I think Fr. Stockton hit on a truth. He wrote in an article for the Australia journal Compass Theology Review the following:
“It became clear that there is a natural affinity between certain types of prayer and a certain style of life. There are stages or levels of mysticism where one is alone with God anyway and a person tends to enframe that in a mode of living.”
I think that hits on a deep truth that I have also realized. How.you pray molds how you live. Solitary prayer leads to a solitary life. Nothing could be more normal.
I find that being around people distracts me from the inner stillness, where I can sense the presence of God. It is not a feeling as much as an awareness. Not so much a knowing as a seeing.
Those called and ready to embrace solitude will find that solitude is not so much a discipline as a joy. There is an inner thirst for God, to be in His presence and be aware of His movings. It is a hermit’s greatest honor and their life’s passion.
