Quod uita solitaria seu heremitica uitam communem et mixtam precellit; et quomodo peruenit ad incendium amoris et de suauitate iubili

Quod uita solitaria seu heremitica uitam communem et mixtam precellit; et quomodo peruenit ad incendium amoris et de suauitate iubili

Some have emerged, and perhaps some still survive, who completely prefer the common life to the solitary life, saying that we must run to the assembly if we want to reach perfection. There's not much to argue against those who praise that solitary life, which they either wish to hold onto or at least have come to know a little about. They don't praise the solitary life because they are ignorant of it. For there is a life that no one living in the flesh can truly know, except for the one to whom it has been given by God to possess it; and no one can rightly judge about this matter, of which it is still uncertain what it is and how it operates. Without a doubt, I know if they would recognize it, they would praise it more than others. Some people are worse off who never stop criticizing and slandering the solitary life, saying, "Woe to the alone!" They don't express anything, but He alone is with whom God is not. Because when he falls into death, he is immediately seized by torment and is separated from the vision of God's glory and the saints without end. Moreover, whoever chooses a solitary life for God and leads it in the right way will not be alone; the memory of the name of Jesus will continually delight them. And those who do not fear to accept a life for God without human comfort will be abundantly granted divine consolation to rejoice. For they receive frequent spiritual visitations, which those who are placed in community will completely ignore. Therefore, it is said to the beloved soul: "Come, let me speak to your heart in solitude." For some are divinely inspired to seek solitude for Christ's sake, to hold a singular purpose, so that as they serve God more freely and devoutly, leaving behind the common way of life, they disdain and reject the transient things of this world, transcending the temporary with the elevation of their minds, desiring only eternal joys, dedicating themselves to devotion and contemplation, and they do not cease to occupy their entire time in loving Christ. Many, even though they live among people, remain distant from worldly desires; they do not waver in their longing for heavenly things, because their minds are far removed from the conversations of the wicked. Therefore, the hermit has a singular purpose: they live in the love of God and neighbor, they scorn worldly praise, they flee from the gaze of others as much as they can, they consider themselves more worthy than all, they continually offer their minds to devotion, they hate idleness, they resist carnal pleasures with strength, they savor heavenly things and ardently seek them, they do not desire earthly things but abandon them, and they delight in the sweetness of prayer. Indeed, some of them experience the sweetness of eternal refreshment, and they contemplate heavenly citizens and God with a pure heart and body, with an unblemished eye of the mind; because they have loved through the bitter cup of penance and great labor; and now, inflamed by the love of heavenly contemplation, they have earned to be free for God alone and to await the kingdom of Christ. The hermitic life is indeed great if it is lived magnificently. For blessed Maglorius, who was full of miracles and delighted by an angelic visitation since childhood, when he was to become archbishop according to the prophecy of his predecessor, blessed Sampson, and had governed the Church of God for a long time and with great merit, was visited by an angel and, after leaving the archbishopric, chose the life of a hermit, and at the end of his life, his transition was made known to him. Similarly, blessed Cuthbert transitioned from the episcopate to the life of an anchorite. If these men achieved such great merit, who in their right mind would dare to prefer a solitary life in the Church over it? In this state, they occupy themselves with no external matters, but only devote themselves to heavenly contemplation, so that they may continually burn with love for Christ and perfectly set aside the worries of the world. From this, a heavenly sound resonates within, and a sweet melody of solitude brings joy; it distracts from the many disturbances around, and only rarely allows one to think or pray. About this, the solitary psalmist speaks in the voice of a lover, saying: "I will pass into the place of the marvelous tabernacle, all the way to the house of God," and he describes the way of passing in joyful and melodious praise, adding, "In the voice of exultation and confession, the sound of feasting." And that solitude is necessary, away from noise and physical distractions, so that one can grasp the joy of those sounds and hold onto it through joyful singing and praise, is clearly indicated elsewhere: "I have fled and remained in solitude," he says. For one strives continually in this life to be set ablaze by the fire of the Holy Spirit, and, caught up in the joy of love, is divinely consoled and exults. The perfect solitary person burns intensely in divine love, and while being lifted beyond themselves in a rapture of contemplation, they are raised up to the joyful sound of heavenly praise. Such a person is like a seraph, burning within with incomparable and steadfast love, whose heart is shaped by divine fire, glowing and fervently carried into the beloved. And indeed, he will be taken up immediately after this to the highest seats of heaven, so that he may stand in the place of the serene light of Lucifer; because, burning with love beyond what can be expressed, he sought only the glory of his Creator, and walking humbly did not exalt himself above sinners.