No men’s meeting today after early mass at Sacred Heart. I was disappointed, informed the meetings are held the second and fourth of every month. It will be a solid start of Lent to enjoy the first Saturday with a fellowship meeting with the men’s group. I was contacted yesterday by a woman from the St Clare parish regarding their weekly Lent gatherings, aligned with the parish of St Paschal Baylon. The idea of increasing my faith based social life intrigues mightily. Clearly, God is demonstrating forthright in ways to be and not to be–maturity expanding. Demonstratively, I will point out one of the disturbing experiences directing me further into healthy communal activity within the Church. Even if the religious life is discerned later in life, a retiring to prayer and a singular concentration upon God, I am convinced it is first important to establish the fact I am able to intimately interact with mature members of the Church. I have determined it is best to put distance between John the Hermit and myself. Over a week ago, he left a harmless, yet deeply disturbing message on my phone, declaring his psychological interpretations on the dangers and prideful nature of facial hair. Setting aside detail and argument, foregoing issues and dealing with core problems, the message sounded weird, deranged and spiritually unhealthy, unsettling on a spiritually intuitive level. I did not respond to the message, allowing patience and time to allow a greater revealing. He furthered matters by leaving more messages apologizing, and more words absorbed in an attempt to profoundly analyze facial hair through psychological expertise. The matter became humorous on a bizarre level. He is harmless, yet strange and isolated in his spiritual path. I have no interest in pursuing such matters. Abbot William writes of marching to his own drummer, yet that solitary state is pursued within obedience and acquiescence. He was able to humbly interact and share with others. He could establish friendships and associations of lasting depth. I have been leery, while admiring, John the Hermit based upon his intense spiritual acumen, although cautious due to the fact when he speaks it is always from the position of a spiritual master. He talks to everyone with an implied tone that he is spiritually superior. Undoubtedly, God presents a way not to be. That experience came on the heels of a Sunday with a friend from St Paul Shrine who asked for a ride after mass. I took the woman immediately across town, foregoing a Holy Hour, pulled away from socializing with coffee and donuts, in order for her to attend her second mass within a two hour time period. I sat in the church, observing the single woman of no family ties isolated from everyone, sitting preoccupied in prayer, completely distant from the families attending Sunday mass. I decided to wash my car, feeling disturbed by spiritual gluttony. There was something disturbing I was a part of, something foreign to propriety, something abrasive to a peaceful solitary contemplative Holy Hour following mass shared amongst the body of Christ. I am firm in my conviction to distance myself from weird, immature, ways of living the spiritual life. I am able to abandon God, becoming more authentic in my humanity, in order to draw closer to God.