Jason the Hermit

A few weekends ago I drove about an hour north to experience a hermitage prayer retreat. It was something that several people talked to me about…one of those people being the Lord so I thought I’d better give it a try.

I’ve never done anything like this before and to be honest I was quite scared! There were in fact several aspects of the weekend that worried me but I think the one that stood out the most was what if God didn’t show up? What if I went through all this trouble and I just sit there for two days bored out of my head? But then again, I guess another fear was what if He did???

I arrived just before supper time Friday night to be met by a small, very bearded man. We sat in a tiny, well decorated room as he outlined the five common aspects of a hermitage retreat.

The first was sleep. All right, now you’re talking my language! He said that many people shy away from just resting while they’re there. People often feel they need to be earnestly and actively seeking the Lord at all times. He suggested I nap whenever I wanted to…I assured him it wouldn’t be a problem.

The second aspect of my time there was eating!

Again, not something he needed to worry about. I hadn’t brought much food but they provided a wonderful basket full of basic yet delicious food. I considered fasting while I was there but then I decided to take it one step at a time. This is already going to be hard enough, I don’t need to be starving as well.

The third principle he laid out was moving. They encourage their hermits to get out on the walking trails and just get their blood pumping. They felt so strongly about this that they provided a workout room in the basement of the main building.

All right, we’ve had three out of five and not one has been “spiritual”…interesting.

The fourth suggestion was journaling. OK, that’s a little more like it. He was a strong proponent of journaling. “Write everything down” he said. After all, it may not be intended for now and you’d hate to forget it.

The fifth and final point was listening. Wait, how come prayer wasn’t one of the five principles? Ahhh…maybe that’s a box I am still trying to get out of. In other words, I am slowly realizing that prayer is much more than the “our father who art in heaven” part.

At the end of our conversation, my small, bearded friend brought me out to my hermitage. They have 16 little huts out in the forest and each of them has a name. Mine was named after St. Anthony the Hermit…how appropriate.

It would be too hard to chronicle my entire weekend here but I can say that it was well worth it. The skies were not torn asunder as the Lord descended in robes of white and yet at the same time God was there. Sure, sometimes I was bored and very lonely but that’s just the reality of distractions being stripped away as we enter in to the realization that’s it’s just you and Jesus.

And when everything is said and done isn’t that all that’s left…you and Jesus?

One thing I did come to understand through my time as a hermit is the importance of silence and isolation. Embracing the innate need that we all have to sit quietly at the feet of our Savior whether we feel His presence or not. To take a deep breath, close our eyes, and just be.

If you’d like a pictorial glimpse of my stay at the hermitage visit the album Jason the Hermit on our Photos page. Be sure to click through each individual picture so you can read the little tidbits I wrote beneath them.

To learn more about the hermitage I stayed at feel free to
browse their website: Pacem in Terris