Being a hermit is a calling. Rachel, Hermit of the Diocese of Nottingham, writes:
“The call to hermitage is often a gradual realisation, a growing affinity with solitude, a desire to know God in the ordinariness of simply being alive.”
Introverts
First, being an introvert and being a hermit are not the same thing. Being an introvert is one’s temperament, not one’s calling. You are born an introvert, you are called to be a hermit.
Vocation
Second, being a hermit is a vocation. That is a distinct calling from God to come away from the world and be with him alone. This is not something a person chooses, but is a response to an inner urging of the Holy Spirit. If you’re called to be a hermit, you will know it. No one has to tell you.
Pursuit of God
Third, the most important part of the vocation of the hermit is the pursuit of God. Solitude may have some value in itself, but for the Christian hermit, the whole point is to know God in the depths of ones inner being. It is to be alone with the Alone.
Hermits don’t like to talk about themselves, but I suppose you want to know a little about me.
I became a Christian in 1983, attended Bible school, and eventually earned a Doctorate in Ministry. I served as a Protestant minister for 27 years and also spent about a decade practicing Buddhism.
In 2005, I was baptized into the Catholic Church, but have since joined the Episcopal Church. I live in the desert southwest of the United States with my wife and cat.
