Notesfromstillsong

[[ Hi Sister. Canon 603 doesn't say anything about living a desert vocation, but that's what you write about, so where does that come in? Do you see yourself living a desert vocation even though you live in a suburban apartment? How does that count as solitude?]]Thanks for your questions. I will try to make this brief. The word eremitism means  (being about) desert dwelling. Ere...

Sister Ann Marie and Dolphin I just finished watching the graduation from the Guide Dogs of the Blind with Sister Ann Marie Gelles, SHF, and Dolphin, Annie's sixth Guide Dog throughout her adult life. (Annie is a big walker and finding a dog that would be able to match her in speed and distance took some time.) Just two weeks ago Annie celebrated her 50th jubilee as SHF and she ...

I very much appreciate the Assumption of Mary as a sign of our life with God as inevitably embodied or incarnated, and this includes our lives post death. It was wonderful to read Father John Klassen's reflection for tomorrow and the way he stresses the nature of the human person as embodied Spirit. Those who stress that we are called to live disembodied spiritual lives that con...

[[Sister, are you aware that another hermit claims hermits never needed or wanted respect, so your argument that c 603 came about so the hermit vocation could be respected is invalid? What seems to be the point is that hermits are "the most humble of all vocations" and have never needed respect. Have you addressed this? Have you reversed your opinion?]]Thanks for writing. I am a...

Have you ever been walking along a well-known road and suddenly had a bed of flowers take on a vividness that takes your breath away? Similarly, have you ever been walking along or sitting quietly outside when a breeze rustles some leaves above your head, and you were struck by an image of the Spirit moving through the world? How about suddenly being struck by the tremendous com...