More on Signal Graces

As an update on the heat pump demise, after several calls, the heat pump installer did call back.  It took driving a distance, explaining to a kindly person the difficulty, and that person calling and also leaving a message to at least please call and advise on next steps possible.  Is there someone else to contact to help figure out the problem?  Emphasize:  Old hermit with pain very cold.  Just need a response.

He thinks the circuit board is probably "blown."  He thinks there was a power surge yesterday, early afternoon.  That could be a here-and-now cause.  (The spiritual aspect is yet another, and to this hermit is the important cause with a resultant effect and desire.)  

The man is away in civilization and will not be in this area for a few days, and then will need to order a new circuit board.  Is there a space heater available? Yes.  The hermit can remain in this one upper room with the space heater, sock hat, wool jacket, wool socks, and under the covers.  An occasional trek downstairs into the very cold suffices for water and tidbits to bring back upstairs to eat.  Not much food is necessary while being sedentary.

Praise God for an answer and a next step in a few days, to make progress on a very tangible but wonderful need:  heat in the cold.  Ah, if an early desert father or mother, could simply build a fire to keep warm. (Fire-building is in itself not a simple effort, but indeed it is more convenient and do-able than relying upon electronic heat pumps.  But there is no legal leeway to build a fire in a hermitage today that would not result in major damages to the structure, the fire and police departments involved, insurance company investigation, and an arrest and fine for having caused a fire....)

The day has dragged and much time seems wasted, for the mind has wanted to do some tasks.  The body is too ill with pain from the cold to be able to perform those tasks.  What is the signal grace, then?  It is to cease the thoughts of manual labor or even of driving back into civilization for more insulation.  Too worn out; too cold; too late in day to attempt other than remaining in bed, praying.

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Since signal graces are on the mind, the thoughts turn to signal graces of the past.

There was the time when praying in the first parish after conversion to Catholicism.  Lying on back on pew in empty church (had to do that to keep back from too much pain), was praying and praising without words.  An insight came.  It was that while we pray for priests, we also ought praise God for the priests who are holy and outstanding.  It was deeper, more profound an insight, though.  More of how immensely pleased is God when a priest truly loves Him and truly desires holiness, and does all to be the instrument of God that God desires of priests.  

And even so, the insight was far more penetrating, the joy of God's pleasure so intensely expressed with the message and insight, that out the left side of the hermit's head came a tremendous flash of light and massive sound.  It emanated outside, and the hermit sat up out of the contemplative mode (for the thoughts had gone so deeply into His Real Presence's view of such priests' souls, that the mind was not aware any longer...until the bang and flash of light).

Shortly after, an assistant priest came into the church and looked about, checked the lights and sound system.  No power.  Then he noticed the hermit alone in the darkness, and asked if had seen the light and heard the bang?  The entire church and rectory's power had been blown, a transformer just outside and to the left had exploded.  

The impact of the thoughts at the time, although too deep to adequately express, are ever with this hermit.  The immensity of God's love and pleasure in the souls of priests who love Him to such a high essence as to live their lives in great holiness--and of that for any soul, but so magnified in His pleasure are the good and holy priests.

When in high school, the now-hermit was reading a book at a friend's house, waiting for her to return from a date.  Her parents were away, and they wanted a friend to spend the night with their daughter rather than leave her alone.  All of a sudden, while deep into the book (The Cherry Orchard by Ibsen), a radio blared from upstairs.

Ah, it must be the new clock-radio the friend mentioned purchasing for going off to college in a few months.  So, went upstairs, but instead of some new radio, it was an old radio in a back bathroom.  It was not just turned on a little, but was turned on full volume, and there were voices speaking.  Just turned it off, still thinking it must be a clock radio with a timer set.

The friend returned, and this now-hermit commented what a jolt when their clock radio turned on.  What?  That radio was not a clock radio; her clock radio was packed in its box, unopened and unused.  The friend mentioned they had had some odd occurrences connected with that bathroom; but over years hence of paranormal experiences, this hermit has learned to discern that they all have a message or meaning that emanates from His Real Presence, even if the allowance of dark forces to be the enactors.  All the signal graces come from God, as He is Creator of all good and the ruler over all good and evil.

This hermit has had doors open and footsteps into houses that signal someone has died, and usually who that someone is.  There have been rushes of air in an otherwise still room--signal grace to pray for someone, and often accompanied by a vision of a scene, assisting in the prayer focus.  There have been "knockings" coming from a wall, and usually if the hermit is reclined, coming from the wall opposite the crown of the head.  This is an action of the Holy Spirit.  The knock is loud and sharp, and it most often can be likened to an exclamation point upon whatever the hermit was praying.  What to do?  Praise God and continue praying more upon that particular point.

Sometimes the signal graces can involve movement of objects, but this is not as common.  Once when bed-ridden with severe pain, the now-hermit fell asleep, praying.  The next morning, beside the bed, was neatly piled the papers copied a week before, from some research done in a university library, on the Holy Spirit. The hermit had forgotten about these papers in the midst of such pain, but what was the message?  Read them!  And, much was gained on knowledge of the Holy Spirit.  Praise His Real Presence!

Years ago, a couple days prior to the back surgeries, the children had been jetted back to be with their grandparents, as the surgery was going to require time in hospital.  The pain became so severe that this now-hermit could not rest, so crawled out into the family room and lay on the floor, weeping from the pain itself.  Then, in the dark, lights started to flash to the right of the hermit's body.  Turning its head, the lights repeated themselves in a pattern.  If they had not repeated themselves three distinct times, one could dismiss it as some 2 a.m. car lights (although no road near enough for car lights to be visible, anyway).  The lights three times flashed in luminous order, making the sign of the cross each time.  

The signal grace was God's way of reassuring that all would be well.  Yes, all would be well.  He is near. He would be with the now-hermit and her children, and her parents caring for the children, and the surgeon and nurses.  The lights signaled peace and love.  What was particularly stunning was that the lights made the sign of the cross, and the hermit was not then a Catholic, and as a Protestant had never made a sign of the cross.  It was not part of the Protestant culture.

These are but a few of many signal graces, too many to recount.  Signal graces are not creed-exclusive, nor of certain religious groups or only for certain souls.  Yet they do require us to recognize them, to not discount or brush them off or ascribe to coincidence.  The signal graces' purposes all run in a universal continuum:  His Real Presence teaching, messaging, signaling, exhorting, reminding, reaching in, being with us.

God bless His Real Presence in us!  Let us love one another, little children!  Remain in His Love!

One Must Wonder

Late yesterday afternoon, the heat pump, a year old, ceased functioning.  Calls were made to the installer, to no avail.  Called the electrician who has been assisting with the overwhelming work here, re-doing much that the first contractor who cheated, did and did not do well.  Did all the breakers, twice.  Removed batteries and reset the remote for the heater.  Still does not work. 

The cold increased.  Have a space heater trying to keep any bit of warmth.  Found sock hat and today will find the gloves and wool socks.  Got under the covers and tried to stay warm.  Then the power went out totally in this area.  Sometime during the night power was restored, as the space heater turned on again.

Without the heat pump, however, it will be very difficult to exist outside of staying warm in the bed unless wear coat and hat and gloves, and difficult to do work bundled like that inside.  Trying to keep up the attitude, but it is not easy after so much expense and effort, and the memories of nearly freezing to death in here last winter.  Two nights it seemed as if hypothermia would be this hermit's end.  And it would have been all right.

One wonders, or at least this hermit had some thoughts come immediately to mind.  It certainly seems a direct correlation that with the increase in prayerful reading of Scriptures throughout the day and night, the forces of darkness stirred and interfered with the technology of a certain, nearly new, heater.  Then power going out in the area when no winds, was another odd event.

This hermit has had such varied interference with the temporal and especially with electronic items, in the past.  In a lovely home years ago, shortly after converting to Catholicism, the smoke detector would start beeping when the hermit would pray silently.  Seemed to be some direct connection, but in practical wisdom, hired an electrician to check the smoke detector that was near the bedroom, where would pray most, resting in bed or ill in times of pain sieges.

The electrician dismantled the smoke detector and said was not the problem.  He could not figure it out.  With no wires, no batteries in it, he handed the smoke detector to this hermit's hands.  The detector immediately started beeping.  Granted, the electrician was spooked, shrugged his shoulders, said he'd send the bill, and made a quick exit.

On other occasions, when the hermit's children were still young, and the hermit not yet a hermit, at a certain time of intense prayer, the television in another room turned on spontaneously.  There is more to this event, delightfully of God. 

The children were then visiting their father in another state, on enforced visitation.  He had quite a temper, and the children had called to say their father had lost his temper and repeatedly kicked a step-brother.  The police were called by another step-brother.  This hermit's children's father presented himself well to the police, giving them his career and status, and the abused child feared too much to tell the truth.

This hermit had been praying into the night for the safety of the children, far away from home.  It knew the emotional and physical abuse and fear the former husband could invoke.  Thus, in the middle of the night, when the television turned on and quite loudly, this hermit went to that room to figure out, literally, what on earth was going on!

The television was indeed on, a woman psychologist was talking about some child who had been abused by his father.  The psychologist was speaking with a mother on the program, and assured her that the child would be safe and all would be well.  The holy moment was not lost on this hermit who was not a television-watcher; the set had not been on since the children left for their two-week, summer visitation.

On other occasions, this hermit (even as far back as childhood) has had evidence of God's reaching into this temporal realm and utilizing electronic waves to alert and give messages.  Some could term this phenomenon as "telekinesis", or distance movement.  However, these experiences are not the causal effect from a person but rather are of Divine intervention, a telekinetic reaching into the temporal as signals.  Thus, this hermit has for years considered them "signal graces." 

Everyone experiences signal graces.  Not everyone recognizes them as God's reaching into our temporal circumstances as Divine interference, delivering messages or giving reminders of His power and might.  There is always a reason for His reaching in, and since the universe and our bodies are filled with electrons, it makes sense that often the events occur with tangibles of earth, including our bodies.  

In some signal graces that this hermit has experienced over the years, God allowed kinetic interference in ways that allowed the dark angels or forces, to act.  The purpose always seems to be for this hermit to turn body, mind, heart and soul all the more to Him--desiring love, asking for strength and faith, provided as always by His Real Presence.  

The response we must learn to whatever signal graces is to offer more prayer, more praise, more devotion and love--especially love!

When one experiences enough credible and witnessed events of the forces of good and evil interacting through temporal objects and events, there leaves little room for doubt.  The challenge, though, is to remain strong in the midst of difficulties and not to despair.

Last night, the battle was intense; despair was lurking in the cold and dark.  But this hermit endured, and today the dawn breaks, and the prayers must continue, and the body will endure until it cannot endure any longer.  The hermit will call the heat pump installer again and pray he responds. Whatever it takes!

In the worst of the cold of the night and after the area power went out, leaving not even a space heater functioning, the thoughts came that this hermit could not get through another winter like the last one.  The finances are dangerously low now, and the obstacles remain high.  However, thinking one cannot endure another winter like the last is not helpful thinking.  It lacks faith.  It lacks a certain detachment from the physical and from willing what one desires and not leaving all to God.  

Such thoughts do not reflect the Order of the Present Moment which would have the thoughts and the will place all trust in His Real Presence in each moment.  If that moment arrives in which it cannot endure, His Real Presence will be the One to determine that moment--not this hermit.

Even if the hermit has to hibernate like a bear and remain under the covers for the bulk of the days and nights, that is what will be.  "What is the worst that can happen?" keeps all in better perspective, as well as to meditate upon Jesus' nights when he went off to the mountain to pray.  

That became the thought last night, here in Te Deum Hermitage.  Surely Jesus experienced cold.  There was no harnessed electricity in His time on earth.  He had no bed in the mountains, no heavy blankets, no sock hat, no gloves, no flashlight, no bucket, no roof overhead when it rained.

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From today's Gospel reading at Mass:

Then he [Jesus] told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” He replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and ! put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.” ’ 

This hermit must persevere in faith, hope, and love.  The prayers and devotions and efforts spiritual shall continue, as well as whatever work efforts possible.  This soul must bear fruit in each present moment, or at least prepare itself to better possible yields and not "waste the soil" with despairing thoughts.  

Praising God in all situations and thanking Him for signal graces--even in electronic interference reminders of His Sovereignty--will fertilize soil that seems weakened or frozen.

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