The stripping continues. The adult children are stripped away, and perhaps due to Catholicism. Yet, who shall I follow? Where do they lead, these adult children?
We must be led to God, to follow Christ. If others do not share knowledge of and value in the Church, and cannot be reasoned with, then there is no alternative but to be stripped. Yes, we can be charitable yet, but must accept that the relationships will never delve into that which is of greatest importance to the soul, the love of the heart, the occupation of the mind.
Where the heart is, there will by thy treasure. Am making arrangements to be free of ownership, to the greatest extent possible and yet not be a hindrance to others. One must be responsible; a hermit cannot subsist on others. There are ways to gift one's hermitage to the Church, to remain in it, manage and upkeep the property, but yet not own it. Today, a car is necessary if one lives on the outskirts without public transportation, and wants to go to Mass! The roads for walking are treacherous with traffic. It is not charitable to depend upon others for rides.
Out in the world, even in shopping, one finds others taking advantage. It is difficult to not develop consumer rage. The injustice, even in something as seemingly small as being overcharged (grossly) for mailing a package when one has asked for the least expensive postage. This was in a Pak-n-Mail place, and the man cheated; another customer pointed it out, but he claimed for one package that it was too late, the postage had been billed. This incident filled the soul with much anger which does not fit comfortably in a soul.
The stores continue to make one ill. Spending and shopping overwhelm the senses. Being taken advantage of to the point of not being able to trust unhinges freedom to love.
It is a lesson, all this. It is the stripping of the senses right down to the soul. One is offered an opportunity, thus, to hibernate in the hermitage, to be stripped of the outer world and to embrace the death which is so liberating.
What more can be eliminated? So many possessions surround, such as the outstanding books, orchids, family pieces. Yet, these can be viewed, truly, as on loan, as borrowed and utilized from God Who is Owner of All. He is the Munificent Lender. He can give and take away. But to accumulate more must cease; the vain and empty wandering in a store, of even finding something for a gift--it is dead. Too often, in the world, one is cheated; it is the nature of greed.
The hermit is not to go back into the world! If so, it is merely pretending to be a hermit with no interior change. Yet, it is so, that if one is truly called to this life, the Lord will instill a sickness toward the world and all in it. The hermit will appreciate the stripping and dying when it comes.
