Catholic Hermit: The Seven Deadly Sins

"Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away" (Acts 3:19).

Did a little review of some good ol' moral theology.  Here's the easy, go-to-list of the seven deadly sins (not that the consequences of sin and various wrong-doings are "easy"):

pride
greed
lust
envy
gluttony
wrath
sloth

Consider these words as rather vast categories; expand their breadth to visage, image, expansive multi-facets.

Then consolidate down to personal-riveting drill bit, torqued, and battery charged.

As is stated, "These sins are often thought to be abuses or excessive versions of one's natural faculties or passions."

Over the centuries, the Catholic Church (persons therein, such as theologians and spiritual thinkers, inspired, and teacher-writers) categorize sins as mortal and venial.  Mankind seeks order and understanding; we are more secure with reason.  We want a sense of things temporally, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. 

Mortal sin's gravity is tested by whether or not the act itself is intrinsically evil and immoral.  A benchmark for gravity is that the person must know that what they are doing or planning to do is evil and immoral.  Another gauge is deliberate consent: the person must freely choose to commit the act or plan to do it.

Mortal sins imperil our souls, and venial sins complicate ours and others' lives as they are still wrongs done but less serious breaches of God's law.  Of course, determining the categories and breadths and depths and impact and consequences to our lives, others' lives,  and ultimately, most importantly to others' souls and our souls requires discernment and "judgment."  This judgment is that requiring critical thinking skills and wisdom, ability to discern right from wrong but also have perspective as to particulars, details, mitigating or aggravating circumstances, and numerous other considerations.

Conscience comes into play in determining if our actions are sins or not, and if so, what "value" ascribed such as grave or less serious; a person needs a well-formed conscience and a degree of mental capacity to be able to judge one's own actions and thoughts.  Or we need to find someone with a keen conscience, mind, and strong levels of the virtues in order to help us judge, discern, decipher what we have done if we are unable to see for ourselves.  In fact, it is often a great spiritual benefit to have another person adept in discerning and making wise judgment to help us sift through our thoughts and actions when we have caused harm to others and ourselves even in the slightest of ways.

I'm not writing here of becoming scrupulous--to nit-pick over ourselves to the degree of narcissistic morbidity which is on flip side self-love gone awry to finding a perverse type pleasure in agonizing over every thought and action we make daily and often nightly.  

However, there are times when our thoughts (less often) and our actions (more easily noticed due to external aspects and of which other people see or are affected by our wrong doings, our sins) are not so easily detected for us to discern and judge and make correction.    This is true especially when an emotion of sorrow, shock, anger, or other such feeling enters; emotion seems to be a trigger point for committing wrongs, and emotion likewise seems to be what masks our wrong doings from ourselves and also can tempt us in providing ourselves with excuses for what wrongs we've done.

I'm trying to refrain from examples for they will come from my own lived experience that involves others.  However, please think of the above statements, and I also think examples will come to mind.  Or, I can use myself in a recent re-reckoning of a sin I committed in writing of a situation and the persons in it.  I did not intend to cause hurt, at least not consciously.  In self-examining, I cannot say that even subconsciously I intended or wanted to hurt anyone.  

However, I felt shock in something I had to face regarding others and the situation; I had great sorrow in each persons' lives; I had frustration in that my previous attempts to try to bring reason and logic to one of the persons was not going to get through or bring about change; and I had outrage and anger in the effects of behaviors of one upon the other.  So I turned to writing about the situation and my means of trying to work through my own issues in trying to digest and let go of it, through spiritual means.

I also had verbalized to another and even I think another who knew nothing of the persons involved, but listened to my upset, concerns, frustration, and inability to bring about change when it was getting to a point that one person was going to be further at risk.  I could have taken action in calling upon professional intervention, but the situation was such that it would not be easily discernible what was evolving and had for a long time.  So I prayed, but my own impatience and emotion, hindered my self-control from verbalizing which I did in writing.  

Even if anonymous, someone read it who found it or else one who alerted the subject read it, and thus the person of half of the situation was deeply hurt, and hurt then causes anger, upset, outrage and actions.  So wrong doings, sins even if venial which include lack of wise discretion, lack of ultimate faith in silently leaving the situation with God, causes the person who is in a situation of upset and wrong, then also makes choices in reacting to being essentially accused of doing wrong, even if the person has aspects of issues in which cannot see the wrongs, the rejection, the whatever that in turn has harmed a situation which was the basis of the whole mess to begin with. 

So we see by my even trying to give an example of the ways of sins (venial sins in this case although the one hurt might think it a mortal wounding) that examples become complex, yet the ultimate reality that surfaces after writing or reading the ins-and-outs of the ripple effect of errors, mistakes, wrongs, sins--is that of a mess of chaos.  

And for those (and we all have degrees of this in us) whose modus is needing to have control over situations, others, and life itself, the result of wrong doings no matter the impetus that gets the ball rolling, is that there is loss of control.  The result is loss of peace inner and outer, loss of control over reconciliation, loss of future outcome as sin is very much a riveter of usually bringing the past alive in the present moment in order to try to eradicate it.

On a more concrete note here, a bit more on venial sins....  Venial sins tend to follow along one or two of the same conditions met in mortal sins.  The thought or action is immoral or intrinsically evil; there is full knowledge of these; there is full consent to knowingly commit the wrong, the sin.  So venial sins are minor violations of moral law.  

Venial sins weak the soul but do not kill the grace within the soul.  But venial sins weaken our inner strength and purity of thought and emotion--of soul.  Venial sins--infractions showing our weaknesses in one or more virtues--cause more venial sins in ourselves and in the ones seeing, knowing of, or experiencing the effects of our infractions and weaknesses.  This is the ripple effect of wrong thought and wrong action.  

Our venial sins can cause reaction in others that tempts them to not only their own venial sins in reaction but to mortal sin depending upon how they are affected by even the most minor of sin on our part.  Bullying is one such venial sin that can result in the recipient committing not only venial sin of anger, but can also cause the recipient to act on that anger either toward mortal or grave sin against others or more likely, on themselves.

There are volumes that could be, and indeed are, written about morality in the sense of study of God, or theology, and of sin--mortal and venial, of the consideration of virtues and vices, of mitigating conditions, of discernment and judgment, of consequences, examination of conscience, spiritual guidance, confession, forgiveness given and forgiveness received, forgiveness accepted or rejected.


We can even begin to grasp that such as our own wrong doing--mortal or venial sin--can be a result of someone else's wrong whether or not the persons grasp or are psychologically able to grasp, or of situations from years past and what might trigger us to react in a way that we lose virtue and commit sin whether venial or mortal.  (The labels are simply for our ease in analysis and learning with the goal of understanding and correction over time, in our lives.)

Yet we must not fall to the temptation of recognizing that what we may have done that was wrong and hurtful, was a reaction to what others had done or persisted in that was wrong and hurtful, or that what we or others were doing or thinking that was a later-on reaction from others' actions or ways of being years before, of which the behaviors and thoughts and ways of doing and thinking triggered or in part caused or affected the wrongs or sins later in life.

When sin is involved, no matter if we consider it an error or lapse, a mistake, or a sin of grave matter--we must stop ourselves dead in our tracks and not get into excuses for ourselves.  We cannot analyze nor go through examination of conscience for others; that is not our due process unless asked or employed in that line of work.  We can reason the various aspects and conditions when examining ourselves and what it might have been that triggered our thoughts and caused us to act or speak or write wrongly, or why we harmed others, if we intended to or not.  

When our sins, our wrongs, our vices are involved, we must remain in the present moment and humbly embrace our mea culpa!  I have sinned against my brother and sister, against myself, and against God through my own fault, my own fault, my own most grievous fault.

Once we express our remorse and sorrow to those we've hurt or wronged, whether or not the other is able to forgive or also even be able to forget to some degree or other, or for other/s to ask that question of if there is some aspect in myself or themselves that reflects in any particle the wrong, the sin, the other/s committed--we must pick ourselves up and move on with the prayer and resolve to actively work on changing the vices we have and also changing the conditions in which we are tempted to sin. A bully needs to stop bullying as much as the bullied will want to avoid the bully. A spouse who had proven unfaithful will need to either stop the infidelity or accept the wounded spouse will need to decide if can risk further wrongs or can forgive and continue on, or if the unfaithful spouse is being unfaithful due to factors that both are not willing to change.

On another similar but very venial level, someone emailed of upset with returning to a parish FB site and finding inner feelings of unrest and of critical resentment or perhaps more it was boredom in noticing the same persons were yet unable to grasp that faith in God can be of spirit and within.  The women were yet clinging to externals of faith, much as Mary Magdalen tried to hold onto Jesus who said "Do not touch me!  I have resurrected!  I am with you always in spirit and truth!"  

Those on the FB site wrote  of  clinging to such as church bells ringing and their needing to drive in to listen to them as an external show of piety or religious fervor since in our time of COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders no one is to gather, and gather places are to remain closed.  They were going into the church building, with photos posted of the pews roped off other than a small area in which people were to sit for the youngish priest continues to ask them to come and pray.

The person emailing felt guilty for the inner feelings of disagreeing and of sense of passing judgment. Was it wrong?  This is an example of emotions and feelings helping us to discern, and to stop the emotions before taking action such as trying to explain to the FB persons about the kingdom of God is within, and that Jesus is not the church bells, not the sounds of ringing; Jesus is not wanting them to come in and risk getting the virus nor of taking it home to their families; jesus is not lonely for Jesus is through, with, and in us wherever  we are.  No--the person had already tried to explain and comment was censored, was removed, and the posters went on the attack of that person.

The feelings of resentment and some anger were signals that the person had graduated from the level the FB parishioners were yet in soul school.  When we graduate from one grade to the next in school, or when we take a new course in college, do we continue to remain in the previous grade or with those in certain courses when we are to move on to other courses?  No! So do not cling to where others are in their lives when we have been moved on.  And this can be a necessary aspect to ponder and pray about when we have committed a wrong or a sin, or are tempted to in thought before we commit a deed.

The late country singer Kenny Rogers had a well-known hit single titled "The Gambler." A line we may be familiar with is due to the value of the simple, applicable truth-to-life inherent:  

"You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away,
Know when to run...."

Often in our lives, when we are faced with temptation to sin, venial especially, or when our virtues are being challenged by the vices we try to keep in check, we need to consider the situation and thoughts we are experiencing, living in, facing.  Or if we have already committed wrongs--sins venial or mortal--and look at "the cards in our hands, the cards we are dealt or picked up ourselves, current and of what aspects of past included.  Determine what to do with "the cards"--keep playing, or fold them.  Continue in the situation, or know the time has come to walk away either in the instant for a few moments, day, or let the consequences unfold and play out.  And in some cases, we need to know to run away from further complications that tempt us to sin in thought, word, and deed.

I advised the person emailing wanting to know if was sin--the person's feelings and thoughts toward what was being written on that FB site--to consider if there was anything the person was benefitting in drawing closer to God, or in further spiritual growth by what was being written?  Why was the person having feelings of unrest and some critical frustration within?  Could it be that it is a simple matter of the person having grown some, or that over time the person's faith had evolved and was a simple matter of time to go forth and have leave-taking of those who are not growing in the same ways or time frame?

Avoidance of occasion of sin, deadly or harmful (for the person who is recipient of our sins might feel it was deadly and killed some part of them, and the person doing the wrong in thought or action can lose a hunk of inner life, very much so, in committing sin)--is a major factor in the spiritual life.  We literally need to be open to learning to play the game of the soul's life in Christ.  We have to learn the rules of charity but also in that charity to know the rule of spiritual detachment to our will and of doing what is best for others and ourselves in avoiding occasions of sin.  

Sometimes it is God's will that we remain in circumstances, situations, relationships, and sometimes God's best and will to graciously have a leave-taking knowing that we never "leave" nor are the others or a situation "left" in a vacuum.  When there is a leaving, at the same time there is a going to or a coming; and that means for all involved.  Releasing means also reforming, re-entering, re-giving.

This has been an especially long post.  I have yet more to write regarding my hermit vocation, of the circumstances of the individuality of variety of hermit experience and ways the Lord forms the unique vocations based upon the unique circumstances as well, very much, as the variety of souls.
Perhaps more on that topic, but for now I'm still having trouble motivating myself to rise from the bed-tomb, despite this now the third day of First Week of Easter and the New Life.

God bless His Real Presence in us!

[I've enlarged my type font due to my eyes weakening with age!  Reality therapy!]

Catholic Hermit: Thoughts on Pride

I've observed recently that pride is pernicious.  If pride is a person's bugaboo in life and one has made spiritual advances in later years, it does not take much for the person to be sucked back into the slime of pride.

Some relatives of pride are envy and vanity.  Pride involves any sense of one's own self worth being somehow, perhaps subliminally, not what a person desires.  Thus, the person strives to place him- or herself above others and often by putting others beneath them.  Not always, however, is this the case.  Sometimes it suffices to simply keep oneself thinking and convinced of superiority; putting others down for an intelligent person with pride is too obvious.

However, a more subtle way in which the proud person can put others down is through criticism either to the person or of the person to others.  Of course, the criticism can come within the proud person's mind.

Envy and vanity often accompany--yes, like relatives in our familial lives--pride in life's journey.  For an intelligent proudster, there is not an overt envy, not an admittance of envy within the mind.  That is, also, too obvious to the one afflicted with pride.  So instead of directly confronting this aspect of pride in oneself--that of envy of others appearances, intelligence, talents, abilities, achievements--the proud person resorts to other means of masking the envy from him- or herself.  

(A proud person cannot bear to face pride within.  He or she is too proud for that humility of self-realization.)

To counter envy of others, a proud person tries to achieve all the more in a competitive mode.  Or the proud person does all to enhance his or her own personal beauty or handsomeness by major body overhauls, apparel, exercise, make-up, hairstyle.  If the proud person tends to physical unattractiveness, the envy will find outlet and reprieve from itself by other means in order to place itself above others.  

Vanity and envy are so interrelated that the proud person often does not distinguish between pride's closest, familial support systems.  We can come up with various scenarios as to how a proud person can use vanity and envy in quite subtle ways in offshoots of words and actions, thoughts, and deeds, to make oneself rise above others without being blatant--at least to oneself.

There will always be someone or other or many who will observe the machinations of how a person operates in sundry modalities in order to try to mask pride's markers of envy and vanity.

Yet there are other markers of pride.

One is that a proud person usually is prone to validating him- or herself.  Many words are used in this effort.  The proud person has a need to be in control of situations, thoughts, conversations, and verily most if not all aspects of his- or her personal life.  This often, then, extends to need to control others' lives, usually with criticism being a means of controlling others.

The proud person excuses this criticism by self-assurance that he or she is simply trying to help the object of criticism to improve or be a better person, or to be able to "fix" the others' perceived problems.

And what came to me the other day, is that a proud person does not have a sense of humor, or not much of one.  This insight on pride is one I've never considered before.  I suppose the subliminally low self-esteem of a proud person (perhaps from some childhood inadequacy or suffering) prohibits the proud person from being able to laugh at life's situations and incidents, laugh at him- or herself, or laugh with others.

Pride is extremely difficult to observe and diagnose in oneself.  The person needs abject honesty and brutal self-displacement--to view from outside of oneself and see as one truly is.  Or the proud person needs an ounce of humility enough to ask another to conduct an observation to deduce if pride haunts what otherwise could be a gracious or charming, engaging, and "fun" person to be around and to know.

In fact, proud persons can evoke a kind of shield around themselves such that others fear crossing them, for without a sense of humor, without humility, without grasping that they (and all of us) are nothing and God Is All--the proud person is like the stern master to whom a dog comes when called...by slinking slowly toward the master in fear of being kicked.

There is no running, tail-wagging, toward a proud person.  There also is usually no leaping into the arms of nor giving well-appreciated kisses to a proud person.  Why?  Proud people with their buried low self-esteem have learned to not be all that approachable other than by those who are also proud or else have been enchanted by the performed grandiosity, title, comely appearance, stance, verbosity, or brilliance of which a proud person has been able to develop in life.

But once more, is there a sense of humor readily at hand?  Or does the proud person also try to convince and convey that, yes, he or she indeed has a great sense of humor by saying so--with an accompanying performance-grade laugh or chuckle.

For proud people usually are rather inhibited because they fear looking and seeming and being perceived or considered as less than perfect.  So to do something quite human and humble and linked by roots humilite, homo, humere, to even the root for soil--humus--is difficult for a proud person.  There is something in pride that struggles to cross into anything to do with humility be it human, earthy, or humorous--and I mean, again, in a natural, unforced, non-scripted manner.

These thoughts have come to me recently due to someone I love very much having backslid into a decades-long struggle with pride.  It may have started in childhood with a type of envy of other little girls and included vanity for she was pampered and protected by elder brothers and sisters.  Then when married, tragedy and heartbreak struck within a year or so of each other.

All the more, then, the wounded woman strove to reclaim her place and pride and standing among others who knew all about the sorrows and shame that befell the woman in addition to remembering the tragedy of her childhood which plummeted the family into struggles, bereft of financial standing as well.

In recent years--three or four--I'd rejoiced in that this person had become wondrously more spiritually focused.  She always did pray and attended church regularly, but the niggling pride kept sticking out like porcupine quills in what deceptively could look like a coat of mink fur.  Yes, in the past few years the person had developed some humble, prayerful friends and was part of their prayer group.  There was more desire in helping the poor and the more uneducated of the church.  

I see now that this down-tick in pride and turning to inwardly beautiful soul-effort came at the time the person had to detach from many possessions and enter an assisted living facility.  For we do realize that suffering can squelch pride like not much other in life.  Yet, if the suffering is short-term or the effects can be put behind us such as memories of suffering, or we rise beyond suffering through focus on material success and various other externals, we are only developing fertile conditions for all the more pride.

Whatever, I realize that for my part, I'd not been praying as much for the person when she dipped out of the intensity of pride around the time of down-sizing and facing end years.  I was taken by the beauty that came from her soul and the prayerful and faithful conversations.  Somehow, as pride reasserts its supremacy rather easily, it seems, this person became even more under the clutches of pride.  All the more there was criticism of others and more abrupt, rude comments usually kept within for one stage of pride has the person not wanting, out of pride, for others to see the less than perfect self.

But in a more advanced phase of pride, the person no longer cares what others think or how they feel, and the proud person has a sense of self-entitlement to not only be the center of attention but also to slay anyone else who may take up space or air or consideration.  The boundaries of self-possession and decorum begin to crumble if not outright mud-slide; the proud person no longer cares even to keep up the guard.

Yet again, the signal that has struck me the most is that a proud person has little to no sense of humor.  

And, of course, there is this other tell-tale sign:  A proud person takes offense at what others say or think whether positive, congratulatory, true, false, whatever.  Years ago a religious sister taught me this truth, that a sure sign of pride is if one takes offense.  

But in the advance stages of pride, others do not even dare attempt other than adulation and praise...or silence...when involving a proud person. Again, it the fortress is so high and impenetrable at a warmly approachable human level that it is pointless to say or write much if anything at all.

So the ultimate results of pride are this:  The person who to begin with had losses or sufferings causing feelings of inadequacy and want, ends up doing whatever to build his- or herself into a fortress of pride in various means and effects; and ultimately the proud person ends up very much alone--a fate worse than feeling inadequate to begin with.

The proud person is ultimately alone because others either do not want to approach or make contact, do not want to converse due to being criticized or put down in some way from effects of the pride of the proud person; or they approach and converse but only feed the proud person's pride all the more in order to avoid being literally or symbolically "be-littled."  

There's nothing much genuine about a proud person's self-created image; it is also no laughing matter.  Most sad, indeed, is the plight of the proud person.

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The sum end of my thoughts on pride are for me to now take the observations and apply them to myself and my thoughts and dealings with others.   Praying and asking Jesus to unmask myself is a prerequisite for this exercise that should be repeated often and as needed.  

How will I know?  Well, if I take offense at anything anyone has said or indicated about me.  If I do not have a sense of humor or ready laugh.  If I resent that others have more of anything (other than wrinkles...!), or if I am dissatisfied with what God has served on my plate each day.  Also, and this is important:  If there is not suffering or if suffering has been overcome and in the past, beware of pride re-entering for we can feel quite proud indeed and in control of ourselves (and others) when we have pulled ahead in some temporal way.

I praise the Lord for the examples of proud persons in life be it in real-life encounters with the proud or in fictional characters based upon real-life, proud persons.  The proud provide us with an ever-ready check point for ourselves, so that we can compare and contrast and take the ax to the root of any pride attempting to take hold in us.

Well, there is always pride in us, lurking about, even if not causing problems...yet.  There is always the potential for pride, the seeds of pride, and our task is to pray and take strong efforts to know pride so well that we can see it at first or second glance, and stomp it while laughing at how ridiculous we are with whatever seeds of pride that we let germinate even for a thought moment.

One other thought on pride, though.  What do we do to help others who have pride to see their pride and do away with it, to humble themselves?  

Other than praying for the person, I suppose there is not much we should say or ought to confront, unless we are the person's parent or guardian as in teaching a child about pride and helping to stomp on examples of pride or pointing out pride in situations and others as a teaching tool.  We can do all to keep ourselves from pride, and that might prove an example for the proud person.  

Even if we bring up a conversation on the sin of pride, a proud person's pride is cultivated and encouraged by the devil; the devil will cause the proud person to react negatively or more often, with yet more self-deception.  A proud person easily and soundly, even reasonably, denies his or her own pride.  Or if very clever and bright, the proud person will concur pride is a problem but will do so out of pride--pride enough to want to appear as if humbly admitting to pride.

Yes, we must keep praying for the souls of those who are deep into pride and cannot sense it or see it in themselves, and for them to be kept from too much pride in future. At the same time, we must pray for our own souls to be released from whatever degree of pride in us and to be ever watchful for the signals that pride has roosted.  God will answer these prayers; He will handle the proud person one way or another, now, later, or at judgment with rectitude beyond.

Praying for humility, with sincerity, God will always answer. He will use earthly and spiritual means to squelch our pride while infusing humility. Suffering, truly, is a gift from God that keeps pride in check.  
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These thoughts on pride are a little answer to prayer today, for I've been down on the mattress now for over a week with wretched pain.  And today I was all set to get back to work on my hermitage-farmhouse, and I was dreaming of being able to finish and sell and get out from under the financial strain and various else.  But just swishing the tub for a way-past-due bath caused my right elbow to flare painfully as if it had not been rested for over seven days.

I was quite discouraged and realized no work can progress here without my right arm.  All the finishing work remains:  drywall mudding, sanding, priming, painting, trim cutting, sanding, priming, painting, nailing, wood floors nailed after old floors leveled, tiling of shower and floor, yard work.

Pain is limiting and debilitating and depressing in its effects.  One must not take offense, though.  Either the Lord will provide a means to finish or there will be great humility in not finishing.  There will be less pride in not finishing unless the finishing can somehow be accomplished with extreme pain, and then the reminder of human weakness in suffering will help squelch pride.  

We can laugh on that one....

Catholic Hermit Considers Two Types of Wisdom

Today in the Scriptural-prayer gift for the longtime friend, St. James writes about guarding the tongue and the two types of wisdom.  This friend is an exemplary Protestant who has guarded her tongue with holiness in never making negative comments in my presence regarding my conversion to Catholicism over 20 years ago.

So mostly I am reflecting upon wisdom today and am rather intrigued with James' comments on two kinds of wisdom.

"Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom."

He points in the next verses that this type of good wisdom comes from heaven, but there is another wisdom that is earthly and demonic.

"But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.  Such 'wisdom' does not come from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.  For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice."

Then returning to the first kind of wisdom, the Apostle James further explains.

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."

I am partially through writing to the friend about some examples in which I marveled at how she has tamed her tongue in many situations. This does not mean that she never speaks about other people.  Quite the contrary.  The last times we met in person, a few years ago, she shared some details of people in their lives, of their trials, and of needed prayers on their behalf.  The same type of details came in a Christmas letter and in a birthday note.

The details about their lives and their adult children's and friends' lives are mentioned with successes and changes, with gratitude and concerns.  There is nothing of envy or ambition in her heart nor in the intent with which she writes of their lives.  Her life is good--filled with love of God and love of others, filled with good deeds done lovingly with family, friends, and strangers alike.

But the communications about their own lives and those of others come from loving intentions.  Love, we can see, is always pivotal in our lives and in all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, in the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and in all the virtues.  So we touch upon, once more, the Law of God, the Royal Law, the law of love of God above all things and love of others as ourselves.

So heavenly wisdom comes through not so often in "great" events.  Heavenly wisdom, perhaps surprisingly so, comes through in our daily thoughts, words, and actions.  If we are living and breathing according to the Law of God-Is-Love, what comes out of our minds and mouths and from our hands is going to be pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.

Whenever there is any discrepancy or diversion from this wise and holy check-list of heavenly wisdom, we have as a result: disorder and evil practice.  If we find in our thoughts or emotions or deep in our souls any twinge of envy, of any type of selfish ambition, we know what issues forth out of us is not going to be heavenly wisdom and will not bear good fruit.  There will not be peace within us nor with others.

I think those who read this blog as well as this nothing consecrated Catholic hermit and most-of-all child of God with soul seeking union with His Love--we do know the difference.  The problem we might have is in discerning honestly, the truth of our minds, hearts, and spirits.  We have to dissect our intentions down to the core of whatever is motivating us to think, to speak, to act.

While the devil can deceive us, the farther along we come in knowing our souls, the better off in knowing--situation, feelings, and thoughts alike--if our being and intent is that of God's law of love or by or of any lesser motivation. Ultimately, when we have thought and said and done whatever it is we think, say, and do moment by moment, affirmation of heavenly wisdom versus the earthly, unspiritual, of the devil type comes from feeling and observing the harvest.

Is there peace and a harvest of righteousness?

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, let us remain in His love and love one another. Pray for the Holy Spirit's gift of heavenly wisdom.  Sow in peace!

Warning and Blessing: Detraction

Detraction of others in any shape or form is a pernicious sin.  Like pine gum on the fingers, removing detraction from one's thoughts, words, and actions requires more than soap and water.

Detraction belittles, denigrates, lessens, smears, puts down, besmirches, diminishes, deprecates, depreciates, condemns, mocks, disparages, slanders, libels, and bullies others.  Most often, the poison of detraction trickles or erupts from anger, envy and malicious criticism.  Detraction serves to lower another's self-esteem and standing as a person among peers, as a child of God.

Wrongful judging occurs in detraction.  Rightful judging is that which derives from thoughtful observation, wise and holy discernment, by those whose position is to rightfully judge.  The intent of rightful judging is to discover truth and desire justice.  There are few occasions other than in the legal profession, in which we are likely to be called upon to rightfully judge.

Discernment is more a personal matter of which we are to make critical judgments regarding ourselves, our actions, our thoughts.  Discernment of self is necessary for spiritual growth; discernment of others is not so necessary.  If we honestly discern our own thoughts, words, and actions, we will have enough information to make changes in our lives. Self-discernment, thus, will replace the temptation to deceive ourselves that we are only "discerning" others, when in fact we slip into judging them.

For example, a young man came to do some plumbing when this hermit was yet ill.  He ruined some plumbing parts, made vital errors in placement of holes for pipes, and misspoke about code.  The hermit detracted the young man by discussing his wrong-doings with others, as well as slipped into anger over the wages paid and costs to replace parts and redo the project.

Holy discernment would have provided the hermit with all the truth it needed--without detraction of the plumber.  Had this hermit privately recognized the young man's errors, that would have been enough to know what actions to take in remedying the plumbing.  If the errors had amounted to great sums, there is legal recourse via the law of the land.  In this situation, prayer for the young man, privately letting him know he had erred, and giving him opportunity to make right his wrongs, is the correct course of action--not detraction.

A key element in rightful judging and wise discernment is factual truths and what we do with factual truths.  If the facts upon which we base our judging and discerning are not true but more our opinions, then we slip into wrongful judging and wrong discernment.  We next can slide on and into detraction if we think, write, or speak based upon our inaccurate facts or upon our opinions.

Jesus is clear on how to avoid the sin of detraction (which does include wrongful judging--and best to avoid judging unless by profession a judge in the land's justice system!).

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
       a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and                overflowing, will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you"  (Luke 6:36-38).

[Yesterday while consolidating grains of rice from one container into another, the marvelous image of a good measure came clear.  While pouring the rice it seemed the canister could not possibly hold all the grains.  The nothing Catholic hermit tamped the rice, shook it down, and what seemed impossible for the canister to hold, poured in with space remaining!  How pictorially metaphoric, Jesus' words!]

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, let us love one another!  Refrain from any temptation to detract others. Let our judging and discerning be of ourselves, for therein is the greatest opportunity for growth--and blessed gifts--of remaining in His Love!

Detraction: A Turn-Off

Detracting others is such a turn-off.  Above all, God does not like it.

This nothing Catholic hermit has done it, surely.  Detraction is one of those vices of which a person can so easily convince him- or herself that it is not really detraction.  No, it is only being honest; it is being discerning, using wise discretion and critical thinking skills.

And sometimes it is one of those, but often we are deceiving ourselves.  Bottom line:  a lot of the time we criticize or debunk or judge or put down others, it is simply and honestly detraction.

Usually, at least for the nothing Catholic hermit, it has come out of frustration, or upset in something not properly done.  Or it comes down to not having perspicacity of vision, of tolerance, of letting others do as they do and say as they say, for often enough, it is not going to matter in the full spectrum of life.

Of course, when it is something of note, of vital importance to another, of an ultimate charity to speak or write, we do so.  But we need to be so very careful in discerning these fine lines that can trick us into falling into detraction.  When anger is added to it, or envy and pride, it becomes what today is known as "bullying" or being "abusive."  

Recently when so very ill, this Catholic hermit watched some YouTube videos and read some writings of the Eastern Church.  Some went back prior to the schism between the Latin and Eastern Church; some were after.  Of those after and of the past century up to current times, an undercurrent developed in speech and writing.

One speech by a Blessed of the Orthodox Christians, developed what was no doubt quite believable and reasonable to those of the Orthodox faith, the Eastern "lung" of the Church.  The subject was Francis of Assisi, and the Blessed wrote the various reasons and gave examples, as to why Francis of Assisi is not a saint but was rather a deceived person--deceived by the devil--and not someone to emulate.  The content had numerous points made, all backed up by what the Blessed (one highly esteemed of the Orthodox Church much as a Blessed in the Catholic Church is esteemed) purported.

And in reading it, this nothing Catholic hermit could see how easily one could think it rational and true about Francis--as the very statements and events in his life could be totally taken in another context and with other implications than holiness.  Yes, nothing Catholic hermit could totally understand, for it has itself been accused of this or that--from emotional and mental condition, to a fraud Catholic, to imposter Catholic hermit, to its spiritual experiences being from other than God.

And, truly, the jury is still out on this nothing Catholic hermit.  Only God knows for sure, the inner reaches of His created souls.  As for Francis of Assisi, other than what people have written of him, and the short rule of life he wrote under pressure by eager friars (Francis did not want to formalize his evolving spiritual way of life), there is nothing else--no video footage, no tape recorded talks, no photographs of his stigmata.  And, if there were such "proofs", people would insist they were photoshopped or doctored, or embellished.

Yet repeatedly, in what amounted to a full-scale detraction of Francis of Assisi, it was obvious that the holy Orthodox Blessed truly believed Francis' life was not valid in a spiritually good sense.  There was a sense of pity for him, that he had been so deceived by the evil one, but it only stood to reason since Protestants and Catholics are frequently termed "pseudo-Christians" by the Orthodox.  Found it stated repeatedly in comments and writings.

And, we all know of Protestants who think Catholics are not Christians or are not "saved", and we know of Catholics who think Protestants are not "saved", and of Catholics who no doubt think Orthodox are cut off and not to be heeded.

Frankly, it was quite humbly to have read what the Eastern Orthodox think of someone like nothing Catholic hermit and of Catholics and Protestants.  Had never considered that, probably because don't think of others as saved or not, except those who are doing evil deeds without repentance and who do not believe in God or in Jesus or the Holy Spirit.  And even then, must not judge because how does this nothing Catholic hermit know about the inner reaches of their souls?  And what is known of the next moments, hours, days and years of their life on earth, and of their judgment?  All could change in an instant, and someone thought to be this or that, could be entirely something else!

We really can only go by what is current, written fact, as far as discerning what we are and who we are, and if our lives are valid in His Divine Sight, Mind, Will, and Heart.

It is always good, and humbling, to realize that others can convince themselves based upon what someone has written about someone else, such as the many who have written about Francis of Assisi, and then decide upon a person based upon the ability to interpret what someone has done or purportedly said, or even written, from an entirely different viewpoint of the beholder.  Thus, the Blessed holy man of one wing of the Church, could write and declare Francis deceived and a false mystic and not a saintly man.  (The followers of Francis of Assisi thought otherwise, and the Western wing of the Church declared him a saint--obviously a differing view.)

So is it detraction to debunk Francis of Assisi?  Possibly and probably.  Detraction has a lot to do with the intent of the person writing or speaking, trying to put down the other.  It can be detraction even if he or she truly believes what he or she is writing is correct, or thinks is saving others from being duped, or thinks it is to warn them not to follow or emulate such a misguided or deceived or wrong person.  Is it detraction for any of us to build a case against another?

Well, a lot depends upon motive, and that is so very hard to discern in ourselves, especially if was are proud of our intellects and proud of our positions and presence and status in the world, even if but a small world in actuality.  The internet has done us a disservice, encouraging us to think we are quite the voices of authority just because what we write or say can be viewed by a few or many.  It is public.  And that make detraction all the worse, in some respects.  It is just out there, visible, readable.

Some say that public figures are fair game when it comes to pointing out wrongs (or conceivably rights) they have done.  Detraction deals with the wrongs, as its modus is negation, is putting down, debasing another's actions or words, or personhood.  And sometimes the truth is the truth, but yet again, as Jesus said, "He who is without sin may cast the first stone"

Even if St. Francis of Assisi was a total fraud, a false mystic, had no stigmata, his followers having cast fabrications about him--it then would seem rather ineffective to state all these deceptions unless one had valid proof, had known him, talked with him, observed in person, and was qualified to make a diagnosis.  Only people in Francis' time could truly do that, for anyone can twist what others have written about a person.  Even Padre Pio had doctors examine him and come away with quite different diagnoses of his stigmata than what other doctors verified.

We have the current internet flurry of people who see a blue and black dress and silver and gold.... But of course, that is not detraction to call it silver and gold when it is actually blue and black.  All that has to do with physiology in the way people's eyes functions with seeing certain colors.  However, detraction does have to do with viewpoints, with the way we view others, when viewing wrongly--putting another down, casting aspersions--even if we think we are right.

So, dear friends in Christ Jesus, filled with His Real Presence and loving God Almighty--let us not detract others.  There really is no need to do it.  Yes, we get angry and frustrated.  We are convinced our ways are the right way, our views the right and only views, the way we see things is the correct way to see.  And in some cases, particularly if we can weigh it with the right of the Gospel Rule, we might be right, or at least striving to be right.  

Yet how wrong it is to detract, to put someone else "down", to bully and make statements either in thoughts, words spoken or written, or in deed, that suggest someone else is less than what we think we are.  It is truly pointless in most any way we can rationally think of it.  Detraction does not help others nor ourselves.

And this nothing Catholic hermit knows it, as it becomes frustrated with such as a young man who came to do some plumbing--a young man the electrician was convinced could help when the hermit was so very ill.  No, the "plumber" ruined parts, did things incorrectly, and lied about codes.  It is all fact; the electrician felt terrible; the hermit has had to replace parts and re-do the plumbing, now feeling better enough to do it.  Lost $210 plus the costs of new parts and its own time and effort.

But why put the young man down?  Why detract?  Why hold anger?  It is pointless.  At most, the electrician is going to point out to him what he had done and the trouble and expense, and only so that the young man will hopefully not try to pull the wool on others--and will do a better job for others.  But detraction is not holy, is not good, is not right.  Never ought detraction be part of our action.

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, let us love one another!  God Is Love!  Remain in His Love, and remember we are all His children.  The jury is still out on all of us as to how good of children we each may be.  We have the potential to all be very, very good children by His grace and mercy!

Keep Seeking, Working and Praying

Am reminded through Dom Lorenzo Scupoli, author of The Spiritual Combat, to not give into thoughts of being overwhelmed in any way, as God does not overwhelm.  Rather, keep focused and do something concrete, such as manual labor or any action possible.  Thinking, speaking, listening, writing, reading can be actions, too.

But do not let immensity of tasks immobilize the mind or body.  Also, do not let immensity of spiritual thoughts, bombard or overwhelm and tempt into putting off, giving up.  This is akin to falling into sloth or also spiritual acedia, or dryness.

Stay focused and force ourselves to do something even if a small something.

These thoughts and suggestions are not solely from Scupoli but are a compendium of suggestions from various spiritual writers.  When thoughts and suggestions flow through various wise and spiritually accomplished persons known for holiness, then there is a high likelihood that not only are they excellent thoughts but also that they bring successful results to the soul and the spiritual journey.

Another thought has come while "nothing" hermit has been sanding and priming some ceiling tongue-in-groove boards.  (Am trying to ready the materials as four family members are coming to the hermitage tomorrow to help finish an area of ceiling plus finish installing some kitchen cabinets.)
The thought while priming the boards came from some place deep in the soul, beyond where the heart sings but within where the soul hums the sounds of His Real Presence's created universe.

It was an assurance that it does not matter what earth time it takes to find our way, our place, our room within His House, our small spot within the room.  It also does not matter if after a time we are beckoned by His touch or call, or His arranging of circumstances in the temporal or the spiritual realms, to enter another room, find another spot.  It can even not be a room but a closet or a stairway, or a hallway of passage.  We may find ourselves in any of these for long periods of earth time or for short periods. 

But the important thing is to seek the spot no matter how slow we might be in cracking the clues or understanding His directions in where to "be."  And, we must remember that "Only God Is Forever." 

We are not.  We are nothing.  So if we are slow at the commands and clues and in finding a spot whether temporary or not in a seemingly approved place by our or others reasoning, or not like the spots others have found, it is all right.

Just keep working and praying and pondering.  And keep loving His Real Presence and anyone or thing of His creation He brings into the thoughts, vision, sounds or physical encounter, or of those we may meet if out and about. 

It really does not matter how long it takes or that when it seems we are in between "spots."   We may find then that our place is up high on a ladder or standing on some soil in the outdoors of this great planet, or in some other universe in our thoughts, while working, thinking, sleeping, listening, speaking, or praying.

We must not let anyone try to cajole or convince us into some room or spot.  Perhaps His Real Presence wants us by ourselves for awhile or a long time, on a ladder or outside, or in a closet, or on the roof, or in an underground cellar--perhaps, yes, a storm cellar to wait out some turmoil!

And don't be concerned as to where other people have their spots in what house or room or place within a room, or not in a room, either.  Nor ought we be curious about their places because their spots could change in an instant without notice.  It is pointless to try to monitor where others "are" or where they might "be" when we have more than enough to figure out where God wills us to be.  We must be attentive to His asking us to be elsewhere, at any given present moment.

To express this point further, wishing we could have a certain spot or not have a certain spot, or envying others' spots or worrying if others are in the spot we think they ought to be, or not be--well, that is fruitless.  About the time we might think we have it all figured out in our minds as to what is for another, they may have been beckoned on to another spot by His Real Presence.  In the meantime, we may have been so curious and frustrated about some other person's spot, that we might miss our own hearkening call from His Real Presence to be in a new spot, ourselves.

Keep seeking His Real Presence and the place He has for each of us not only in heaven--but on earth as it is in heaven.  Keep working no matter how trivial and no matter if there is much other that could distract and overwhelm.  Keep praying, for that is the means of talking with and listening to His Real Presence.  In this way, we may find assurance as to where He desires us to "be", in what spot for now or at some other time, for then, and at some point forever.

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, let us love one another for love is of God.