Finding Comfort in the Discomfort
There is a story about Saint Bernard and his method to decrease distractions during prayer. Legend has it that he was once traveling with a poor farmer who noticed that Saint Bernard had closed his eyes while riding upon his donkey.
The farmer asked him why he did not look to see where they were riding, and Bernard responded that he was praying and didn’t want to be distracted by the passing scenery. The farmer boasted that he never faced distractions when he prayed. Saint Bernard smiled, and challenged him to pray an entire Our Father without any distractions, and he would be awarded Bernard’s donkey. The farmer dutifully started off, “Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name…” He paused his recitation, and asked Saint Bernard, “do I get the saddle and bridle too?”
This humorous little tale offers us an important lesson. The saints demonstrate in their writings and stories how they combated the constant distractions offered by the world. If Saint Bernard was concerned by the distraction and noise offered by the beautiful countryside, how much more do we face during the digital age?
The stillness offered by isolation offers us the opportunity to reflect upon the state of our lives and how we pass our time. We could choose to fill our solitude with the incessant bombardment of social media and scrolling through anxiety-inducing headlines, or we could use this time to settle into the silence.
There is a rich tradition in the Catholic Church of solitude for the sake of spiritual growth, practiced by the many hermit men and women saints. This way of life is referred to as the “eremitic life” in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is described as such: “They manifest to everyone the interior aspect of the mystery of the Church, that is, personal intimacy with Christ. Hidden from the eyes of men, the life of the hermit is a silent preaching of the Lord, to whom he has surrendered his life simply because he is everything to him. Here is a particular call to find in the desert, in the thick of spiritual battle, the glory of the Crucified One.” [CCC § 921]
While we could hardly call our comfortable homes a “desert,” we still have the opportunity to surrender our lives to the Lord. During this period of social shutdown, we can practice finding intimacy with Christ without the distractions offered by day-to-day comings and goings. Entering into the eremitic life is a choice that we must consciously make, and with it must come with a willingness to erase distractions. Take this opportunity to be still. Find comfort in the discomfort of silence and solitude. Surrender and enter into intimacy with our Crucified Lord.
Meet Marissa Federline
Marissa is a 20-something wife, stay-at-home mama, and artist striving to find Truth and Beauty in her everyday life. Her days are spent wrangling her toddler, re-heating her coffee, baking sourdough bread, and trying to find time to read and paint. You can find her on Instagram @stella_maris_prints.