November/Learning

Alone in my little hut without a human being in my company...Treading the paths of the Gospel, singing psalms every Hour; an end of talking and long stories; constant bending of the knees...

  - Anonymous, The Hermit (Irish, 8th or 9th century)

One thing I have asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

  - Psalm 27.4

During the Celtic Christian period, it was not uncommon for one who was seeking to serve the Lord to be sent away on his own, to live as a hermit for a period of time before either going on mission (peregrinatio) or starting his own company and community of monks.

There were at least two reasons for this. The first was to teach dependence on the Lord for all one's daily needs. Hermits lived off the land, meaning they would have to know all the edible plants, where to find them, and how best to prepare them, as well as how to steward their use of these resources. These would be valuable lessons.

Second, the hermit needed to learn how to find all his sufficiency in the Lord. Extended times alone, in solitude with the Lord, would help the aspiring missionary to master the Gospels, learn the psalms by heart, and commune with the Lord for comfort and strength. These times of solitude were times to "learn Christ", as Paul might have put it (Eph. 4.17-24). One who could not learn alone, in the presence of the Lord only, would not be able to find Him sufficient for the rigors of ministering to others.

Jesus often withdrew for times of being alone with His Father, thus teaching us by His example the importance of this discipline. We are so busy, our lives are so frenetic and filled with things to do, that we have not given much attention or priority to the practice of solitude. But here, in the presence of the Lord only, there is much to observe, much to learn, and much comfort and strength to gather for serving others.

The hermit continued his poem, "My Creator to visit me, my Lord, my King, my spirit to seek Him in the eternal kingdom where he is." Ah, what pleasures and joys are to be discovered there. Solitude can be a place of spiritual enrichment - if only we can find the time for it.

Today at The Fellowship of Ailbe

Today's ReVision considers the evidence of systemic sin - earmarks. But are we about to witness, at the very least, a kind of hiatus from this sort of legislative corruption? Also, we consider the Chalcedon Definition as one of the founding documents of the Kingdom of God. John Nunnikhoven's "Voices Together" column, my "In the Gates", and various Member blogs also await your perusal.

And here's an excellent suggestion for around your Thanksgiving table: Get a copy of The Ailbe Psalter from our bookstore, and sing the great songs of David, Asaph, and the sons of Korah to the familiar hymn tunes you've always loved. You will grow to love the psalms more if you will.

Also, we are announcing a few mentoring opportunities available for pastors to enrich and expand your spiritual life and ministry. Check out the website.

T. M. Moore, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.