Been a busy and super day for this nothing-much, consecrated, Catholic hermit! Morning Mass where I fulfilled my penance the parish priest suggested, laying a person on the altar in spirit, with loving offering of self with the person, in prayerful desire for there to be some agreement and cohesive, congenial spirit.
We shall see.
The priest's homily was superb, and the major point he made while focusing on the Gospel for today (St. Blaise and St. Ansgar), to realize that the spiritual reality and life is far superior to the temporal. The Lord keeps reminding me of this truth, and of His will for me to remain focused as much as possible on the spiritual and supernatural reality of His Real Presence: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The priest also linked also the emphasis of both Christ as Head and us as the Body of Christ, and the Church also in the realm of spiritual reality.
Excellent, and what I need to continuously be reminded, for the fussing about temporal Catholic world terminology, much of it seemingly created in new rules, laws, and terms not found in the Church's own documents, laws, and writings of Popes--well, it just feels ridiculous. However, truth and facts are important, and as I discussed with my parish priest in Confession as part of what I was including as distraction, the temporal Catholic Church and the spiritual/mystical Catholic Church are one reality, and it is a matter of making sure that what I right and more importantly, what I am as a Catholic Christian, hermit, victim soul, and mystic all be aligned with the Church temporal and spiritual.
Thus, I still believe that the best way to determine facts and truth is to ascertain what the Diocese Bishop states, and also probably to seek out (which will take quite awhile for a response) what the hierarchy beyond the Bishop level, determines as to my and other privately professed, traditional hermits, who also have offered a vow as well as have an approved (by priest spiritual director or bishop if bishop is one's spiritual director) rule of life, and has been living the hermit vocation according to the first hermits and those through history, which I guess best is described as traditional, historical, solitary hermits. (Note: I am not suggesting any new designation to be taken seriously, but it does seem we need some specific designation for this form of hermit life, for clarification.)
Now, what is meant by "profession" by a hermit? The Church asks of all her hermits, in order to be in the eremitic life of the Church as well as in the consecrated life of the Church, is to "profess" the three evangelical counsels: poverty, chastity (celibacy usually), and obedience (to God, to one's bishop as ordinary regardless if a diocese hermit or "traditional" hermit, as one's bishop is our head Shepherd for anyone in a diocese). If a hermit in an ancient Order of hermits, the prior or prioress would be the immediate superior; if in a new institute of a recently formed community of hermits, obedience would still be to the diocese bishop who has authorized the development of the new institute, the community of hermits.
So when was state that a hermit of any type--diocese and "traditional", "publicly professed" or "privately professed", profession refers to affirming one's faith in or allegiance to the three evangelical counsels: poverty, chastity and obedience. All hermits profess these counsels but not always publicly; thus hermits who do not profess the counsels publicly, since not all do publicly, those of us who live our eremitic lives more in the lineage of the original or traditional, historical, solitary hermits, profess our vows privately.
The hermits who profess them publicly do so to their diocese bishop; hermits who profess the counsels privately do so to our priest spiritual directors, to a religious order spiritual director such as abbot or priest, or to one's bishop but in mutual agreement that the hermit is not a diocese hermit, but rather a traditional, historical, solitary hermit who wishes to remain more hidden. This latter type of private profession with a bishop, is what my new spiritual father/director (had been an active priest before entering hermit vocation, and still is a priest but not actively) did with the bishop at the time of his becoming a hermit.
I am not making up any new rules, categories, laws, or designations; I'm simply explaining the reality of what is profession for a hermit: is profession of the three evangelical counsels. Conceivably, a hermit could make the profession of the three evangelical counsels to God alone; but I personally think that would be taking liberty of feeling overly confident and presuming one is not in need of priestly spiritual direction in living the eremitic life.
The reality of "professing" a vow, does not need have the word "profess" involved. A vow may be "offered," may be "tendered," may be "stated," maybe be "made," or may be "professed. The bottom line, is that those of us in the eremitic vocation, in the consecrated life of the Church, usually (but not always) prayerfully develop a vow that is reviewed or given added input from one's spiritual father; diocese hermits would have their bishop review or give input into a vow they wish to offer, profess, tender, or whatever term. But a vow is not mandatory; I personally think it a good idea as it can lend specific focus to the individual hermit's purpose and goals as a hermit, and is a touchstone, of sorts, a compass. As to a rule of life, the traditional, historical hermits have had rules of life; thus those of us in that path ought follow suit. Diocese hermits and hermits in the new institutes of hermit communities might also have a rule of life, but rules of life actually are not specified that I know of, in any Church documents as being required. (I'm tired right now, so if I discover otherwise, will update.)
The profession of the three evangelical counsels, the vow which most all hermits do make regarding their eremitic focus and goals--the commitment, in other words, to God and the Church--as well as a rule of life, plus the living out of the eremitic life per what the Church does state and describe as concisely and beautifully expressed §920, §921 in The Catechism of the Catholic Church, found under "Consecrated Life of the Church" and then subset under "Eremitic Life" will give all hermits some parameters in which to sincerely and genuinely live out our hermit vocations to the best possible results.
It is the above paragraph of which when hermits fulfill in public or private profession, avowal, rule of life, and living the eremitic vocation day and night--which distinguishes a hermit from laity. In fact, it is the profession of the evangelical counsels that distinguish all persons who are in the Consecrated Life of the Church (aka Consecrated State), from laity. Lay persons do not profess to live the three evangelical counsels, as their vocations remain in the active life, married or single. However, there are Societies of the Faithful, Institutes (new communities and groups of people who so desire to be more conformed to the life of Christ and profess the evangelical counsels, hermit communities and otherwise for specific charisms), and provision for widows, widowers, and virgins to do likewise, but all these must profess and live the three evangelical counsels and the other specifications detailed in under "The Consecrated Life of the Church" and in various Church documents that mention and describe these.
Hope this is helpful. I apologize to my other-than-United States readers to be sort of side-tracked in needing to present the facts and provide where one may find this information, but it has become a point of controversy for a hermit of one format, who presents what seems to be not in agreement with what I'm presenting here which is based upon simple research and reading over using the good old, critical thinking and reading skills that are important when examining the more temporal but necessary Church documents, canon laws, and various writings of popes. I suspect the debate on one side will continue, but I don't plan to keep rehashing. I will patiently wait to get word from "on high", meaning from the bishop and/or the hierarchy above the bishop level in the Church.
For me, personally, I need to, as a writer of hermit life from my experience and spiritual progression, be accurate as possible, including of that which is pertinent to hermits of all forms and types. However, I also want to be in keeping with the Church in all aspects of my temporal and spiritual life, as a Christian Catholic, a hermit, a victim soul, and a mystic. If for some reason it is deemed that my 20 years as a privately professed (evangelical counsels), my offering of my vows, my rule of life, or my living the eremitic vocation in the Church as a "traditional" type hermit--if that is deemed not included as an eremite/hermit within the consecrated life of the Church, then I will need to become what the Church hierarchy does consider the type or form of hermit that is within the consecrated life of the Church. I seriously doubt that the powers-that-be will exclude the traditional type hermits, going back to the Church's original hermits in earliest centuries, including St. Paul the [known] First Hermit.
But, with this also, we shall see.
My way of hermit life, as a traditional solitary type hermit, with my vows not really focused on technicalities of debating terminology and what hermits are "included" and what hermits are "not included" or whatever the current disagreement that seem to come up regardless of topic, I must not let the devil take me off my spiritual course, off my eremitic vocational purpose, which is to be a silent preaching of Christ, to be a witness to the mystery of Christ and HIs Church, to devote my life to the praise of God and to prayer for the salvation of the world. That is what the priest this morning was alluding to, in part, that our purpose is to seek the spiritual that is far beyond the temporal.
Please pray for my new spiritual father who underwent surgery earlier today. Pray for all hermits to be united in cohesive purpose that is spiritual and not fussing over what can be handled without wasting time writing about what is not yet proven fact, which is obviously going to require hierarchical decisions. Trust me, if somehow I and the other privately professed (evangelical counsels), avowed, and living our eremitic rule of life in daily hermit vocation, are not considered included with the other hermits of the Church, then I will state this. Then, as is part of my blog mission of sharing the spiritual progression of a consecrated Catholic hermit, will share what path I must take to be in correct alignment with Holy Mother Church. Again, I doubt all the priests and one late bishop will be proven wrong, but I remain open to truth more than opinions and inventive suppositions.
God bless His Real Presence in us!
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