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!

Unexpected Phone Call: God Reaches In

The physical pain has been so sickening today that there has been little activity.  And activity is quite important for someone with chronic pain.  If at all possible, it is always best to get up and try to keep the body moving, ambulatory, build up the muscles, distract mind from pain if possible.

Sometimes, however, the pain is wailing a strong warning.  Then, it is best to take it easy, remain at rest.  Other times, the pain is acute, and then there is no option but to be sedated.  It is not always easy to discern the pain's whimper, its wails, its screams, or whatever levels of pain.

When just heading back out to try to unload the pickup truck of black bark mulch, the little cell phone rang.  It was a spiritual friend calling from afar.  We'd not spoken for months, but oddly, I had just mentioned this friend in a response to an email that came, also unexpectedly, from another spiritual friend.  I mean, within minutes of sending the email in which this person's name was mentioned.

We are now dealing with Catholic spiritual friends.  It kind of makes a difference because of topics one can discuss with ease and have an understanding of the role of suffering, the role of the Holy Spirit, of angels, of saints, of prayer life, of spiritual occurrences.  With my Protestant contacts, the interaction needs to be more that I am available for support and prayer encouragement, other than the friend from childhood who is very patient and an unusual soul for kindness.

Anyway, God was reaching in to try to uplift my pained body, wounded heart, and my confused mind as far as the status of this hermitage, the work load, the finances.  

The friend who called had thoughts on it all, and it is still on the lines of the Lord will let me know if I am to try to bail out of it and where to go next.  Since that has not been happening, just continue on, trying to do some work each day with hopes that the body will build up again and the new higher level of pain does not then be the new norm.  We pray it can lessen again, and more work can commence.

For, this particular friend knows that finances are going to be needed for whatever lays ahead.  Younger people think just bail out of the difficult situation, the exhausting work, the overwhelming amount of work.  But those who know this nothing consecrated Catholic hermit well, know that God is doing something in all this.  Definitely, this friend assessed that the Lord is pruning back my family relationships.

And, I suppose it has been shown each day, sometimes multiple times, that the Lord wills to choose who He wants to make contact by whatever means, even in thoughts.  Thus far there has been no physical contact with anyone.  

Tuesday there will be, however, as the cabinet lady at Lowe's has arranged with the manager to do the kind favor and have them deliver the four bathroom cabinets to me, even though it is not their duty to do so.  I won't have to get them in my truck and unload and get them into the hermitage by myself.  What a gift!  I will see two delivery men on Tuesday.  God is allowing this human, physical assistance.

The spiritual friend from afar said she wished she could just bi-locate here and give me a hand with the various work efforts.  We laughed.  Such a term and concept as bi-location is not one that those in my family would be familiar with or even find tenable if I mentioned and explained.

So, it has been a Divine Mercy Sunday in which the Lord has certainly heard and answered my pleas for His Mercy.  He has brought someone who grasps a bit, and can assess with a spiritual view, with a Catholic conception of understanding.  And also brought some laughter along with a load of encouragement--making the next couple of hours of shoveling off however much mulch this hermit's body can tolerate from that load.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner!  (Yes, I did admit to the friend who called that I am well aware of and accepting that I am culpable in many ways for the hurts my adult children must feel or find they cannot overcome.)  But, this is definitely an extreme situation, that has the Hand of God all over it, from the assessments now of a couple of priests and several very spiritually inclined souls.

I will think on the Chaplet of Divine Mercy while off-loading the mulch.  We all need His Mercy!

Catholic Hermit on Holy Friendships

Yesterday, a couple from afar visited this nothing consecrated Catholic hermit.  We had not seen each other for a couple of years and had not corresponded much--knowing we kept each other and families in our hearts of prayer.

While they were taking in the massive amount of work yet to be accomplished at Te Deum Hermitage, another person from afar called.  Such a surprise--and the hermit is to call this person back, but first ascertained if there were any urgent prayer requests.

An email arrived last evening from the young wife and mother with whom the hermit is now reading, across the miles, four books regarding St. Gemma Galgani.  When would be a good time to discuss the reading and other spiritual sharing?

Today the daughter called, needing to talk over some child-rearing issues and frustrations regarding her child.  The hermit promised added prayers for the situation as well as mentioned that mother and son could also pray together to help the focus turn to cooperation and respect.  Prayer silences, soothes, unites, and uplifts--always.

The Catholic hermit a bit ago sent an email to a hermit far away--one with whom once in a long while, there is inquiry as to how the eremitic vocation is faring for each.

Holy friendships are treasures in a hermit's life.  These may be friends the hermit has known for years or not known in person, ever.  They can be brief encounters, intermittent, or more in-depth--such as the holy friendships that include spiritual reading together, or occasional spiritual sharing and guidance emails or brief phone calls.

The encounters are not invasive or distracting.  The contact need not be frequent or lengthy.  The good is in being rooted in His Real Presence, in each party of the friendship striving to speak and to view and to encourage from the spiritual view, from what can be discerned from Scripture or other spiritual reading, that Jesus would desire or approve.

Holy friendships may also include non-temporal friendships.  This hermit has developed a holy friendship with Pseudo-Macarius, for example, which traverses centuries--but that does not matter.  The holy friendships very much include hermit mystics and hermit saints--alive in eternity of heaven and very much with this consecrated Catholic hermit, day and night.

The Three Persons in One God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), the Blessed Mother, the apostles, saints, angels, priests, and fellow pilgrims in the Body of Christ--all are included in our holy friendships.

What is the hermit's responsibility as a holy friend?  It is to love, to pray with and for, to be available to the occasional need to discuss or meet, one with another (and this in person, on phone, in correspondence, or in reading their words, meditating and contemplative their holiness being shared in a mystical way).

In holy friendships, there is an understanding and respect that each person keeps with one another. There is a responsibility to cherish privacy and also to be honest in thoughts shared.  There is a consideration of not crossing boundaries of time and presence, always keeping in mind that a hermit's vocation is asterisked by silence of solitude, being hidden, living a life of prayer and praise and penance.  And, a hermit must respect the others' vocations to married or single life, working in the world, rearing families, and other obligations requiring time and attention.

But always, holy friendships are about love of one another, in His Real Presence--no matter how brief the friendship or if in this life or transcending the ages.

Today this hermit has felt a let-down, of sorts, after the great joy of time spent with the two beloved friends.  For one aspect of visitors, is that there is verbal conversation and aural, active listening involved.  The bulk of the hermit's time is spent in silence and solitude; the transition to other is active, requiring energy expended--perhaps most pointedly in sensitive listening.

With every joy there can be also a sorrow, such as realizing the beauty of holy souls and the time shared together, and that we never know if that blessed opportunity will come again.  In truly holy friendships, the effect of being together is as if never apart; and that effect does carry through in a sorrow turning again to joy when we grasp, then, that it doesn't matter if we personally are together again in this life.  

Of holy friendships, there is the assurance that we will always be in each others' hearts of prayer, united in His Real Presence of our shared faith, hope, and love, in our eternal bond as souls within the Body of Christ.

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Little children, let us love one another for God Is Love!