Solitude
Jesus shows us the need for getting alone with God, separating ourselves from the pressure of the world, and simply from the distractions of other people's presence, however dear that presence might be. Read Matthew 14:23; Matthew 15:29; Matthew 17:1; Mark 6:31; Mark 7:24; Luke 9:10; Luke 22:41 for starters.
In Terry Waite's wonderful autobiography Taken on Trust, written after his return to England from 4 years' solitary confinement in Beirut, is a long, incredibly humble account of his years in one of the 20th century's worst deserts, the plight of the political hostage. He says, "I don't wish to give the impression of one returning from the wilderness full of wisdom and grace. That would be a manifest nonsense. However, my belief is that the Church more than ever needs to concentrate on the depths of religious experience. Our fragmented society needs a whole series of 'reflective pools', places where the very deepest issues of life and death may be explored and understood away from the cut and thrust of the market place." (One of the things that delights me about Terry Waite, writing like this, is that he is the very last person anyone could dream of accusing of being out of touch with reality!)
Human lovers know instinctively the need for solitude - they go off in pairs and wander on beaches, sit on secluded park benches, and gaze into each other's eyes. They "have eyes only for each other" as the saying goes - we need to have eyes only for God: we need to hunger to be alone with him just as lovers hunger to get away together, just the two of them. God loves us with a passion never imagined by even the most besotted of human lovers; we need to reciprocate as best we can, weak and imperfect though that is, and utterly contingent on God's sovereign grace for its existence at all.
Practically, it may be difficult for us at first to find the opportunities we need for solitude with God - but God is far more humble than we humans, and he'll take whatever we can give him. 10 minutes alone in the bathroom, half an hour in the car in a lay-by on the way to a meeting - God will take anything, and will bless it beyond anything we can think of. What's more, he will make more opportunities for us if we use the ones we have already. Wander off to the end of the platform, away from the complaints of your fellow travellers, and give God the 20 minutes you spend waiting for that train, and he'll find whole days for you later.
The Solitary LifeSome of us find ourselves called to solitude and contemplation on a much longer-term basis. Among our contemporaries, Brother Ramon SSF famously spent the last years of his life as a hermit, with the blessing and supervision of his order. He wrote at length about his experience, particularly in A Hidden Fire (Harper Collins 1985) and The Flame of Sacred Love (BRF, 1999).
Discerning this call is not an easy matter, and this discerning should not be undertaken – paradoxically! – on one's own. Christian solitaries are nonetheless part of the Body of Christ, and must be sure to remain in communion with their church and with any religious order with which they are affiliated. I personally am convinced that the solitary life can only be undertaken safely and truthfully with the guidance of an experienced spiritual director, with whom the solitary must keep in close contact throughout their journey.
My advice to anyone who has felt this call in their life, has prayed at length about it, and feels it growing even stronger, is to speak in the first instance to their own minister, and then probably to one or other of the religious orders in their own communion. If that communion has no such orders, there are a number of ecumenical orders throughout the world. A Google search for “ecumenical religious orders” will turn up hundreds of entries – the Spirit is sure to guide you to a place where you will find the help and supervision you will undoubtedly need on the path God is calling you to follow.
In Terry Waite's wonderful autobiography Taken on Trust, written after his return to England from 4 years' solitary confinement in Beirut, is a long, incredibly humble account of his years in one of the 20th century's worst deserts, the plight of the political hostage. He says, "I don't wish to give the impression of one returning from the wilderness full of wisdom and grace. That would be a manifest nonsense. However, my belief is that the Church more than ever needs to concentrate on the depths of religious experience. Our fragmented society needs a whole series of 'reflective pools', places where the very deepest issues of life and death may be explored and understood away from the cut and thrust of the market place." (One of the things that delights me about Terry Waite, writing like this, is that he is the very last person anyone could dream of accusing of being out of touch with reality!)
Human lovers know instinctively the need for solitude - they go off in pairs and wander on beaches, sit on secluded park benches, and gaze into each other's eyes. They "have eyes only for each other" as the saying goes - we need to have eyes only for God: we need to hunger to be alone with him just as lovers hunger to get away together, just the two of them. God loves us with a passion never imagined by even the most besotted of human lovers; we need to reciprocate as best we can, weak and imperfect though that is, and utterly contingent on God's sovereign grace for its existence at all.
Practically, it may be difficult for us at first to find the opportunities we need for solitude with God - but God is far more humble than we humans, and he'll take whatever we can give him. 10 minutes alone in the bathroom, half an hour in the car in a lay-by on the way to a meeting - God will take anything, and will bless it beyond anything we can think of. What's more, he will make more opportunities for us if we use the ones we have already. Wander off to the end of the platform, away from the complaints of your fellow travellers, and give God the 20 minutes you spend waiting for that train, and he'll find whole days for you later.
The Solitary LifeSome of us find ourselves called to solitude and contemplation on a much longer-term basis. Among our contemporaries, Brother Ramon SSF famously spent the last years of his life as a hermit, with the blessing and supervision of his order. He wrote at length about his experience, particularly in A Hidden Fire (Harper Collins 1985) and The Flame of Sacred Love (BRF, 1999).
Discerning this call is not an easy matter, and this discerning should not be undertaken – paradoxically! – on one's own. Christian solitaries are nonetheless part of the Body of Christ, and must be sure to remain in communion with their church and with any religious order with which they are affiliated. I personally am convinced that the solitary life can only be undertaken safely and truthfully with the guidance of an experienced spiritual director, with whom the solitary must keep in close contact throughout their journey.
My advice to anyone who has felt this call in their life, has prayed at length about it, and feels it growing even stronger, is to speak in the first instance to their own minister, and then probably to one or other of the religious orders in their own communion. If that communion has no such orders, there are a number of ecumenical orders throughout the world. A Google search for “ecumenical religious orders” will turn up hundreds of entries – the Spirit is sure to guide you to a place where you will find the help and supervision you will undoubtedly need on the path God is calling you to follow.
