Disciple: The Gift of Lenten Solitude

By the Rt. Rev. Sam Rodman

One of the most difficult, challenging and painful dimensions of the pandemic that has plagued us, literally, over the past two years is a sense of isolation. We have been cut off from one another in ways that most of us have never experienced before, not only through the interruption of our in-person worship—which has been so disorienting and even disheartening—but also the disruption of our opportunities for social connection and interaction in all areas of our common life. Everything from neighborhood parties to family reunions, sporting events to attendance at school, gathering to grieve at funerals or to celebrate at weddings and baptisms has been impacted by the pandemic.

It is not a coincidence that this has also been a time when many have struggled with extreme stress and mental health challenges as they try to navigate a social landscape that has been dramatically altered and, at times, has seemed almost unrecognizable. Our sense of isolation from one another has affected us socially, emotionally and spiritually.

There are biblical precedents that connect with our current experience of isolation. When Adam and Eve disobey God, they are banished from the Garden of Eden. When Israel and Judah refuse to heed the words of the prophets, they are conquered by Assyria and Babylon and sent to live in exile in a foreign land, cut off from their homeland and its history. And from the gospel stories, we learn of people with physical ailments such as leprosy, blindness and paralysis who are shunned and forced to live apart from the community around them.

The impact of isolation on the human psyche is something that has been studied and written about for centuries. We are social animals. We crave contact with one another. We are wired for community. So to be cut off from access to one another, whether as individuals, or as a tribe or nation, has a profound and even life-altering impact on us.

As an English major in college, I wrote my senior thesis on the ways isolation transformed some of the characters in the writings of Joseph Conrad. Books like Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim and Nostromo all featured accounts of people who suffered from the long-term effects of living in isolation from other people. It was not a pretty picture. To one degree or another, they all struggled emotionally and psychologically.

Ironically, there is another strain in the biblical record that suggests time alone and apart is not all bad. Jesus was always going off by himself to pray. John the Baptist lived on the edge of society and made his home in the wilderness. Elijah went away to a mountain cave, where he encountered God in the form of a still, small voice.

In the Patristic period of the early church, the desert fathers were those who embraced a spiritual life that featured an ascetic discipline of living in solitude, engaging in a life focused on prayer and intercession. Solitude is different from isolation. It represents a choice to withdraw from society in order to live a life apart, to devote oneself to a deeper relationship with God, the cultivation of holy habits and prayerfulness as a way of life.

Lent is a season when we can experiment and try on models that help cultivate solitude and time apart. Without committing to an immersion in the ascetic life, we can explore certain disciplines as ways of discovering and experiencing the gift of time and space set aside to be alone with God.

One of the traditions of the Lenten season has been to invite us into a time of introspection, reflection and repentance. In a world where we have suffered through a prolonged stretch of inhibited connection with one another, it seems like a strange time to suggest setting time apart. This might seem like the last thing we need. But here is the gift. Lent can become a time when we learn to recognize, appreciate and trust the presence of God in a deep and profound way as a source of strength, connection and promise when we are separated from one another.

Lent can be a season set apart to rediscover the gift of solitude. Consider making a retreat for a couple of days. Set aside time each week to read, reflect and pray. Give yourself permission to experience the meaning and message of silence as an expression of God’s presence, grace and peace.

And if all of this seems too passive or detached, keep in mind that, in and around Jesus’ moments of great teaching, miraculous feedings and healings, and even his holy week journey leading to the cross and resurrection, Jesus was taking time for solitude, to immerse himself in God’s presence and to allow prayer to fill, inform, direct and shape his life, ministry and teaching. Solitude is, for Jesus, at the heart and center of his strength and the source of his energy, focus and inspiration.

Lent is our season to go deeper in our intention to follow Jesus, to become his disciples and to live like Jesus lives. Jesus lives a life that embraces the gift of solitude. Solitude can be a way to take the painful experience of isolation and let it be transformed into an opportunity to reconnect with the presence and promise of God. Solitude is a way to rediscover the power of connection with the one who made us, the one who loves us and the one who invites us into relationship with one another.

In this way, solitude is also one of the qualities of Becoming Beloved Community. Time apart with God helps us to be present fully with one another and to recognize the gift of God’s loving presence and purpose in our sisters and brothers. Solitude is not about being cut off but about opening our hearts more fully, so that, as we return to social interactions, we can reconnect and reunite as beloved children of God.