http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jivihermitage_blog/
blessings,
gemma
Friday, September 9, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Reclusion, When Done Properly...
Should not interfere with anything in regards to family life. Quite the contrary, everything should improve. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and everything else will be given you." (Sacred Scripture).
I had already been living the life of a Lay Dominican (and Passionist) since my college days. When the Cloisterites went eremitical, I was advised to live the life myself in order to better redirect the group from a cenobitic focus to eremitical. Combining this with autism, where in some cases one prefers to be a homebody, I found my niche. I was also asked about autistic spirituality by a local autism service provider, and eremitism in such a case makes perfect sense.
I had been using the term 'recluse' because that's what came to me. Upon further research, that's exactly what the layfolk who embraced such a way of life were called when the Anchoritic Movement swept Europe around the year 1000. Anchorites lived in "anchorholds" attached to churches, and some were permitted to go into the church for the sake of giving instruction. Otherwise, they were content to spend the rest of their living days sealed into one to three rooms, praying; giving advice through a grill; and observing Mass and receiving communion through a window. More often than not, they were Third Order Secular.
St. Colette of Corbie, the great Poor Clare reformer, was a Secular Franciscan recluse in her hometown of Corbie, France, before the reform. The scars of the anchorhold can still be seen on the Rue Parmentier side of the church, at the back, between two buttresses. (Google Earth is the next best thing to being there, too).
Back to the year 1000, though. Layfolk were drawn to this way of life, also, but in their own particular circumstances. Two hundred years later, the phenomenon would occur again when St. Clare formed the Poor Ladies in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. Rich women had cloisters built onto their mansions. Anchorites/Anchoresses were still in vogue when St. Colette became one, but the Franciscans had strayed from their austere, empoverished way of life, hence the reason why God called her from the anchorhold to become a reformer.
The Code of Canon Law of 1983 resurrected the Order of Hermits, and I don't see any problem with God calling someone from the laity to be counterparts of their vowed eremitical brethren. History supports this trend. I refer to lay hermits as "catechetical" hermits, because the catechism doesn't specify vows, it says only that some are drawn to live such a life. Hermits who have made vows to their bishops are known as canonical hermits, persuant to canon 603.
In the two spiritual traditions in which I live--Dominican and Paulacrucian (Passionist)--both founders placed a lot of emphasis on getting one-on-one with God. St. Paul of the Cross had their convents--"Retreats"--built in secluded areas surrounded by nature for the sake of rejuvenating his friars. St. Dominic would spend the entire night in prayer before going out to preach.
As I tell everyone who comes to Cloister Outreach for vocational support, the cloister is God and the soul--the building is irrelevant. Concentrate on the cloister of the heart first, then if He wants you in an actual, physical cloister living the evangelical counsels, He will provide. And from the looks of the statistics for cloistered vocations, He is indeed calling many to appease His Wrath.
However, in the spirit of St Therese, a cloistered nun-saint who did little things with great love, we should give ourselves over to the Loving Father who is the One True God. He wants a loving relationship with us--always has, always will. No matter how wretched our past has been, He will take us back (contrary to what the pagans/occultists are telling their adherents). St. Augustine was a former Manachean. Blessed Bartolo Longo, TOP, was a former Satanic High Priest.
In our Book of Revelation, Mary is the woman who will slay the Great Dragon (the goddess at her "best"). There will be no defeat of the "judeo-christian god," because He was there before these imposters were. (Please note that in the movie "The Passion of the Christ," the Devil is portrayed as a woman. The movie is based on the revelations of one of the great mystics of the church, Sr. Anne Catherine Emmerich, a German Augustinian nun. Places which she had seen have been independently verified).
In my reclusion, I aim to console the One True God for the insanity which has pervaded our world. Silence fills this little hermitage out of respect for the King of Kings. I am very little, but that massive bloodshed on Good Friday was meant for me, too. It was meant for everyone, no exceptions. This means you, too.
Blessings,
Gemma
I had already been living the life of a Lay Dominican (and Passionist) since my college days. When the Cloisterites went eremitical, I was advised to live the life myself in order to better redirect the group from a cenobitic focus to eremitical. Combining this with autism, where in some cases one prefers to be a homebody, I found my niche. I was also asked about autistic spirituality by a local autism service provider, and eremitism in such a case makes perfect sense.
I had been using the term 'recluse' because that's what came to me. Upon further research, that's exactly what the layfolk who embraced such a way of life were called when the Anchoritic Movement swept Europe around the year 1000. Anchorites lived in "anchorholds" attached to churches, and some were permitted to go into the church for the sake of giving instruction. Otherwise, they were content to spend the rest of their living days sealed into one to three rooms, praying; giving advice through a grill; and observing Mass and receiving communion through a window. More often than not, they were Third Order Secular.
St. Colette of Corbie, the great Poor Clare reformer, was a Secular Franciscan recluse in her hometown of Corbie, France, before the reform. The scars of the anchorhold can still be seen on the Rue Parmentier side of the church, at the back, between two buttresses. (Google Earth is the next best thing to being there, too).
Back to the year 1000, though. Layfolk were drawn to this way of life, also, but in their own particular circumstances. Two hundred years later, the phenomenon would occur again when St. Clare formed the Poor Ladies in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. Rich women had cloisters built onto their mansions. Anchorites/Anchoresses were still in vogue when St. Colette became one, but the Franciscans had strayed from their austere, empoverished way of life, hence the reason why God called her from the anchorhold to become a reformer.
The Code of Canon Law of 1983 resurrected the Order of Hermits, and I don't see any problem with God calling someone from the laity to be counterparts of their vowed eremitical brethren. History supports this trend. I refer to lay hermits as "catechetical" hermits, because the catechism doesn't specify vows, it says only that some are drawn to live such a life. Hermits who have made vows to their bishops are known as canonical hermits, persuant to canon 603.
In the two spiritual traditions in which I live--Dominican and Paulacrucian (Passionist)--both founders placed a lot of emphasis on getting one-on-one with God. St. Paul of the Cross had their convents--"Retreats"--built in secluded areas surrounded by nature for the sake of rejuvenating his friars. St. Dominic would spend the entire night in prayer before going out to preach.
As I tell everyone who comes to Cloister Outreach for vocational support, the cloister is God and the soul--the building is irrelevant. Concentrate on the cloister of the heart first, then if He wants you in an actual, physical cloister living the evangelical counsels, He will provide. And from the looks of the statistics for cloistered vocations, He is indeed calling many to appease His Wrath.
However, in the spirit of St Therese, a cloistered nun-saint who did little things with great love, we should give ourselves over to the Loving Father who is the One True God. He wants a loving relationship with us--always has, always will. No matter how wretched our past has been, He will take us back (contrary to what the pagans/occultists are telling their adherents). St. Augustine was a former Manachean. Blessed Bartolo Longo, TOP, was a former Satanic High Priest.
In our Book of Revelation, Mary is the woman who will slay the Great Dragon (the goddess at her "best"). There will be no defeat of the "judeo-christian god," because He was there before these imposters were. (Please note that in the movie "The Passion of the Christ," the Devil is portrayed as a woman. The movie is based on the revelations of one of the great mystics of the church, Sr. Anne Catherine Emmerich, a German Augustinian nun. Places which she had seen have been independently verified).
In my reclusion, I aim to console the One True God for the insanity which has pervaded our world. Silence fills this little hermitage out of respect for the King of Kings. I am very little, but that massive bloodshed on Good Friday was meant for me, too. It was meant for everyone, no exceptions. This means you, too.
Blessings,
Gemma
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