Hermit Correspondence

The hermit corresponds on e-mail some, not much. There is the usual daily message exchanged with a Catholic friend who lives but miles away, yet suffers from some mental illness; so we both stay close to home for differing reasons. Then there is the occasional message from a relative, and a few other messages of a spiritual nature, here and there.

Today, on the Feast of St. Stephen, the hermit prayed for some people named Stephen or Steven. Another task was to mail two paperbacks sold on-line, as the hermit continues to try to put all in the hermitage in loving order (detachment), and this includes using up food items and ridding out books unnecessary and already read. If there is someone to gift them to, then fine; otherwise, selling at reduced price at least gets them out there and being read by others. There are always such lovely opportunities for encounter with the postal clerk as well as an encouraging e-mail to the book buyer.

Sometimes the hermit mails letters. This day the Christ Mass letter was readied for mailing. The process will continue tomorrow, as well. Within the letter, the hermit quoted another beautiful passage written by A Carthusian:

Where will this letter find you, I wonder? It matters little. My prayers, by way of God, know indeed how to reach you each day, and that suffices.

We strive to go out of this mortal frame of ours, which is bounded and limited by space. But however beautiful this frame may be, our soul, greater still, passes far, far beyond it to its own sphere, which is the infinite.

"Nothing is so calm as living"....Try to rest more and more, then, in that detachment from all that is ephemeral, and [rest] in that union with the Divine Will which is abiding.

The hermit thought this appropriate to share, connecting these sentiments with the gratitude of rest, of the gift of time to be able to practice the Nine S', and in this way, sharing the rule of life which is being practiced and is not by any means close to being perfected. Perhaps what the hermit writes will be helpful, as many of the friends and family members are older now--aging, and most if not all who will receive the Christ Mass Day letter are non-Catholics.

Of course, there is mention of the fruit of these person's efforts in helping the hermit rear the children into adulthood and independence; the hermit is grateful and expresses this loving appreciation.

No where in the correspondence is mention of the h-word. The hermit mentions a life of daily Mass, prayer, spiritual reading, writing, gardening or household tasks, and usually a daily errand and loving contacts with e-mail and occasional phone visitors. But to mention the hermit life per se would only distress the recipients of the letter, and once more, the hermit repeats the h-word to the hermit, mostly, as a means of full acceptance and reminder of the vocation.

The hermit dropped off one blog from the writing schedule; now no one who knows the hermit or who the hermit knows, knows of the blog sites. A niece asked in an e-mail, but the hermit distracted the question by caring about the niece's blog about her young family. This niece, a Mormon, would not comprehend the life of a religious solitary or that of victim soul.

In other hermit correspondence, the focus is on God, on spiritual life, and that also means Catholic life, for it is in the Church that we have the opportunity for full spiritual growth and life.

In a way, the infrequent phone calls (one today from a man who is struggling with an affliction but is remaining strong against trial; one from the cousin who likes to check in; and one from the hermit to the insurance agent--but even that had its spiritual note) are like correspondence but require practiced focus to listen to the other yet to maintain the spiritual focus not only in listening but in inserting the spiritual by drawing the spiritual view from all that is spoken. In time, those who call for a phone visit will know what to expect in content, for aspects of God will find their way into any topic. It is fun to practice this means of corresponding verbally, and the hermit accepts many errors but keeps practicing. The focus must be all for God, in all conversation and correspondence.

In some ways, this practice has reduced the number of contacts, for many people do not like it. Since the hermit has practiced not discussing "therapeutic needs", the conversations and correspondence have become all the more flavored with focus on God. This practice benefits the hermit more than the recipients, so it is a selfish thing in some ways, but the purpose is to glorify God. Discussing situations and people within those situations, remains a challenge.

While Jesus used people as examples and riled the Sadducees and Pharisees, His purpose was to teach others how to be or not to be; He pointed out wrongs, and the people knew who He meant, but He did so without using names or being specific. But yet, His point was to teach how we are to live by means of example and parable using real life situations--and people, too.

It is perhaps better for a mere mortal to practice conversing and corresponding omnia pro Deo and use as few examples or situations as possible, except with a confessor or trusted confidante if specifics are necessary. Usually, one can get the gist across by being vague. It is best in correspondence to write of the idea, the thought, the spiritual truth, and to glorify God by highlighting life as reflected through, with and in Him: to write from within His Sacred Heart.

What does He see and think to write about? How does He express His ideas? How does He make suggestions and encouragements? How does He show gratitude and also challenge?

Christ's way of conversing and corresponding (for they are linked one to another) must permeate the hermit as genderless soul, in nothingness, but corresponding and conversing from His Heart.