There are conditions to be an effective and fruitful person in ministry or in service. The early deserts Fathers are a source of this kind of wisdom. When Arsenius was a teacher in Rome, and rather wealthy, a good catholic, really felt the pressures and the pushes and pulls and compulsions of society, he prayed: ALord, show me the way of salvation.@ And he heard the Lord say, AFlee man and you will be saved.@ So he snuck out of Rome and went into Egypt. So the first real issue of solitude is really not allowing the compulsions of society to rule your life. It=s ok for us to be happy on Saturday evening as we hear that our football team won and we can rejoice. But if they lost would we be depressed. If we=re not depressed than I think we are not attached to the events of life in society. But you can do this with all kinds of things.

        You can do this with fashion, with the peoples opinion, etc. So the first element of solitude that every person needs if they=re going to be effective and fruitful in their life is to have this freedom, at least a sufficient freedom, from the compulsions of the world. When everybody says you have to have this if you are going to be alive or healthy or whatever. But what happened when they went to the desert? They began to discover that yes they left Rome but they carried themselves with them and so they had interior impulses. They discovered that maybe their anger was ruling them. Or maybe their laziness. Or maybe their pride. Or despairs. Abba Daniel was a disciple of Abba Arsenius and he was a very holy man. As he was coming down the mountain he looked in the direction of Abba Anthony, not the famous Anthony, and he couldn=t believe what he saw. So when he engaged Abba Anthony, he said, AWho was that layman with you in that cave?@ He said, AWhat layman?@ Abba Daniel said, AI saw someone lying down and gawking at the air and kind of lost, who was he?@ Anthony got the message it was him who was doing this and he was in despair. Abba Daniel was basically reminding him of the passages of scripture that says, Afor a Christian you cannot despair.@ It=s the pagans that live a life of despair. Or as the Rule says in chapter four, Anever despair the mercy of God.@

        So the second part of solitude you need a certain amount of freedom from your own impulses, whatever they are. But that=s still negative. It=s freedom from, freedom from. What=s the positive side? You=ve got to be happy you are you. Why? Because you are a gift of God. A unique gift of God and it=s a gift enough that you have to show gratitude for this. But you know that=s nice everybody doesn=t mind to accept this or that aspect of their being, but no, your total being which means also your weaknesses, also your vulnerability, also your struggles. Why is that necessary? Because it=s the whole you you have to accept. And it=s precisely in accepting yourself concretely that you can begin to be open to other people as they are with their weaknesses, with their limitations. And so your ministry become fruitful. Besides the Lord said to St. Catherine of Sienna, AI give my gifts freely but I don=t give everybody all the gifts and the same gifts because I want people first of all to see that they need each other. Secondly, that they would appreciate each other and give gifts mutually to each other and therefore build each other up.@ So solitude, the full richness of solitude, is not only freedom from but the positive capacity to stand in your life in gratitude and service. And the more you stand in your life in gratitude and service the more open you are to more and more of God=s gifts.

Back to Abbot's page