Why?

 Why would a hermitess write a blog?

Good question.

I’m writing this blog because I hope it will help me in my spiritual growth. I think it might help me discern my path, maybe clear some brush out of the way. 

I have spent the last year writing a different sort of blog – one that has helped me understand our Catholic faith a little better, and has helped me to ponder why our Holy Catholic Church is in such a sad, sorry state these days. It’s been an interesting year. I think writing about Church issues has encouraged my spiritual growth, but at times it seems like it’s been a distraction and a bit of detour from my spiritual path. Blogging about my spiritual life as a hermitess – the hidden life I never mention on the other blog – may help me keep the distractions in check, and bring back into focus some things that seem a little blurry right now.

I’m not advertising this blog, or promoting it in any way. I just want to write it.

Another thought: there have always been hermits, and there have always been people who seek them out. My spiritual director is a hermit, and he has way more friends and acquaintances than I do; and more people are seeking him out all the time. Hermits don’t usually want people to seek them out, and they don’t usually advertise their existence or their location. But people seek and find them anyway. I guess the seekers are looking for words of wisdom, or spiritual guidance, or prayers from someone they see as holy and therefore close to God. Sometimes they seek miracles…well, at least it seems that they did so back in ancient times! (Maybe not so much now…faith being at a rather low ebb, I think.)

And sometimes, people just stumble upon a hermit. (That’s what happened to me. I think God probably had a lot to do with that.)

As for me, I'm just a "lay hermitess"...almost no one knows about this aspect of my life. I'm not qualified to give spiritual guidance to anyone, and if any words of wisdom ever come out of my mouth, it will be because God put them there.  I can and do pray for people, of course, but I’m not aware that any miracles have ever resulted! At best, I’m nothing special; at worst, I'm a nit-picking nattering nabob. Still, maybe God will inspire me to write something which will find its way to someone who can benefit from it. If someone stumbles upon this blog, and finds something helpful, then thanks and all glory be to God.

Mostly, though, this is for me. Selfish, huh?

I warned you!