Haircut for the Hermit

Lectio Divina

And Abram believed the Lord.

Genesis 15:6 (New Living Translation)

As I wrote in a song last year, daring to speak in God's name: "Will you believe the world, or what I say? Oh, hang on every word, or hang on anyway." This Scripture verse reminds not to put my ultimate trust in myself, in the United States or any nation, in any party, persuasion, or power, or even in institutional religion, but in God alone.

Library

There is a room next to the novice library where we have stacks and stacks of uncatalogued books. Many of them will eventually make their way into the collection and database, thanks to the work of the novice who was our librarian this year (and the novice(s) to come). In the meantime, I picked up from this store room the following title, which I opened today:

Fischer, Kathleen. Reclaiming the Connections: A Contemporary Spirituality. Kansas City, Mo.: Sheed & Ward, 1990.

It is my intention to do a little more spiritual reading by women writers before I leave here.

Log

This morning: concluded our class sessions on the history of the Capuchin provinces of North America. With that, we have no more mornings of instruction. Next week, we the learners will learn from each other how we grew spiritually and otherwise during our novitiate.

Early this afternoon: got a haircut from one of my novice brothers. Feeling cooler on top; my head is in shapely again, just in time for profession and the paparazzi. Mid-afternoon, hermitage time for the next to last time during this novitiate. I spent this prayerful silence on a long walk and in the Fischer book, while also meditating on the above words from the book of Genesis.

Now, to a gentle evening, perhaps getting a head start on the packing I intend to complete tomorrow. Anything I don't need here for the remaining two and a half weeks is going to San Lorenzo Friary in Jamaica Plain, Mass.

Weather

Just breezy enough to take the burn off the rising heat.