Catholic Hermit: Eucharist and Hermit

A consecrated Catholic hermit has a fascinating consideration when it comes to the reception of the Eucharist, of His Real Presence.  Being traditionally one who has stricter separation from the world (and from minor to major external and interior separation) and being less or more "hidden from the eyes of men," a hermit may not be in a position to attend the celebration of daily Mass, thus not partake of the tangible, consecrated Host.

I've come across yet again, in The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in section 2837, more discussion of "daily"--temporally is repetitious of "this day" [see previous post "This Day"].  "Daily" and "this day" are to "confirm us in trust "without reservation."  "Daily" or epiousios (super-essential) "signifies what is necessary for life..." and including what is good for us to survive, to subsist.  Literally, "daily" (epiousios) "refers directly to the Bread of Life, the Body of Christ, the "medicine of immortality," without which we have no life within us.

Further in section 2837, we are reminded that "'this day' is the Day of the Lord, the day of the feast of the kingdom, anticipated in the Eucharist that is already the foretaste of the kingdom to come.  For this reason it is fitting for the Eucharistic liturgy to be celebrated each day."

I appreciate what is less pedagogical in this following explanation from The Catechism as to the breadth of "this day" or "daily," as we consecrated hermits (and any of us in the Church) can discern the various ways, dependent upon our vocational conditions, we may and can receive our daily bread.

"The Eucharist is our daily bread.  The power belonging to this divine food makes it a bond of union.  Its effect is then understood as unity, so that, gathered into his Body and made members of him, we may become what we receive.... This also is our daily bread:  the readings you hear [or read] each day in church and the hymns you hear and sing.  All these are necessities for our pilgrimage.

"The Father in heaven urges us, as children of heaven, to ask for the bread of heaven.  [Christ] himself is the bread who, sown in the Virgin, raised up in the flesh, kneaded in the Passion, baked in the oven of the tomb, reserved in churches, brought to altars, furnishes the faithful each day with food from heaven."

We as hermits can inform in various ways our daily and nightly vocational life to the reception, in substance and essence, of our daily bread.  In centuries past, hermits were less likely to have access to daily Mass in a parish or even in a monastery.  Those religious brothers and sisters who have requested of their superior to become a hermit after years of being in a religious order, tend to go and live apart from the group monastic existence.  Of hermits who are priests dispensed from their diocese or monastic duties, they, also, tend to live apart, in solitude, but can request (as did Bl. Charles de Foucald) permission to celebrate by themselves, Mass.  

In contemporary times, hermits may have locational access and physical means to attend Mass at least weekly if not daily.  Yet they certainly are not required to do so, and in fact might, as their vocation grows, deepens, enriches and extends over the months and years, discern God's will in increasing, stricter separation from the world (including the world of the parish or monastery), in greater silence of solitude, and in being more truly and fully "hidden from the eyes of men."

(Here, I am reminded of a confessor I had for several years, a older monsignor and rector, who told me he only knew of one hermit in his life, and that was back when he himself was in a monastery seminary.  The hermit was a Benedictine monk, allowed to enter the hermit vocation by the abbot, and who lived out in a cabin in the woods of monastery grounds, and would come in to the monastery once a week for Mass and what provisions he might need before returning to solitude.  I realize now, several years later, that my confessor was suggesting that to me, as well; and yet I was not ready to enter into that level of solitude and of faith in the ways and means of receiving His Real Presence.)

Before continuing with pondering aspects of "daily" as it pertains to the Eucharist and the living bread of life and how we as hermits discern living our eremitic vocations, I want to share what Pope Benedict XVI wrote about the Eucharist in his Apostolic exhortation Sacramentum caritatis 77. (I insert "hermit" now and then to remind us to reflect upon how it is we as hermits may be called by God and guided by the Holy Spirit to re-form our individual hermit lives in accordance with what the Church also asks of us as members of the Body of Christ, living the hermit vocation.)

"It must be acknowledged that one of the most serious effects of the secularization... [hermits may consider aspects of our eremitic, daily lives in which we become, as it were, "secularized", weakened, by our own undoing and deception] is that it has relegated the Christian faith to the margins of life as it if were irrelevant to everyday affairs.  The futility of this way of living...is now evident to everyone.  Today there is a need to rediscover that Jesus Christ is not just a private conviction or an abstract idea, but a real person, whose becoming part of human history is capable of renewing the life of every man and woman [or hermit].

"Hence the Eucharist, as the source and summit of the Church's life and mission, must be translated into spirituality, into a [hermit] life lived 'according to the Spirit' (Rom 8:4ff.; cf. Gal 5:16, 25).  It is significant that Saint Paul, in the passage of the Letter to the Romans where he invites his hearers to offer the new spiritual worship, also speaks of the need for a change in their way of living and thinking:  'Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect' (12:2).  

"In this way the Apostle of the Gentiles emphasizes the link between true spiritual worship and the need for a new way of understanding and living one's [hermit] life. An integral part of the eucharistic form of the Christian life is a new way of thinking, 'so that we may no longer be children [hermits] tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine' (Eph 4:14).

In my own reflections upon the living out of my daily hermit life, in context of the life of the Church and the Body of Christ, in consideration of my eremitic vocation in the consecrated life of the Church, I all the more seriously pray for God's wisdom and will in what He desires of me, His Catholic hermit, down to the every temporal and spiritual detail of living in His Real Presence.

For me, now, from these holy selections as well as from His Living Word, the Holy Scriptures, I am discerning ways to re-form my daily life as a consecrated Catholic hermit.  With my physical incapacitation, I cannot go into Mass at the parish (no monastery nearby) even weekly.  The parish visitor who had been bringing me the Eucharist in the form of the consecrated Host, has been away for 8 weeks or so.  I have been sustained by His Living Word daily, but I have considered the hermits of yore who, far out in the literal, actual desert, subsisted in spiritual communion in Christ, the Bread of Life, in the Body of Christ.

The other day I used my grabber-reacher tool to pick up from where I could not bend, a few booklets of hymns of Mass and special liturgical celebrations (ordination Mass, solemnities, Christmas, Easter, etc.).  While I cannot sit yet, not even for a short while without too much pain, to more ably hold my Celtic harp, the physical therapist set it up on my counter-height table.  I stood and ineptly plucked out one hymn, just the melody; and a second attempt included trying to recall how to formulate chords.  I'm rusty after the harp being packed away over six years!  

After reading the above citations, I realize that playing and singing (my voice untrained, vocal chords aged and unused in most days of total silence)-- this also is my--our--daily bread.  I plan to incorporate the CD's of Bach's and Mozart's Masses; I have yet to re-figure how to use the unpacked CD music player and hook up the speakers.  But I will!  This will create some "noise" in Solus Deus hermitage, but the good of this form of this daily bread is holy. 

The reality of Christ, of His Real Presence in me and me in Him and His being in this hermitage with me, all the more imbues a glorious participation in His life, death, and resurrection, in His sacrifice in the Mass and in His going forth among all peoples, our Savior, and in my also being sent forth without even leaving my hermitage other than to try to walk back and forth past a handful of houses or being taken to a rare medical appointment in this my time of slow surgery recovery.

Christ is His Real Presence in the consecrated Host; He is the Eucharist, and as Pope Benedict XVI states, the Eucharist must be translated into spirituality of a life lived according to the Spirit.  The reality of this Communion in Christ in the eucharistic form of living such a life, inspires me in this transitional period of my own hermit life, with openness and receptivity of the ways in which the Holy Spirit will reform my externals so as to heighten the interior of my mind, heart, and soul.

God bless His Real Presence in us!  

Catholic Hermit Hears from Spiritual Father

Well, he also may be termed "spiritual director".

There is so much still I could be writing about, of so many spiritual matters, of Scripture, of daily occurrences and adventures the Lord provides non-stop, in every present moment.  But today came a letter in the mailbox.  It is rare to get one, but there it was, and in it the spiritual father wrote of how he enjoyed my last correspondence to him.

This nothing consecrated Catholic hermit had written of thoughts about our being chained to souls to help with their salvation, to bring them to the glory of Christ's salvation.  The spiritual father had but one directive after adding some thoughts and liking what this hermit had written.

"Get that damn house done and get to your writing!"

I had to laugh.  He does not use expletives that I've ever heard over the years.  But, he wanted emphasis, I am sure.

However, the Lord does not seem to be letting up on my getting the house done fast or at all.  Things have happened in the past couple of weeks, even the last week, that I am not going to write about now but will later.

One thing, though, today: Doug the cabinet installer arrived.  The new, kitchen replacement cabinets had arrived on Tuesday, stacked into the other end of the width of house back room area.  There was going to be a kitchen again, perhaps by Monday even if no sink until after template made and countertop ordered.

But no, not to be.  A glitch occurred when Doug opened up the box with the kitchen sink base cabinet.  Wrong kind ordered.  So he was able to set the base cabinets except that one, and will be back in three or so weeks whenever the correct sink base cabinet arrives.  

Thankfully, Lowe's was cooperative without months of delay in getting the cabinet situation remedied. By this evening, it will be on order.  The Lowe's crew and this hermit are all by now on first-name basis, and they know I persevere--as I should.  Right is always right, and I had specifically reminded the cabinet employee to make sure she order an apron front sink base--not the standard.  

Way back, the first time they ordered cabinets for the kitchen (the ones that had been discontinued for being so terrible), they had not ordered the apron front style kitchen base cabinet and had to re-order the correct one.  Third time is the charm!  I am convinced that adage has to do with the power of the Holy Trinity.  For me, the spiritual undergirds all; and I think this is the truth, and many perceive it, not just me.

Anyway, I can't get the "damn house" finished any time soon.  I may have to bail out before it is finished.  All that is up to the Lord, as are all things up to the Lord.  I have put in calls for someone to come help work on things I cannot do by myself or even myself; I get no responses.  The neighbor boy was to come this afternoon, and I left a phone message, but no young man came.

Instead, came a phone call from a young woman I've known since she was eight years old.  We had a deeply spiritual yet practical conversation.  We are connected in that way, and there is a reason she called today even though she said something had her call me after maybe 8 months of not hearing from her. I could not tell her why it is, not yet.

I'm still chuckling over the dilemma, as I, too, have very much felt I am to be writing, not working on an old house and up-keeping the grounds.  However, time is running out, and I am mostly very tired after working on projects; or I have been laid up with one thing or another physically and thus not that well to write much or at least not substantively.

But I will pray and ask the Lord if I am to try more to work and write, and to please give me the energy and wherewithal to do the writing if so.  I am definitely getting lots of praying in, plus have met various people amidst some recent adventures--not intending to, of course.  Good to live in the Order of the Present Moment and let the Lord unfold His Will, moment by moment.

God bless His Real Presence in us, little children!  Let us love one another as Jesus loves us!

Praise God! Praise God! Praise God!

This is one praising-God-consecrated-Catholic-hermit!

I admit I did not consciously remember to do so this morning, but perhaps the Lord sensed it from my joy and gratitude.

I decided to FaceTime with grandson. Give it a shot.  He answered; we chatted about his exciting new trampoline news.  The adult daughter came on.  Nice!  I boldly asked if they could come this summer and help make progress here, that I'd really like to get this place more finished and needed help.  She agreed.  We discussed possible time frames.

Then she mentioned even helping finance having someone hang drywall on living room ceiling rather than us put in tongue-in-groove ceiling in that oblong room.  It is an ascetic reason; the ceiling might be too "busy" with all those boards running the length, even if staggered.  The vaulted back area will be fine with wood ceilings, as well as upstairs and my little cell downstairs where I exist when not manual laboring.

Raphael is coming on Tuesday to see how much it might cost.  The daughter has since sent a couple names of drywall workers with good reviews.  So, there is encouragement, hope, support, and renewed potential.  Praise God!

With such encouragement, this old hermit actually took the momentum to tied down to a tree on other side of pole barn, the ladder laid on top of pole barn metal roof.  This flat ladder idea was given by a friend so that I'd have something to grab when up on the treacherous roof wire-brushing rust off each grommet and other rust patches and spray painting.  After all that is completed, I will roll on two coats of a very durable exterior paint.

I'd been putting off this project for obvious reasons.  The roof is slick not so much from the metal itself but the original paint is so worn as to be dulled and chalky.  I've been asking my angel to hold me steady and keep every small step secured, as well as getting down off the roof on ladder I have set up against the side of pole barn.

Over 1/3 of the rust areas are brushed and sprayed before weather impeded the progress.  Regardless, I can praise God over and over for whatever.  And it certainly is a lot easier to praise God when good things happen, such as touches of loving kindness.  Even if the daughter for some reason cannot come the earlier week we discussed, she said they can definitely come later in the summer.

Praise God!  That's all it took:  an offer, some help coming down the road, encouragement, hope.

Since the weather prohibits roof progress, this nothing consecrated Catholic hermit will praise its way (after a back pain rest break) through sorting and clearing up much of the tool and construction supplies mess inside the hermitage.  Amidst being leveled by pain much of the winter and death process of my will, then so much outdoor work to do, then the thumb would drama, I had let "stuff" accumulate and clutter.

And praise God even though Don at Lowe's has procrastinated already on talking with manager about the bathroom cabinet issues.  I did remind him that maybe "third time will be the charm", and we will get it right this time.  I doubt he will do as he said and talk with the manager, so I may need to make that call.  Praise God regardless what they do or do not do about it!  I must get the proper width cabinets rather than have to take out drywall and re-wire outlets and fixtures.  

Praise God even when matters aren't going well.

Regardless, praise God for all breakthroughs the day before Pentecost Sunday!

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, let us love God above all things, and love others as Jesus loves us.  (This teaching was in today's Mass reading from the Gospel of John.)  Praise God.

Catholic Hermit: Hermit Present Moments

Dear friends in His Real Presence, this nothing consecrated Catholic hermit has been living the present moments with the usual, human strivings for virtue over the typical flaws and vices we face.

I've been in civilization, helping out with watching a young family member while the father was away on a job interview and the mother went to teach college course.  While there, the pain level peaked so was in bed quite a bit but thankfully able to do the driving to get the child where needed to be for activities.

The Lord provided quite a miracle and answer to prayer while there. Hopefully I can write about it this evening.  For now I'm returned to the hermitage.  I must take advantage of daylight hours to continue installing bathroom cabinets and to use the power saws to cut window trim boards--facings and casings.  This morning I ordered the bathroom door.  

Even with all the time spent on leveling the bathroom floor, the cabinets, although new, are not perfect.  Nothing in our temporal world is perfect.  We humans do our best, and even with machine precision, there are shifts and juxtapositions and imperfections in anything material.  We can either grouse about it or can rejoice that it gives us more opportunity to fine-tune what we are working with and that others' hands have worked with prior to ours.

When using a hole cutter bit on the power drill in order to cut holes for the vanity sink drain pipe and hot and cold water lines that poke out from the drywall, the drill flipped and wracked my right thumb a'plenty.  The tendons are over-worked as it is.  So it started my thinking in terms of how amazing are our hands and how useful a blessing they are in our lives.

God grant success to the work of our hands!  Today I will pray for those who have lost hands or were born without hands.  And, I will pray for those who invent and construct artificial limbs and 3-D hands and other devices that help people who are without limbs.  God grant success to the work of our lives!

More, later!  As ever, God bless His Real Presence in us!  May we all love one another, little children, in this terrible time of terrorism and mass murders in various countries around the globe.  God Is Love!

Catholic Hermit: Exercising Gifts

It's been a week or so since writing--writing a blog post, that is!  Have been catching up on some correspondence and writing in another venue.  But mainly, this very tired out, nothing consecrated Catholic hermit has been working hard, exercising gifts that God has given.

Today's first reading from Romans 12 expresses a broad variety of gifts which we mortals are given in varying measure and forms.  What seems crucial despite variety and amounts, is that we utilize the gifts God gives us.  This simple statement reminds us.

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us,
let us exercise them....

There was an urgent need in the family, and this hermit has been away from the hermitage for the bulk of a week.  Working as a team, we built up one another, utilizing each others skills and strengths, sharing ideas, coming up with viable solutions, and remaining positive in what could be a devastating situation.  

We made much progress as a unit, for we are members of the Body of Christ.  We are part of a holy Whole.  There is genuine love and mutual respect, despite individual uniqueness and our mortal, ever present flaws.

Now, having returned to Te Deum Hermitage, this hermit's body is trying to recover from the added push of driving, sitting, conversing, and negotiating with people out in the world.  We had to make progress in problem-solving and in making headway for whatever is next.  

Today, the silence of solitude includes both external and internal, whereas in the past week there was not as much external silence.  It does not matter, for the silence of solitude is an individual and interior attribute--partly learned, partly acquired.  Given by God's grace, a hermit chooses or chooses not to exercise it.

The Lord has been with us all in the moments past, present and will be in future no matter the temporal crises which wax and wane in our external circumstances.  And the externals do affect our interior lives to some degree.  Either we will be buffeted about, or we will hold firm in faith, hope, and love.

Let us choose to affirm one another in love, respecting and honoring everyone in God's law of love!

Now to rise, stretch, dress, eat with gratitude something simple yet regenerative to the body.  There is manual labor to be done here, in the slow process of progress in some externals.  The mind, heart and soul remain fixed on God's law of love of Him and love of others.  

Whether the body be perched on an extension ladder tied into the house through a window and on top of a steep porch roof, painting a gable, or if priming a ceiling and trim pieces for an interior bathroom--or getting a spiritual book ready to ship to a person far away--God is within, and we may in simple consideration, remain in His Love.

God bless His Real Presence in us!