Visit with Hermit's Anam Cara

Yesterday the hermit visited the spiritual da: my anam cara. This nearly 88-year-old Irish priest is more the hermit and mystic than any other this hermit knows. He is a great mentor.

Of course, when the hermit tells him he is the mentor, the spiritual da scoffs, for he is exemplary in humility.

We discussed a recent assignee to the hermit: a priest of 8 years who is on leave from active ministry, for he has fallen in love, or thinks he needs intimacy to counter sadness. The hermit has written this young priest and prays much, and now the spiritual da is praying much, also. The young priest is marked by God for a special destiny, and the young woman who set her sights on him, as well as the priest who lost the priestly focus, face losing both their God-will destinies if they continue on this divergent path.

The hermit had written to the priest of the hermit's sadness and loneliness, of feelings of being suffocated, isolated. Yes, these are experiences and sensations on the path of union with Christ. While horrendous, they are to be expected. It is the reality, however, of their intensity, which sucks the breath from the emotions and the light from the mind. Darkness, dreer, and dank demisal storm the soul.

Ah, it is to die. And to die is good. The Bible tells us so. The spiritual masters tell us so. The saints show us. Jesus led the way; He is our Teacher and Exemplar in dying to self in order to rise in Him. That is when life begins.

The hermit's spiritual da sum anam cara spoke about sounding the depths. He reflected upon his childhood in County Galway and of going to the sea. He had a great fear of the ocean, of Galway Bay, and he'd watch people always put their big toes in to test the water before they'd jump in. Some would wade in, and rarely did anyone just jump without putting in the big toe.

He said that Jesus calls us to the deep waters, and this takes courage and faith. We discussed Peter walking on the water and of jumping in to swim to Jesus Who stood on the shore. Yes, Peter always had Jesus as His goal, His destination, and it wasn't like jumping into the ocean far out, without seeing Christ. So we must always see Christ, have Him as our destination, even if He does not stand visibly before us. He is here, standing, waiting to reach out a steadying hand, to receive us in warm embrace.

The hermit read a letter sent to the Bishop. Also, the hermit brought up thoughts on why priests (or anyone) has difficulty in fulfilling God-willed destinies. But these topics are for another writing session. The anam cara had much to comment on these, also, with readings augmenting--writings of Fr. Matthew Kelty of Abbey of Gethsemane.

So in the night when the hermit could not sleep due to pain, the hermit reflected upon the anam cara, and how God brought such insight and richness to the visit, with much love and help in the hermit's fulfillment of God-willed destiny.