks that are not urgent, not at all if were to be my last day on earth. Rather, that the depth of devotion in praise of God, the "devotion of wonderment and happiness" of being in His heart! To be raised by devotion above myself, to be joyously "transported out of" myself.
May this be for all of us! May it be for you, dear readers, and for me, and for everyone now and in years on earth and in heaven to come.
God bless His Real Presence in us!
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