“Seek what is above.”

Following is the prepared text from Bishop Olmsted’s homily for the Consecration of a Diocesan Hermit.

November 20, 2021

“My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.” – Psalm 63

These words of Psalm 63 capture a great longing for intimacy with God, with which many can identify, especially a diocesan hermit. For a man called by Christ to be a hermit in the desert of Arizona, the imagery of the psalm has particular vibrancy, as it describes well the urgency of his soul: “O God, you are my God, whom I seek; for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.”

For whomever are reborn in Christ through Baptism and not mired down in sin, these words capture their keen desire for intimacy with God. After months and months of social distancing, our longing for the nearness of God is greater than before. We can readily make our own verse nine of Psalm 63, “My souls clings to you, O God; your right hand holds me fast.”

Father Eugene, my spiritual son in Christ, in addition to your contemplative prayer with and for the Church, your primary apostolate is to help priests deepen their interior lives through spiritual direction and retreats. This apostolate is greatly needed at the present time in history, when we priests and bishops can become distracted by the noise of the world and the temptations of the evil one, and forget Jesus’ words to the Apostles at the Last Supper, “Remain in me, as I remain in you… because without me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:3ff). The lay faithful, too, are reminded by your life of silence and solitude at the Merciful Heart Hermitage to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus, who inspires and perfects our faith (Cf. Heb 12:2).

When we drive through Black Canyon City coming south, if we lift our gaze to the hilltop on the left and notice a small white chapel, which indicates the site of your hermitage, I pray we shall always be reminded of St. Paul’s exhortation to the Colossians in which he says, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above…” (Col 3:1f). Then, he adds, “Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.” Seek what is above; think of what is above.

A diocesan hermit, and others who accept God’s call to Consecrated Life in the Church, help the rest of us to rise above the mediocrity of our times, to keep our minds on the Gospel, and to fix our eyes on Jesus. They remind us that, in the waters of Baptism, the Father raises all of us with Christ, lifting our attention beyond this world to the Kingdom that lasts forever. Whoever make a permanent profession of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, and obedience are renewing and deepening their commitment to the promises they made in Baptism and inspiring the rest of us to do the same.

A few moments ago, I asked you, Father Eugene, “What do you ask of God and the Church?” You answered, I want to live a “life of prayer and penance, for the glory of God and the service of the Church.” In other words, you want to imitate Christ, who became poor to make us rich, a slave to set us free, an obedient son who told His heavenly Father, “Not my will but yours be done.”

When St. Paul told the Colossians, “Think of what is above, not of what is on earth,” he was not speaking so much about a physical location but about a decisive orientation of one’s life, a desire to lift up our hearts to God and to put the interests of others ahead of our own (Col 3:3). Already now on earth, we share in the life of Christ, especially when we are nourished with His body in the Eucharist and enlightened by His holy word.

How appropriate it is that Jesus tells us today: “I am the vine, you are the branches. Remain in me” (John 15:5). If a vine does not produce grapes, it is worthless. And that is what we human beings become if we do not remain one in Christ. Jesus indicates two things that are needed to remain in Him: pruning and obeying. About pruning, Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does He prunes so that it bears more fruit.” Notice that the vine grower conducts two different actions: He “takes away” the barren branches and he “prunes” the fruitful branches so that they may bear even more. Both actions are vital for a vine to bear fruit.

Sometimes in drastic ways, at other times in small, the Father prunes and removes things that could hinder our fruitful witness to His Son. He does this in various dimensions of our lives: Physically, we age, we suffer from illness, or our friends move away. Emotionally, we experience uncertainty or disappointment. God, who at one time seemed so near, may now seem far away. Initial fervor begins to wane. Our hearts get restless, and our souls can doubt. In all these things, God the Father is at work, pruning and trimming, so that we can bear more fruit. And what does He ask of us? Trust, surrender, and confidence in His plan even when we do not understand. He is the Vinedresser. We are the vine. Accordingly, in the solemn Profession prayer, as the Bishop of Phoenix, I have the honor of asking the following for Father Eugene Mary of the Trinity:

“Send him the Spirit of holiness, help him to fulfill in faith what you have enabled him to promise in joy… Give him perfect chastity, ungrudging poverty and wholehearted obedience.”