Lectio
“True solitude is the home of the person, false solitude the refuge of the individualist.”
— Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
Meditatio
Solitude is not merely a matter of being solitary, not simply a matter of being alone. Rather, it is a matter of being comfortable enough in oneself as to not be constantly moved by the constant movements of the world. It is to have a perpetual quiet within oneself regardless of the noises and distractions that abound, both within and outside of oneself.
The person of true solitude is not easily swayed by the attitudes, opinions, and beliefs of the crowd. But this is not because the person of true solitude is callous or uncaring. On the contrary, the person of true solitude feels deeply, perhaps more deeply than most, but their feelings, alone, do not dictate their direction. Rather, they are directed by something different, something truer, and something more constant. This is because the person is not constituted by feeling, but by a capacity to love — a radical ability to care for every soul as one made by God and as one in God.
The person of true solitude is a person of God and a person of community, because true solitude is only found in the refuge of God within one’s own soul and its purpose is always directed toward drawing other souls in the same manner toward the same source of peace within which they have found their home. Rather than the shallow emptiness of self-focused individualism, solitude is found in the deep fullness of communion with God and neighbor.
True solitude is not an empty vessel, but a home. It is a home for Spirit and for Other. It is a place within oneself and one’s community, but more precisely within one’s God, where all can find comfort, confidence, and rest. True solitude is sabbath of heart, mind, body, and soul; the state of emptiness of the false self from which the fullness of one’s true self in God is allowed to unfold for His glory, for our sanctification, and for the salvation of all persons through Christ who makes this solitude possible in Him.
Oratio
Comforted In You
as I approach Your altar
alone
trembling
faithful
Your Body
Your Blood
before me
You are here
with me
You are here
within me
Your Church
welcomes me
the Communion of Saints
embraces me
with Your own arms
not so alone
trembling
faithful
comforted
in You
Contemplatio
Whatever trembling brought you here, let it settle now. You are not the empty vessel you feared — you are already dwelt in. Stay in the quiet with this, saying yes to whatever He wants to stir in you.
Related Scripture
“He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.”
— Mark 6:31 (NRSVCE)
For Further Reading
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like God’s Deepest Desire Is You: On Distraction, Idols, and Returning to Silence (Lectio Divina), which meets the same call to interior silence from another angle — where this post finds solitude to be the home the wandering heart returns to, that one traces the idols and distractions pulling the heart away from it in the first place.
Robert Van Valkenburgh
Grappling With Divinity.
Wrestling With God.
Returning To Love.
Leave a Reply