Mondays I visit my parents. They have medical appointments etc and I get a German meal. (And, of course, much love.) But today moved from a relaxing day sitting in the car reading to a day with lots of stress: I am not used to people (stress 1), my father has ongoing medical issues that have become worse (stress 2), I have ongoing issues that need to be addressed today (stress 3), and my parent’s internet (and VOIP) are not working so it needs to be fixed (stress 4).

So I got up before sunrise, prayed, and then meditated. Drove here the long way and just relaxed in the car. On the upside, I found a book in my room that I do not remember buying but that I want to read. Bonus! The internet fix was simple and I think I will get on top of my issues soon. I have to come back tomorrow to drive my dad to the hospital but that is tomorrow.

I have been thinking about “Contemplata aliis tradere” (yes, I am a show-off for quoting it in Latin but I do link to the Wikipedia and it simply means “to hand down to others the fruits of contemplation”.) First: is it part of the inner or outer rule? So, assuming the outer always serves the inner, is it a moral duty to share? Second: can the “fruits of contemplation” be shared? Or does that assume a different understanding of contemplation? Is contemplation extremely personal by its very nature?

When I returned to the anchorhold, I worked on the Bible Study for next week. It is Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42) which has often been used in active versus contemplative religious life. But does the text really speak about that? One of the things that solitude does for me is strip me of my baggage, especially when I read the New Testament. I guess I am not rushing through the text, finding the “meaning”, and thinking about how to bring that to someone else. Often to show how much smarter I am than the other person. Solitude confronts the question, “What is Jesus saying to me?”.

I want to write about freedom and necessity in the near future. The outer and inner rule of life.

Heart of Jesus, I trust in you!