Solitude and Solidarity

"People brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village."
-Mark 8:23

The Carmelites produce a wonderful little quarterly journal called Spiritual Life. The Fall 2008 issue includes an article from Susan Muto titled, "Flee to be Free: The Call of the Desert." Pdf version of the article here.

Dr. Muto writes that humans have a deep inner long for solitude, just as we also have a deep, innate desire and need for community:

The quest for solitude, to be alone with the Alone, is not confined to a monastic elite: it manifests itself in all people seeking to find the meaning of life; it is as natural an instinct as that for solidarity or the reaching out of oneself to find communion with like-minded others.

The story from today's Gospel reveals both dimensions. The blind man is brought to Jesus for healing by others, but Jesus calls him away into solitude to actually restore his sight.

Many who are called to a more contemplative life experience a similar paradox. We are called to silence and solitude, but we also crave the contact of others who understand this impulse, who can affirm and support this instinct. This is great charism of lay contemplative communities. It takes others to learn to be alone, and only by being alone can we really learn to be present for others.