The Catholic Hermit on Status of Quest in God Is Pure Love

 

Someone left a comment elsewhere, "Wonderful to see you always striving for goodness.  

I certainly always have tried; I was reared in this Christian ethos and morality.  I don't intend ever to think, feel, do or live otherwise.  I am for God, living All for God.  I responded to the commenter, and with neck in so much pain and despite about as good of sleep as I've had in a long time but still so fatigued, I rejoice in guidance of my new and current, helpfully journeying with me with Jesus in loving, wise, holy mentor, St. Fiacre (d. 670 age 70).  He's already teaching me and encouraging me in endurance of the present moment and what likely will continue until the end, which is not far off.  

Below is my response which explains more the current situation which is but a status of sickness, progressively increasing for some time in one particular.  This situation has not ultimately curtailed my quest in God Is Pure Love, but it has saddened it, for sure.  And the obsessive insecurities of the one has complicated and frustrated what of Godly goodness could be magnified, and what help even one such as myself who cares and loves very much, may have been able to bring to the person in particular and the one/s in that person's thrall, or in effect, to those of that inclination or ilk who could be tempted to the insecurity and thus shackles faith itself, and is the hindrance that an external locus of control breeds.

I need this encouragement and reminder to do this very thing, always. I know the reality of the situation, as have many others over the centuries and why they left for "the desert" in essence and actuality, to come to God, to seek God face-to-face, to "kiss the lips of God" as is said in such desires of humankind desiring God above all "things" including organizational structure that has gone far beyond what Jesus instituted and organized. And it in many facets is well and good; but in other facets it has appealed to not the better nature of humankind but rather to temptation of the lesser of us, of that which seeks to honor and elevate self, not God Is Pure Love.

Worse, this actively tries and often succeeds in destroying the message and progression of those who are striving to live the very rubrics that humankind has by majority vote of those who would be classified as "dockers."- These are persons who rely on laws but do not realize that the law of God suffices--His law of Love. A hermit, or religious solitary, or as in actuality are those who non-conform to and of all things but God- conforms to God Is Pure Love and strives to practice the conformity to God in both active and passive ways.

The one/s who conform to God is of a different modality innately than that of dockers. and dockers will eventually learn to "float" through, with, and in God Is Pure Love--but probably not until they have lived and died on this earth while bolstering themselves with rubrics and rituals and what they call canons, or church laws, because the finite and increasingly "organizing" temporal entities that help this typeset of humanity to feel secure, "grounded", more established and surrounded by those who also need the stability of concretism and temporal structures be they organizationally or individually derived or contrived.

These "structures", rubrics, rituals, human-created laws may seem helpful, but they require implementation, oversight, enforcement of corrections, and many revisions which tend not to occur because there is not the internal devices to ensure success within the structure for what has been created. Those in this system of thought and behavior tend to then misconstrue matters of faith with what is intellect and will that God gives us to maximize, at least, what might be beneficial or lead to success.

The non-dockers, or floaters, are thus either attacked, imprisoned, or in whatever equivalency of "killed" there is without literal martyrdom; their only recourse is to flee to the "desert" or "forest" seeking what St. Fiacre and others called "Holy Solitude." They yearned for and still do yearn for God above all things and to learn to love God Who Is Pure Love, and to become one in God Is Pure Love. One such type (floater, for need of descriptor labels) is then drawn off by docker/s who cannot grasp and who feel their devised and contrived means of security threatened. What's the conclusion of this maelstrom?

The floaters, the "Fiacre's" of mind, heart, and soul who are seeking God Is Pure Love above all else and thirst in this quest to live freely to practice and become one in God Is Pure Love, must flee from the entangling nets, the shackles, so enticingly created over the centuries. These are the temporal, and in many cases tangible, thoughts built into organizational structures and then laws to be as awnings of such structures. These "awnings" further dim the light that is otherwise too intense for those inside the structures to bear. This Light--if not for the many human-created laws and organizational structures--will or would otherwise expose and excoriate the flaws that come with reliance on temporally devised and contrived security measures that never do help those insecure with the non-concretized realities of God Is Pure Love. The floaters must continue not only floating, but to swim out into the deep and infinite expanse eternal of God Is Pure Love.

There it is, in a "nutshell."

The Catholic Hermit: Joyful Hermit Loves this Poet-Saint!

 

I am finding increasingly, that I so love St. Nerses Chnorhali, 12th C. Armenian patriarch, a mystic poet and holy saint!  Following is Part II of his "Jesus Only Begotten Son of the Father":

May my gifts please You

I was similar to the bad servant,

Who for the talents entrusted does not earn anything;

And even surpassing it,

Because I lost the gift of grace.

I did not duplicate your talent,

Neither quadruple nor increase by five,

So that I reign completely

The ten cities of the senses.

But I buried my only talent underground,

By packing it up in the veil of vices;

I did not put the money at the bank

So you might ask for interest....

To you, O Savior of my soul,

I want to cry for these words:

'Since it is still in my hands to do good,

Give me the grace to please you.

So I will hear the joyful sentence

Like the faithful servant:

Enter the Heavenly House,

In the joy of your Lord!

Catholic Hermit: Understanding and Loving, Moving On

 

Just want to clarify that there are added lies being stated of me online by a person who has persistently stalked, harassed, and doxxed me--and misrepresenting me online.   I very much wish the person well, have come to understand the person, and love the person in God's Love, despite the behaviors involved which are now understandable, given the situation.

For any readers coming to my site, just know that in addition to praying for the person, I have moved on from having anything to do with the person. It is a shame that the other cannot cease and desist, but I wish the person no ill will, and turn the person and the situation, over to God.

I will continue with blog writing, personal spiritual writing, or writing for publication, when and if I have the time.  For now am sharing verbally which has proven fruitful to others as well as in my own spiritual life, in various positive ways, but mostly due to that being the genre the Holy Spirit suggested.  The fruitfulness has merited my continuing this aspect of God's will for me per 1987 death experience and in part why He told me He was sending me back to my body.  Writing in addition to other genre, at this point, would take too much time from my spiritual life of prayer, penance, praise of God, and Scripture exegesis and application to daily life usually in practice of manual labor and whatever interface with others and situations that entails.

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Love in God Is Pure Love!

Catholic Consecrated Hermit, Christian, Mystic, and Victim Soul: Update

 

I've not been writing much at all on this site for a year or more.  It's been a very difficult year with health trials following a total knee replacement a year ago June 20--a surgery that failed.  My left knee is constantly in pain, is large, hardened from fibrotic tissue that grew erratically beginning actually during the surgery. 

Now I continue the oil and wraps and heat packs, the PT, for the knee is always going to be a sad and sorry state of added suffering that should never have occurred but for the only explanation I located that was not due to the surgeon or his PA mucking up--was that possibly the Arachnoiditis caused oxidative stress on the cells during surgery, which I read can the oxidative stress can cause the collagen cells to grow erratically and rapidly thus the thick layer of impervious collagen tissue--and a painfully stiff, hardened knee that causes permanent disability in walking, bending the knee and coping with enough pain of its own that would need pain med.  

Aside from the failed knee replacement, I'd been so fatigued that the month prior (May), I'd gone to an internal med doctor who did blood tests and found my thyroid had gone kaput.  I was put on medication that replicates what the thyroid used to produce, and began to feel a little better but not at all back to normal (factoring in the Arachnoiditis pain and being 72).  

What was going on behind the scenes of my thyroid and knee replacement was not found until the following November. However, I kept alerting the internal med doctor, a young man whose only interest was in getting transferred to lead an Alzheimer's clinic, that my blood tests showed other alarming results.  He poo-poo'd my concerns and what the blood tests were alerting him, but that is how it can be in the life of one cursed, oppressed by the devil, and a victim soul.

By late summer and fall I was failing--knew it myself but thought the Arachnoidiits was progressing and that this was how it was to be--a bodily decline and increasing fatigued and knew something had to be not right--as bad as the blood tests seemed in at least three of the areas of blood issues.  By mid-November I had a particularly terrible week.  Prior had lots of intestinal troubles but tests okay for colon.  Ended up hospitalized after other trips to ER for intestinal issues.  Kidneys had gone into failure.  Was having allergic reaction since the previous May or before--the indications were in the blood tests that the internal med dr. ignored or was ignorant as they are for when someone is have an extreme reaction.  

Off Meloxicam for rest of life after being on it for 37 years.  But, thankfully the kidneys turned around from kidney diet and no more of that med which pain patients are given despite that very side effect plus liver issues.  Lost health and declined, though. Damage but the filtration rate is up again.  Then still not well and blood tests had still the other bad indictors, so had bone marrow biopsy.  Looked like a blood cancer but was a similar reading but is a precursor so will be rechecked periodically. Also found I have a bad anemia condition that my body does not absorb or store iron. So that's a problem; I take iron supplements. Fatigued, terribly. 

Mostly in bed as a result of pain and fatigue, and the pain doctor replaced extended release meds with non-extended so am veritably a pain yo-yo now--with meds taking awhile to help, then wane after three hours of marginal help; if I forget to now-seeming short time span which happens when doing mental distractions as pain management, the pain can get out of control and take even longer to get pain contained.  Just how it goes--this Christian Catholic Mystic Hermit's life as a Victim Soul of the Sacred Heart of Jesus!  Love to suffer, and suffer to love--words spoken to me from a mystical experience 20 years ago this end of July--has me renewing my quest to fully understand and cooperate with the beautiful, spiritual meaning of what St. Michael pronounced to me, Christ's "victim of love and suffering".  

God bless His Real Presence in us!

The Catholic Hermit, or Christian Catholic Mystic Hermit: Prayer Asking St. Joan of Arc's Intercessions

 

A spiritual friend gave me this prayer; I've asked St. Joan of Arc to pray with me and all of us, this prayer.

The Prayer of invoking St. Joan of Arc: In the face of your enemies, in the face of harassment, ridicule, and doubt, you held firm in your faith. Even your abandonment, alone and without friends, you held firm in your faith. Even as you faced your own mortality, you held firm in your faith. I pray that I may be as bold in my beliefs as you, St. Joan. I ask that you ride alongside me in my own battles. Help me be mindful that what is worthwhile can be won when I persist. Help me hold firm in my faith. Help me believe in my ability to act well and wisely. AMEN

The Catholic Hermit: St. Leonard of Noblac

 SAINT LEONARD OF NOBLAC

(† c. 550)

        St. Leonard was one of the chief personages of the court of King Clovis I. He was also sponsored by the Monarch in baptism. St. Leonard was so moved by the discourse and example of St. Remigius that he relinquished the world and became a priest.

        St. Leonard was an apostle to the Franks. He preached in Aquitaine and ministered to prisoners. He distanced himself from influential roles and eventually trained disciples as a hemit. Thus, St. Leonard withdrew to the monastery of Micy near Orleans and afterward to the solitude of Noblac near Limoges. He founded an abbey there, and the town of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat is named after him.

        St. Leonard's charity accustomed him to remain active in works of mercy: comforting hospital patients and visiting prisoners. He is alive today in the presence of God and receives prayers for intercession. He is the patron saint of captives and prisoners.

Thoughts on the Mystic Portal (from March 31, 2011)

 

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Thoughts on The Mystic Portal

I am living the temporal humanity of Christ.
I bear His temporal pain and breathe His soul's suffering.
Yet only when the human is subsumed in His mystical Divinity
is there one Joy, one Love, the one Reality: God-Man.

Only then do the two worlds, temporal and mystical, 
become one reality, the Divine Reality.
The temporal is a shadow of the full humanity of Christ   
if without union in the mystical reality of His Divinity.

The temporal Catholic world is a holding cell 
for passage through the mystic portal, 
to become the full humanity of Christ in His Divinity, 
to be fully one in the One in the one true reality.

(I hope I am stating it meaningfully, accurately; 
words are incompetent secretaries to insights.)

It is something like this, and I must get through 
the mystic portal with His physical and soul suffering,
in order to be in the true reality: one reality of oneness in God.

Do you see that the Sacraments, all of them, 
but most frequently Eucharist in Mass 
and Reconciliation in Confession,  
are portal passage points 
for the temporal to enter into the mystical, 
and that without the One in reality of the mystical,
in these sacraments, there would be false reality? 

Jesus in His full humanity 
is the Divine ever-flowing into within the temporal.  
He is not the temporal occasionally touching the mystical.
 
When we pain-bearing soul-suffering humans pass 
through the mystic portal to be subsumed in His Divinity, 
we awash the temporal in and by His living waters.  
We then may fully live His humanity mystically Divine 
as we are become one with the One Reality.

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives strength to the weary,
And to the one who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who [d]wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will [e]mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

Christian Catholic Hermit Mystic: On Love, Pray, and Forgive (and more!)

 

I haven't posted much on social media in awhile, other than responding with likes and hearts and hopefully encouraging comments to what others post, but I do want to share that I had a major turn around 12 days ago. The knee pain is so horrible and no one willing to do anything about it, and I was the only one researching and asking for this or that procedure which I've read will help even if temporarily, like injections that can soften the hard fibrotic growth that has covered me knee and hardened now, and injections also are known to reduce the pain.

That has been refused; the surgeon has a serious fear of infections. That is why I was not allowed to go to a Medicare-full-paid rehab facility after the knee replacement surgery. I had a PT the surgeon sent who did not recognize or claims he didn't know about arthrofibrosis post-op; the surgeon's PA did not recognize it, either. My pain doctor has tossed it back to the surgeon who he knows does not want to bother with it, but the pain doctor does not want to, either. (And he shouldn't have to, except that in past he has helped me when bad things have happened.).

The only thing the surgeon will do is send me for yet more PT, after the other PT's said nothing to be done; they showed me many stretches I'm to keep doing through out the day for however long my earthly bodily duration. I'm to go for deep tissue knee massage, said the surgeon to the pain doctor. The surgeon has not even seen nor touched my knee since June 20, the day of the knee replacement surgery. There is no way anyone can massage the hard stone that is my knee. I'll go, but the frustration level shot up, the anger and darkness and sadness and ugliness pervaded to a point that the Holy Spirit reached in those 12 days ago. He turned me around, placed me on a far better path.

In addition to Love and Pray (what I've been reminded to do in other situations ongoing that are unjust, persecutorial, sorrowful, and unkind), I was told to FORGIVE! Forgiveness is so crucial in addition to love and pray for others and for situations themselves--and I know this, and you all know this! But I didn't really, really know it, not know it deep down in the fullness of my soul as it needs to be known, felt, an enacted. The shift was within two or three minutes. I have the needed ingredients for traversing the rest of this life and into the next of which Love, Pray, and Forgive are learned if not already, or an automatic "breath and heartbeat" if not.

So I've been existing on Love, Pray, and Forgive ever since. Then, of course, there are the temporal whammies, just little things that present themselves like should I send a card or not, or when I've been told my social media comments aren't acceptable, don't have the proper "social media vibe" so I'm not to comment, not even short and positive ones because they are "different", there is that adaptation to letting go of social media, definitely not to leave comments for those who are bothered by mine. So more Love, Pray, and Forgive.

One must consider all in life--situations and persons--with the lens of pray, love, and forgive. But also, one must consider the temporal-spiritual aspects of "who". Who is it that God desires for us in this life? Who tolerates us, who accepts us as we are and for what we have to offer? This means, even if we are gimped and grumped with severe, non-stop pain, or we cannot be active, or we perceive in ways not seemingly the societal norm but yet accurate, can be thoughtful, insightful....

This means, who is it that God desires for us, who accepts or tolerates us--in a way that we don't have to cease to be or do who and what we are and how God created us, unless it is that which is best for us to cease being or doing. However, when another is bothered enough to make requests of negation or who view us negatively as odd or weird, or think we over think, or find this or that in us that needs to change (or says we are demonically oppressed)--are these persons enjoying us, comfortable with us, or do we frustrate them, cause them to fear we will embarrass them or to what their friends might think of us?

Are these persons like the apostle John, listening to us, standing at the foot of our crosses, or do they seem to wish and prefer we be made in their own image, or an image of what they deem acceptable or per society or social media's tolerated image of acceptability, of social and their view of "normality"?

This brings us to bridges, and burning or not burning them. I recall a vision dream years ago in which I was shown a burning. bridge, and I was told that some bridges are worth being burned. Burning a bridge sometimes is invaluable in that it keeps us from going back over when it is better we never go back again. But burning bridges also brings up the point of who burns the bridge? Is it one of the persons making conditions of relationship, criticizing the other, wishing without maybe consciously realizing that the other is frustrating to be around or know?

Or is the bridge burner the one who doesn't conform to the wishes or image the other wants in his or her relationships? And again, maybe some bridges are better off being burned regardless of who lights the match or who is the wood being lit?

We now come to sifting the ashes. What remains if we do not accept or cannot tolerate others for varying reasons? Does it matter? Persons come and go in relationships as well as in the temporal world; people die, one after another. On the other side, out of the ashes come souls who are shown truth, beauty, and goodness.

The showing then leads to learning. We learn we are to love, learn to prayer, learn we are forgiven; we learn how to love those who didn't fit into our scheme of social norms. we learn to pray to accept what it is we could not change; we learn that it does not matter that everyone perceives or is in our own likeness and image, or that they frustrated us because we could not control how they were. We learn be loved, and we learn to LOVE to learn to love, and then we love others with this love which when we love as God loves, we are loving with God's love.

We learn to forgive--forgive ourselves and to forgive these others because they couldn't make themselves be as we wanted them to be, in our image of normal or successful or calm or at peace or light-hearted or more serious, or whatever it is our image of normal and right they were not. We forgive them because we recognize how God forgives us--without conditions.

As for social media or temporal friendships, those will read or post what is wanted and which fits whatever image based upon the person who posts it. Those who don't like it because it is too long or too deep or does not fit the "social media vibe" can block the unacceptable-to-them poster's posts. Or, the poster can recognize and can share thoughts and insights on any number of other media options.

Or not. As for people as in acquaintances and friendships, there is always God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as well as manifold holy personages existing on the other side with free-access to us any moment day or night. They exist as we ought--in the Order of the Present Moment. They love to help us find our way through this life and hopefully to exist here also as in eternity, if we are so inclined.

There is no one more perfect a friend than is Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit. Just depends upon strength of faith as to the degree of reality these personages exists as a true friend in need and in deed. We do not have to be concerned, for example, about Jesus being bothered about our comments seemingly "different." His words and insights were deemed that, was called worse, called "crazy." Jesus therefore understands those of us who have been thus called. Jesus will never burn a bridge with us, and if we are finding in Jesus a true love, there is never a need, not even a temptation, to burn bridges with Him.

Bottom line, if someone finds himself a sign of consternation to others on earth, no worries--he or she will be welcomed by the souls on the other side who are always with us, eager for friendship and conversation, of sharing their insights and holy lives with us.

If the folks in this world are frustrated or find us unappealing, cannot tolerate or accept when there is no actual means to altar our minds, hearts, and souls or our temporal, bodily conditions, expand the bounds of relationships when in essence the the temporalites are burning bridges with us by their choosing, and pick up with those who already know how to pray, love, and forgive and are into building bonds with those who can perceive beyond what constrains others here and now.

This blog post (and blog in general) is a totally non-vibe, non-acceptable social media whatever. Guaranteed not many will read it due to length if not other criticisms. I'm not into burning any bridges, but I've learned to let the bridges out there bring those who are interested in such as me, to walk over on the various media modalities available.

And I lovingly welcome those who have a need or desire to burn bridges with me, to do so. This aspect is a newly arrived gift just this morning, from God to me. Those who find me not to their total liking need to be freed from frustrations and worries, exasperations and embarrassments they perceive and maybe rightly so, that such as myself can cause them in the wilds of the temporal world.

God is forming me; God is progressing me and perfecting me in His way and time, considering God recognizes and accepts my imperfections as He's developing me as He wills. He's doing that with anyone who wants and asks, even if they have as many flaws as myself.

Life becomes much easier, the path less ugly, dark, and fiery when we learn to love to love, pray, and forgive. (And there may be more key words added to this initial list, but these are basic and essentials. Plus, there is no time chart nor chains involved once one steps off the bridge, so to speak, so that others don't have a need to burn it out from under us or keep us from walking over to interact with them.

Christian Catholic Hermit Mystic: Mostly Spiritual, Not Temporal

I'm mostly spiritual, not temporal. I'm interested in the spiritual life, of the life of Christ, of the mystical elements of religion (a title of two volumes by a great writer, Baron Von Hugel), and of the spiritual and temporal application of Scripture in personal and societal daily life.  I enjoy sensing and pondering and writing of that which is above, of the Law of God--God's Law of Love--more than the laws created by humankind, especially that of canon (or church) laws.  

I grieve for Catholics who become ensnared in the entangling nets of the temporal.... their limbs thrashing about 'neath the surface of the waters of which years ago God showed me that I was desperately trying to untangle the nets to free the people--some whom I recognized from parishes including priests--who were caught in these nets.  Then God spoke to me.  He said, "They will be all right. I will help them. But you--you must swim on out into the deep! Go! Swim on to the other side!" 

So I stopped treading water by the immense nets that held all these people just below the surface of of the waters, and I turned outward and began to swim.  I looked to as far as my sight would allow, and I saw no end of the vast waters.  I swam on and on, and I am still swimming.

I am swimming, progressing onward into the deep, into the unknown of which God pointed and and directed those years ago.  I am swimming and progressing onward,despite my spine half fused and the next level up already deteriorating; and my neck has gone from being deemed "bad" to severe in less than a year between MRI's.  It is so severe that the neurosurgeon decided he did not want to operate unless it becomes life-threatening.  He had neurological testing performed, and although at times I wake up with my arms thumb through the hands, thus far feeling has returned in time.  

Recently, I have had another major surgery on my left knee; that, too, has been a failed surgery of 4-6% who have this occurrence of collagen cells reacting even during surgery to what is called oxidative stress.  This causes the cells to grow rapidly and thickly in a fibrous, impervious layer--mine two-inches thick covering over my artificial knee.  The pain is horrendous; my life style is forever altered between trying to do painful stretches throughout the day and using pain medications, and also trying to tend to the temporal responsibilities of the temporal aspect of my bodily existence here, now, on this temporal earth.

Yet my soul supersedes all else. I know this even if the temporal existence and those temporalites who exist around my temporal body, mostly unseen by me but here, there, ensnared and thrashing about in the immense nets beneath the surface of what is the temporal world and that of the deep and wide of eternity.  That is, of the world in which faith in God leads those of us who have all but the bodily left off from the temporal world and those thrashing about.  That is, of the temporalites who are ensnared in the temporal nets 'neath the surface of the waters; the focus and bulk of their accountability given over to the temporal world of temporal experiences and situations with other temporalites.  

The only way forward, out  of the entangling nets of the temporal, is to keep swimming, keep going, onward and forward, seeing not the other side.  Yet know that  freedom and blissful of touches of grace await us the more we broaden our sights, strengthen our strokes, not look back! Keep on! Keep on swimming out into the deep, onward with faith and hope, having let go of trying to free those who are not yet ready, those who do not grasp in reality there is something far more that awaits us the farther we reach with our hearts and minds and our very souls determined in faith that God is with us and also there for us, both, and, for all eternity.

But we must stay clear of the entangling nets, once we have been freed from the temporal reality that these nets ensnare us, keep us tied and entangled to a point of the blind thrashing about  becoming our norm within our existence in the temporal world and indeed, ensnared as well in the temporal tangibles and temporalizations of the temporal world of the temporal church. 

From the moment of realization of what is beyond us, what is unseen yet so very real, beyond us out into the depths and breadths of the spiritual life in His Real Presence, always and forever, we in trust simply and profoundly, in unknowingness of ontological beingness--we keep progress.

Onward and forward we progress into the very soul of God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. Yet God is the One, the All, to Whom we keep progressing despite the hindrances of our insufferable temporal bodies. For within these bodies, once we free ourselves in faith, hope, and love to give over to God the tending of those caught up into and of the entangling nets of the temporal realm of the world at large and the temporal world of church, and of all those choosing to remain stuck reman entangled in the temporal--we find that we are brought through and onward and forward, despite the ongoing effort of exchanging our own thrashing about with that of taking progressively forward strokes. 

We are bound and determined, no matter what, to keep going to whatever is there--to the heaven of God's Beingness and Energy, to that of God's pervasive and effervescent God's Allness.  God is there for us; God is with us along the endless breadth and depth of forward progression.  We know not but that God loves us and asks of us to keep on receiving His Love and learning His Love, to learn to love, to love God and others (and ourselves) as God loves.

This is the mostly spiritual  that at some point of which we do not know other than to know this point exists, in which we become deeply spiritual within the spiritual of God Himself. We become one with God's Beingness and Allness.  We become as if one with God's Supreme Soul. The as if becomes the truth, beauty, and goodness of not only spiritual union, but of mystical marriage with consummation.

This is what awaits us. This is why becoming aware of something more out there, beyond the entangling nets 'neath the surface of the waters. This is why we persevere in our seeking, no matter what befalls us or tries to interfere with the progression, we keep advancing by becoming mostly spiritual and less to least temporal.  We become unentangled from those temporalites who yet choose or acccept--either one--the temporal always mostly, and more than the the breadth and depth of the spiritual counterparts God desires for us, for our minds, hearts, and souls--if we simply keep going, once we are freed from the stuckness of the temporal nets.

Pray His Real Presence free everyone's mind, heart, and soul from the stuckness of entanglement in the ensnaring nets of whatever temporal.  Note the difference between being entangled by those temporal nets that represent the temporalization of the world at large and the world of church, as well as of the world of ourselves remaining entangled until by the grace of God, we are released through the teachings and life and sacrificial death of Christ Jesus, and ultimately by God's will we are freed from ourselves being entangled. Praise God with each inch of disentanglement, God's will and desire for us.

If I were an adept artist, I'd watercolor or pencil or ink sketch an image of this most powerful and real locution and vision.  I pray the description and word-metaphor of the entangling nets 'neath the doldrum-deceptive surface of the waters, assists the awakening from the living dead alive.  I pray that all temporalites realize the vast depths and breadths of the spiritual and masterful mystical realm of eternity that awaits us now, and has for every now of the present moment we've spent remaining piteously and desperately blind to our thrashing about stuckness in the temporal, of the entangling nets.

God bless His Real Presence is within us, the love of God, the love of God as others love, and to love ourselves as God loves, will always be ours to grasp and take with us onward and forward to reach that point of center, amidst the breadth and width of the Holiness of God's desire for us.

Swim on, swim on!  God will take care of all these others who are in His care, of whom God will free, will detangle these others who then must stay free and clear of the entangling nets. Rather, praise God for the faith, hope, and love of the reality of the blissful crossing that God has for us, onward and forward.  

The Stairway to Heaven is ours; we are by swimming onward and forward, not held back--we are led to the base.  The swimming onward and forward propels us, despite not knowing where nor able to see beyond ourselves. 

The Stairway to Heaven is given us, to provide for our onward and forward progression into, and then eternally remaining in the spiritual of our God-infused minds, hearts, and souls.  We advance all the while our insufferable attachments to our bodies and the temporalized aspects of the temporal world of varying types, fall far beyond us as well as the temporalites' plights.

God will take care of them, just as God is taking care of us.  It is never too late nor too early to learn to love, to love to learn to love God, to love others (and ourselves) as God loves!

 

Christian Catholic Hermit Mystic: Pathos of the Sin of Judging Others

There are valid points for all humans, including hermit humans, to not place ourselves as judges of others, and to strive in living our lives not based on disagreeing or living to expound upon others' lives.  

That is, we may be influenced by others' lives, or interested in others' lives, such as I am grateful to have had the blessing of a collection of books of arcane mystics, hermits, "saints", writings of spiritual directors of saints, Scriptural commentaries, and of Catholic poets and literary talents.  These topics and talented souls are intriguing!  I personally am interested in the spiritual life, in the soul's progression.  I want to lift my mind, heart, and soul to positivity, as a goal.  The mystical and temporal have always been of interest as well as a topic of which I've written since high school days. I also wrote of man's inhumanity to man to a point that an English teacher commented on an essay that it gave her chills--the depth to which I wrote.  I think it was of some theme in one of Dante's Trilogy.  

I'm old and weary now, so I can't evoke chills, but I obviously cause reaction--but really only from this one person and her blog comrades.  It is always negative reaction, which is a so what, but no kindly.  We all have our minds and thoughts, and yet I'm not really a blog-reader myself, but a blog writer.  So I'm not interested in writing based on what another blogger writes or thinks--unless that person attacks me personally, as in detraction and wrong judgment. I recognize that there are Christians from the time of Christ, including Christ, who spoke and wrote what stirred others to a full spectrum of emotions, from anger to hatred, from disagreeing to detracting, from misunderstanding to outright misconstruing, from disliking to sinful judging. 

Some detractors became so incensed by what others spoke and wrote that they went from words to actions.  That is how Christ was crucified and numerous persons over the centuries were run out of towns, dropped into cisterns, sold into slavery, thrown off cliffs, fed to lions, stoned to death, beheaded, burned at the stake, drawn and quartered, shot, guillotined.   

When someone--another hermit--cannot seem to cope with a fellow hermit's also writing a blog, discussing the personal, spiritual, daily journey and who then detracts, stalks, and diminishes a fellow hermit in ugly and untruthful terms, there is grave sin involved.  The main concerns in such an unthinkable yet ongoing situation are the obsession, the seeming envy and resentment, the anger and frustration that the detracting hermit cannot seem to keep in check, as well as the online stalking (penal code infraction in most states). A call to the hermit's diocese might remind the infracting hermit to reign in the impulsive behavior; but what if that hermit's diocese does not want anything to do with their diocese hermit? What if they deny having responsibility for the perniciously maligning hermit?  Spiritual counseling might remind such a person to keep pride in check, for no one person, least of all a hermit, is the divine or otherwise appointed authority or guardian of hermits or of the hermit vocation.  

Hermits are not in competition with one another.  This is a simple statement that if repeated enough, along with "Thou Shalt Not Judge" might help quell  judging another hermit to even such a wrong as judge and write publicly inferring that I'm not a Christian and that I'm not a Catholic.  The seriousness and ungodliness of such a judgment against another cannot be emphasized enough.  The very timing of a publicly written statement in itself is not of God.  

The hurtfulness and the pathos of judging and of stating such ugliness does nothing but to damage and imperil the very soul of a person who persists in it.  A diocese hermit who demeans, detracts, and viciously and wrongly judges another person is in grave, moral standing within the Church as well as with God.  For one thing, people--another hermit-- is a person who like other people is loved by Jesus and is one who God values very much, and for whom God has chosen the hermit life. 

A basic step for any individual who experiences such a painful and hurtful situation, is to offer prayer for this offending person (even if sadly a hermit perpetuating such ugliness), and pray also for any others, such as the offender's friends, who have been involved in the detraction and ill-will toward the person being attacked.  Let these situations and suggestions of how to deal with them be a reminder for any one: find other topics than target another person, and above all, stop judging in such rashness and of that which there is no factual proof.

Judging and deciding who is not a Christian, a not a Catholic, and leaving enough identifying information in a public blog is going too far across the line of what Jesus teaches. Surely no member of church clergy would condone derision or libel, slander or even veiled hints of tearing down another person--hermit or otherwise--in any manner.  

As for writing on the topic of legalism and increasing temporal aspects of churches (Catholic or other denominations, and of any world religions and sects in our time) Jesus was certainly well aware of these aspects in the Jewish temple of His time.  He was quite frank and honest in his speaking of these realities which had those stuck in the temporal aspects of religion and even of spiritual life--to the point of losing His life for what He said and taught.  

There are many canonized Catholic saints and mystics who endured terrible persecution, and worse, at the hands of such persons who were and are stuck in and attached to temporal views and opinions.  These persons "stuck" did verbally and at times physically attacked those who saw through to the spiritual, the numinous, the love of God and of God's Law of Love above all things temporal.  St. John Chrysostom is one who spoke and wrote of truth and beauty over the corruptions and wrongs of his time; and he was exiled and eventually killed for his words.  

Let us hold forth and foremost (and this is for all hermits and humans) of all vocations, Catholic or not, that the hermit and most vocations we live:  A vocation is not a competition. Furthermore, there is no hierarchy among hermits nor in most vocations--no designations such as of Royalty,  There is no Queen of Hermits, no King of Hermits, no Lead Hermit, no Head hermit, no Legal or Illegal Hermit--at least not in God's purview of hermits who are mere humble followers of Jesus and adherents of the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  We are Christ's, God's, and the Holy Spirit's Hermits! 

Furthermore, we are all human--we hermits. We are all human no matter what vocation God has given us and of which we have accepted God's call. No vocation is more important nor more authentic than the other! We Christians are all in process, all learning to follow, to serve, to love, to obey God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Love in His Love!