Am continuing onward, examining what the Church sets forth for Her hermits to do and be (found in "Eremitic Life," Sections 920-921, under "Consecrated Life of the Church," in The Catechism of the Catholic Church).
The next statement from where I left off several blog posts ago, continues as follows:
"Hidden from the eyes of men, the life of the hermit is a silent preaching of the Lord, to whom he has surrendered his life simply because He is everything to him."
A consecrated Catholic hermit, living a life of silence of solitude and stricter separation from the world--statements also set forth by the Church for Her hermits--presupposes or assumes a stance of a hermit's hiddenness, of living screened or removed visually and in other aspects, from being noticed or seen by others. The meaning of this ought be obvious and simple enough to grasp.
Yet it is not easy to do, to actually consider the facets of remaining or being hidden from the eyes of others, or how to enact this hiddenness in viable, practical, and fully effective ways. Over the two decades since I received God's call to me to enter the eremitic life of the Church, including over a year of postulancy and novitiate--discerning and testing living out basic aspects of "hermithood," I have gained perspective on what it is to effectuate being "hidden from the eyes of men."
While not yet finished as a hermit in this life, and am still learning yet more facets of what it is to be and remain "hidden," I'll share what I've personally learned, from sometimes painful and awkward lived experiences.
As the great saints and writers of the spiritual life concur, and Scriptures remind, those who do not chase after honor and who seek the least place, who prefer humility and nothingness, are able to progress in the spiritual life in good stead. Humility is precious to the Lord; but not only in that great good, for a hermit, remaining hidden is crucial in more readily avoiding deceptive risks of pride and temptations to other vices.
Being called by God to any of the consecrated states of life in the Catholic Church carries with such call itself, a setting apart from the lay state of most lives, single or married. There can be a temptation to pride or ego, of self-importance, merely in being set apart from the norm of most people. Thus we must not take lightly this lead-in emphasis for hermits, of being and remaining "hidden from the eyes of men."
What I've found, thus far, of what are pitfalls and challenge the spiritual benefits of being "hidden" as a hermit, includes the fundamental spiritual good of how the soul can better be brought through the three ways of the spiritual life, into supernatural union with God, through needful time and focus away from the busyness and noise of various aspects found in the temporal world. Hermits especially must consider this basic point and need, and not deceive ourselves otherwise.
In this contemporary time period of life, many hermits do not have the option of being able to live out in a remote area, alone. Age, gender, health, and finances prohibit many of us from doing as the desert fathers and mothers were able to do to insure being hidden from the eyes of others. There is still that availability, possibility, for men who are in good health and not elderly to live in remote regions, but even on Mt. Athos, the hermits live in proximity to others--walking distance or car or some type of transportation, or have arranged for provisions and needs to be brought to their hermitages.
Excluding the rare situation in which a hermit can safely and capably live far from others, most of us must find other means of remaining hidden, to ensure the aspects that hiddenness provide and actually are requisite for the type of spiritual life and spiritual "work" that is fundamental to Christian hermits. From these temporal realities facing most hermits of our times, I have found the following aspects to hinder, if not destroy, a hermit's being able to be or remain hidden.
Wearing a habit of a religious order (unless actively in that order and having been given superior's approval to live away, hidden, from monastery) or wearing any clothing that is distinctive or different from the garments of those around us in everyday life, causes privately and publicly professed hermits to stand out and prevents a us from being truly hidden.
No way around that reality. Some may find it better to sacrifice a form of hiddenness in order to perhaps remind themselves they are hermits, or don't mind standing out. As to detachment from clothing, that comes with wearing whatever it is we have on hand, and a type of spiritual detachment from temporal items, including garments.
Mentioning to others that we are consecrated Catholic hermits or simply saying one is a "hermit," or someone other announcing we are a hermit, removes spiritual benefit or good in various ways, of a hermit remaining "hidden." Even if we think it necessary to explain our life style, or to keep people from judging or wondering why it is we do not have social interactions or others (friends, family) coming and going, stating we are a hermit will immediately place us in a category of one type or other in the minds of others.
We will be known and thought of as a "hermit" with whatever image and notion of what is a hermit, unless we then try to explain ourselves further. Regardless, identifying ourselves or being identified as a hermit makes us "known" to other/s; an aspect or many aspects of being "hidden" thus are lost in regard to that person or persons.
One can rightly suggest a positive in people learning about hermits, or what is a hermit. They become aware and knowledgeable as to the hermit vocation; perhaps someone or other may want to discern the vocation. If one chooses to be a publicly professed hermit in provision of CL603, thus connected with a particular diocese, it seems the bishops who have received the hermit/s profession of evangelical counsels and their vows/rule of life tend to announce the person as a hermit in the diocese. There may be a diocese newspaper article with photos, and a public Mass. (I assume a diocese hermit could request a private Mass or ceremony with the Bishop, even profession with the Bishop alone.)
Regardless if a diocesan or historical, traditional path of hermit profession, once the hermit makes known his or her hermit status by appearance or labeled identity, there is a breach in being hidden from the eyes of men [others]. I have learned this first-hand, and while for me it has been all right to have explained my hermit vocation to family members and a handful of friends, I often wonder if it mattered to have done so. Definitely, when I have mentioned it as explanation for my lifestyle or situation, to Catholics, it has only brought out their misconceptions of which explaining has not tended to make a great deal of difference, although it is an awareness at some level.
However, my point is that I have found it as well to not mention hermit vocation. It is not crucial to the people with whom I've tried to explain, and those closest to me who've known me for a bulk of my life, and who are not Catholic--well, it has not been necessary to know or not know. Even the few Catholics--they knew me prior for a few years and after, these two decades, and it simply is not something they seem to think about when they write an infrequent email or make an infrequent to rare phone call. We discuss their prayer needs and spiritual matters they might have.
I do think if a person who becomes a hermit has had an active life, explaining or sharing that one is a hermit with close friends and relatives with whom the newly professed hermit has had active interactions and frequent conversations, is charitable for it lets them know the shift necessary for stricter separation from the world, the silence of solitude, and to be hidden from the eyes of men.... We hermits are fooling ourselves if we think being hidden from the eyes of others is something we don't really have to do or be, at least after the newness has passed of one's altered state of life as lay person and into consecrated life of the Church as an eremite.
While I was going to touch briefly on the value of being and remaining "hidden from the eyes of men," I have written more on it that intended. But I realize in the writing of this beneficial aspect included in what the Church sets forth, basically, for what and how a hermit is to do and be, the importance of my reflecting on being hidden, is helpful to me in retrospect and also in what I can do and be now and forward.
I learned shortly into my hermit vocation two decades ago, that wearing a habit only brought attention to myself and hermit vocation, thus creating a lack of hiddenness from the eyes (and through the eyes then come the thoughts) of others. I have only recently also concluded, having relocated and in another hermitage, that explaining or thinking it best to mention my hermit vocation is not necessary and not that beneficial to others. I've been foolish in thinking otherwise; it more hinders than benefits others or me, what otherwise would as well be left off of what is a rather rare vocation.
No one is really "thinking" about the hermit vocation--not at all like we hermits are focused in this life. The more I grow in living out the vocation as the Church desires and suggests in Her wisdom, the more I realize that each aspect laid out is for the best. The ways of the hermits before me--the saintly ones--are good ways to follow. While it is all right and even sometimes necessary to adapt our hermit lives in the daily living out, we can still strive for such as being hidden as a prudent and humble attribute that will help avoid issues and distractions for ourselves and in others. In our time period, to be hidden means, at least it has come to this for me, to blend in visually and verbally.
Rare have been the occasions in which people have wanted me to go and do with them. I generally have had my back pain as a means of declining, but when the back has been better, or such as a Catholic couple I met at Costco last winter who entered into conversation, my back pain did not deter their wanting to be in contact and desire to meet or to hike. When I did then explain my hermit vocation, they had the usual conflicting notions arise, of which I'm not sure there would be enough explaining or pointing out how a hermit in our times does need to get provisions, and how that unfolds in our temporal, contemporary society.
As for the hiddenness, I've come to realize, also, that it has been a gradual process for me. It now seems better to, if I have an obligation to or with a family member or spiritual friend from before my hermit vocation (even they knew in past I am a hermit from the brief time I wore a habit) to choose charity in being present to them on the phone or if in person. I fit into what they are doing or needing, and if they ask about my life, the topic is my health or some other temporal aspect.
So as far as being hidden from the eyes of men, I can fulfill and achieve this visually and verbally, by blending in and in realizing I do not need to explain myself or reveal my hermit vocation in words. My crucifix to which my late spiritual father/priest director had blessed and prayed over it, wedding me to the cross and as a sign and reminder to me of my hermit profession and vows in consecrated vocation, is visible to others but as a Christian. I realize even if asked about it, I do not need to explain that I wear it as a sign and blessing of my Catholic hermit vocation.
For me, living my life increasingly more and more separated from the world is always a challenge not so much now in the externals, but in the interior ways of separating myself from temporal, through holy detachment--without being uncharitable to people, such as the Lyft drivers today with whom I had meaningful conversations, but in the silent, hidden aspects of the Holy Spirit. Being a hermit is not about me being a hermit as involving others, but about my being in Christ, as His hermit who is hidden from the eyes of men living my life as a silent preaching of the Lord to whom I've surrendered my life because He means everything to me... such as I is my life at this point in temporal time of my spiritual progression to union in God.
I'm learning to consider seriously the aspects of this review of what a hermit is to be and do, to manifest in hidden and silent ways, with God showing and shining through me, what in another post I will also explore the hermit's life as a "silent preaching of the Lord."
God bless His Real Presence in us!
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