(A long one, but I've had many thoughts, having been considering some visions and locutions of the past, my increased yearning for His Eternal Mystical Church, an unexpected gouge yet again from someone I'll refer to as [Z]-- plus I'm having prolonged, severe pain (barometric shift and heat?) in which I must be in bed, and writing is a means of expressing from within to without which helps me also ignore the physical pain.)
I found HIs Real Presence blessed me with very appropriate and truthful, holy answer to the woman who 16 years now, takes issue and tears me down. What else is new, I suppose, for I tend to collect people like that, particularly many temporal Catholics. When I read in the dissertation by the Cistercian priest who [expert and scholar stated to trust his writings] as he is of quality as a scholar--he wrote that so many of the mystics' and "saints" writings have been edited and altered to suit the temporal Church's narrative--rather, that of the temporal Church leaders and religious superiors of whichever time period of the lives and their writings, all the more I realized not much of the temporal can be trusted as truth of temporal Church leaders, nor the people in it who do not realize not even the personal writings of mystics' and saints' lived experiences can be trusted.
And all the more I felt pity for the woman who is so consumed with canon law being her authority and that of being approved by a temporal bishop seems authentic and more important than consecration by God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. She has helped me and taught me much in this aspect, for her writing is caught up in temporal scholarship and erudition; all the more the person's issues seems the product or concubinage of temporal Church.
But praise be to His Real Presence, I'd not have come to seek and be led and progressed to His Mystical Church if not for many priests, bishops, and temporal Catholics such as this person. Her written conviction maintains that I have done damage to the Church, to others, and to the hermit vocation (and that my own soul is deceived if I think that I have not done serious damage by referring to myself as a Catholic hermit. (Seems errant since for some time I preface "Catholic" with "Christian" of which in my spiritual life I consider Christian as foremost, then Catholic, then Mystic, then Hermit, with hermit the least as seems in categories a life style vocation as is a religious order life style and priest life style, a married life style, and the single life style--all of which for those of us who are Christians about 1/4 in religious population are Catholic. And as Christians, we all have a prayer life and love of His Real Presence and love of following Jesus, and striving to live His Living Word.
But "The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever" (I John 2:17). And, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away" Mt. 24:35). So goes the way of the temporal: the temporal Catholic, the temporal Orthodox, the temporal anything and any church, the temporal of our bodies here on earth. From early Church history, even, humankind has meddled--edited out, altered, added to that of humankind's own desire to create human precepts and teach them as doctrine when they are not, and create saints of people perceived as holy and blessed--yet alter and edit some of their writings if they were not the narrative some of humankind willed.
Perhaps their visions and words came too close to the truth of His Real Presence, the mystical breadth of His Living Word, and into the reality of His Mystical Church--and union with His Real Presence which transcends the temporal church and exists in the ideal of Christ's Church of His Instituting, of which He is Head and no other stand-in or in-place-of. That reality and truth would be the undoing of the temporal church narrative in time periods of Christian history, and Christians would be set loose from the temporal human precepts, rituals, traditions and canon laws (or the rules and laws made up in Christian denominations since the reformation).
Would people then have their minds and hearts and souls cleared and opened to hear within and without proclaimed, to listen to and absorb His Real Presence, to sense Him, to experience His nudges and guidance, to realize the truth of being fed by His Real Presence and know in truth and faith that He is in us and we are in Him always? Would they grasp that those in Heaven, full of love and light, are eager to help us, as are angels, particularly our guardian angel, and that Mary also is at the ready to demonstrate the power of women--even to a holy delight of men--in respect and honor, and that she ever always points us toward her Son, Jesus Christ?
So [Z] has, in her writings and detractions, if it be from envy or "concern," or a self-anointed position to save the long-standing (including pre-time of Christ) hermit way of life, publicly, repeatedly, declared that I have brought great harm to and have hurt people and the Church. (The temporal church, for the temporal seems what she has placed herself in charge of setting precedent for Canon Law 603 and to be guardian of hermit vocation past, present, and future.). This person [Z] is among some temporal church parishioners, priests, a couple of bishops, and toss in a pope with political and temporal church guffaws by whom I've had the sincere benefit of "O Happy Fault!" in knowing and being persecuted by, over the past 27 years.
These blessed persecutors from within the temporal church have helped bring me to the truth of God's Mystical Church, the Church that is eternal and is of heaven and earth. If only we all on earth would realize Her Glory and be brought into His Mystical Church now and forever, in which His Real Presence presides in glory, truth, beauty and goodness--in faith and hope and love.
God's Mystical Church is Christ's Ideal and Intention from the beginning when there was the Word, and the Word was made Flesh, and the Word was God. God's Mystical Church has Christ as Head as well as those in His Mystical Church who love and follow His Real Presence and His Living Word: His Body, the Body of His Holy and Eternal Church. The Law is God's Law of Love; there is no need for other as God's Law supersedes all others, as Jesus says in the Word. The humankind created terms of the temporal church are not existent by Christ's Word; do we find the human-created terms in God's Mystical and Eternal Church? His True Church, His Mystical Eternal Church, living and welcoming for those on earth who come into and exist as Her Members--and those who do so when they find truth in death.
This is Christ's Church, Christ's Holy Church, Holy Mother Church: God's Mystical Eternal Church. And the "mystical" is necessary for those outside her who have not grasped because they are too enamored and obeisant to the temporal church altered and added to by humankind over the centuries, for they find truth in canon law and human precepts taught as doctrines, in human-created rituals and traditions, and read His Living Word but do not open themselves to the reality of depth and breadth spiritually because the temporal has charge over to many of their minds and hearts. In the temporal church the attitude of "obligation" overrides free will and love of His Real Presence, and the temporal is trusted over the numinous of the Holy Spirit. The on-going humankind-created canon laws are thus more important to these of the temporal church than the Power of God and His Law of Love; being consecrated by a man with a humankind-created title of bishop is deemed solely righteous over being consecrated by God-in-Three-Persons.
I'm not suggesting that the temporal Church is not necessary. The apostle Paul suggests rightly, however, that we ought not stay feeding upon breastmilk, but to grow and learn and progress spiritually in Christ by the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit, by the power of God and the love of His Word, into eating--digesting--real spiritual food. We ought not stay stuck in the temporal; we should not disparage those who God is progressing; we should not persecute but consider their lives, their love, their desire for God and His desire for them and pray to God to lead us onward into Himself, and into the Church that Christ instituted--not what it has become over the centuries of structure and system and in various ways what Christ Himself railed against of the Jewish high priests, Sadducees, scribes, Pharisees, and the blind following of the people themselves who were like lost lambs led by blind shepherds.
I feel sorry for persons such as Z; and there are many who are docked and blinded without vision nor ears dug out to hear the still small voice or the whisper of the wind, nor can hear the tinkling of the supernatural bells hearkening the angels' songs of praise--nor taste the joy and bliss of His Real Presence feeding us Himself for we of His Mystical Church in faith and love know that He is in us, and we are in Him always. We honor Christ by never forgetting Him, not by day, not by night.
The Z's of the temporal Catholic Church are entangled in the nets just 'neath surface of the doldrum waters, seemingly stuck but for the loving assurance that the Heavenly Father is taking care of them, will help them. So do not worry, and do not remain desperately trying to untangle and free them; leave that to the Almighty Father. Rather, those who are told to swim on out into the deep--in faith swim out where feet cannot touch earth nor eyes see any distant shore. Do not doubt and look back in weakness, as I had done. But never again, not now or ever. I have hesitated on God's graces and His command, all for fear of lack of human approval and inclusion? Was that it? I'm so sorry, Lord! Never again will I look back nor seek what Thou hast progressed me through, sending an angel to lead me by the arm to the Stairway to Heaven, yet quavering and second-guessing, am still on the landing before the first step, or so it seems to my weak-spined eyes.
Those who are aware of His Mystical Church, or who by swimming in His faith and trust, finally finding awareness and truth of His Mystical and Eternal Church, are at some point brought to the truth, beauty, and goodness of the fact that if not for being persecuted and detracted, they'd have remained docked in the temporal. If not for being shown the entangling nets of the temporal, humankind-altered church and all those persons struggling and trapped just 'neath the doldrum waters, there would be no one swimming on out into the deep, no one progressing into His Mystical Eternal Church--not until after temporal death, if God's grace wills then.
No one would write of it, even if their writings were discounted; or if an important person to the temporal church were to write of His Mystical Church, would their writings be edited and altered so that the entangling nets seem like the earthen, only end? And the temporal Church could have been instead, His Mystical Eternal Church if not for humankind inserting themselves--the Z's and others, those who took (or take) an increasing authority of self position...and their nascent followers, in kind. And many of these or even most, are well-intentioned, have known nothing other, or could not withstand the loss of temporal prestige, position, possessions and political power so remained with the ones they influenced (influence) in the entangling nets, just 'neath the surface of the doldrum waters.
So we must not be sorry that the one who has used a religious title and made up the initials "erem.dio" to give greater distinction and clout to hermits approved by a 1983 temporal church law. Is there no respect for traditional and historical hermits such as John the Baptist and all those up until recent times, or even the Old Testament prophets who lived the hermit vocation in ways we'd do well to ponder? But please do not feel sorry for me, either, or anyone else who this woman has detracted online or correspondence--me for now 16 years, having tried to convince readers that I am a fraud and causing great harm to the hermit vocation, the [temporal] Church, to whomever and for whatever.
The ones who persecute others for what is nothing of which Christ nor John the Baptist nor any of the great prophets of Christian or religious history in general ever spoke or desired--these who desire privilege in a simple hermit vocation title and a humankind-created temporal Catholic canon law, are of those in the entangling nets struggling yet still not realizing they are placing their efforts, hearts, minds, souls into that which matters only to the temporal. These types likely do not realize that others have tried to help them--those they detracted and labeled as frauds as well as the angels, the mystics, the holy ones of Heaven who pray tried to help the ones--even priests and bishops--who may can be with them in the entangling nets.
But as I learned and was told by my Heavenly Father, I cannot--no one can--help any who are ensnared in the entangling nets of temporality except His Real Presence. God is taking care of those in the entangling nets of temporal church. And God instructs any who are not in the nets, by His grace, to swim on out into the deep, duc et altum, to not look back, but in faith to keep swimming despite feeling no earth under their feet nor seeing no land in the distance across the vast and mystifying waters. These are being told to swim on out in faith and are being directed to the reality and truth, the beauty and goodness, of His Mystical Eternal Church.
How glorious is this? How grateful I am to any who persecuted or even shunned or strove to run me out of the temporal church! God had to take action to get me to heed the visions and locutions: His blessings and graces for my spiritual progression! How thankful, yet sorry, for [Z] who has been the most vocal and public in her detraction over the longest period of time!
I found it so courageous and marvelous that Amos in today's Old Testament reading for Mass, despite being dissed and tossed out and told to go away, let the rulers and people hear the reality all the same. His prophecy given Him from God was not good news for them. We know what happened later on. We all have consequences for not listening to God, for not spiritually progressing, for getting entangled in the temporal nets of our earthly lives, be it in temporal aspects of Church or in society, culture, politics, or morality.
There is depth and meaning in this excerpt I'm cutting and pasting, from an early Church writer and holy one who saw even then, and grasped His Living Word in the depth and breadth of which God provides for us to learn to absorb His Word. Repeatedly I am heartened by indications in some of the writings in which the clues and realities of His Mystical Church are not edited out nor altered.
[I'm even praying and asking His Real Presence if I should emphasize Christ and my life-long and forever, eternal Christianity by the blog label "Christian Mystic Hermit". It seems it puts the priority and emphasis foremost, for as it is, there are many divisions in the temporal Catholic Church of rites in the Roman; thus church and the Orthodox, as well. If "Catholic" were as it was even in the earliest centuries and understood as such, but even [Z] cannot grasp the meaning of Catholic without divisive hate and offense. Consider how other potential readers then may have negative or hateful reactions to my use of "Catholic", whereas no one of Christendom, East or West, would find argument with "Christian Mystic Hermit". Just a prayer I'm presenting to God, a request for His Holy Choice. God provides!]
God bless His Real Presence IN US! Love in His Love!
[I'm even praying and asking His Real Presence if I should emphasize Christ and my life-long and forever, eternal Christianity by the blog label "Christian Mystic Hermit". It seems it puts the priority and emphasis foremost, for as it is, there are many divisions in the temporal Catholic Church of rites in the Roman; thus church and the Orthodox, as well. If "Catholic" were as it was even in the earliest centuries and understood as such, but even [Z] cannot grasp the meaning of Catholic without divisive hate and offense. Consider how other potential readers then may have negative or hateful reactions to my use of "Catholic", whereas no one of Christendom, East or West, would find argument with "Christian Mystic Hermit". Just a prayer I'm presenting to God, a request for His Holy Choice. God provides!]
"The crowd glorified God who had given such authority to human beings"
The incurable paralytic was lying on his stretcher. Having exhausted medical art he was carried by his relatives to the only true physician: the physician who comes from heaven. But when he had been set down in front of the one who could cure him it was his faith that drew the Lord's attention. To demonstrate that this faith destroyed sin, Jesus immediately said: “Your sins are forgiven.” Now perhaps you will say to me: “This man wanted to be cured of his sickness, so why did Christ make known to him the remission of his sins?” This was so you might learn that God sees a person's heart in silence, soundlessly, and beholds the paths of all the living. For, as scripture says: “Each one's ways are plain to the Lord's sight; all their paths he surveys” (Prv 5:21). (...) All the same, when Christ said: “Your sins are forgiven”, he left the field open to the incredulity of those standing by; the forgiveness of sins cannot be seen by eyes of flesh. So when the paralytic stood up and walked, he gave proof that Christ possesses the power of God. (...) Who has this power ? He alone, or ourselves too ? We also have it along with him. He, on his part, forgives sins because he is both man and God and Lord of the Law. But we, on our side, have received this splendid and wonderful grace from him since it was his will to give this power to all humankind. For he said to the apostles: “Whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt 18:18). And again: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them” (Jn 20:23).
[Note per blog post above: I'm even praying and asking His Real Presence if I should emphasize Christ and my life-long and forever, eternal Christianity by the blog label "Christian Mystic Hermit". It seems it puts the priority and emphasis foremost, for as it is, there are many divisions in the temporal Catholic Church of rites in the Roman; thus church and the Orthodox, as well. If "Catholic" were as it was even in the earliest centuries and understood as such, but even [Z] cannot grasp the meaning of Catholic without divisive hate and offense. Consider how other potential readers then may have negative or hateful reactions to my use of "Catholic", whereas no one of Christendom, East or West, would find argument with "Christian Mystic Hermit". Just a prayer I'm presenting to God, a request for His Holy Choice. God provides!]
ic Hermit". It seems it puts the priority and emphasis foremost, for as it is, there are many divisions in the temporal Catholic Church of rites in the Roman; thus church and the Orthodox, as well. If "Catholic" were as it was even in the earliest centuries and understood as such, but even [Z] cannot grasp the meaning of Catholic without divisive hate and offense. Consider how other potential readers then may have negative or hateful reactions to my use of "Catholic", whereas no one of Christendom, East or West, would find argument with "Christian Mystic Hermit". Just a prayer I'm presenting to God, a request for His Holy Choice. God provides!]
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