Who is a recluse: is it a believing fanatic or an extraordinarily powerful person?

The life of the recluses may seem empty and gloomy: languid days held in the lockup, involuntarily pushed on this thought. However, the believer looks at it differently. He knows that such a feat is needed in order to remain alone with God, to receive his grace. Therefore, many Christians respect the choice of hermits, wholeheartedly supporting him.

Who are the hermits?

Let's start, perhaps, with the simplest. Recluse - a person who voluntarily abandoned the society of other people. True, unlike hermits, they do not go into deserted lands or deserts. Instead, they are closed in a certain room, which is completely or partially shielded from the influence of the surrounding world.

There is a temporary and lifelong shutter. In the first case, the believer is locked for a certain period of time, for example, during the time of fasting or a church holiday. In the second monk, he undertakes to spend the rest of his life in complete isolation from material reality.

Christian Recluses

In Christianity, the recluse is a monk who seeks the salvation of the soul in solitude. For this, he is shut up from everyone in his room, cell or cave. There the believer is awaited by a test of silence, which reveals the essence of being and helps to find the way to God.

During the whole period of seclusion, the monk does not leave his room. However, in case of emergency, he can leave there, but after that he must return again. For example, the reason for this can be an emergency collection of all priests or a natural disaster threatening the monastery.

Orthodox traditions: Theophan the Recluse and Grigory Sinaite

Orthodox monks often practice seclusion. The main goal of this action is "hesychia" - sacred silence. That is, the reclusive person tries to seclude himself in complete silence. For greater effect, Orthodox monks take a vow of silence for a period of detachment. Thus, the Christian remains alone with his thoughts: he prays, speaks with God and tries to realize his place in the world.

It should be noted that many monks do not just retire in their rooms, but move to live in special caves or cells. Sometimes the passage to them is bricked, leaving only a small window where their brothers can bring food and books. These walls are dismantled only if water and food remain untouched for more than four days. After all, this means that the monk achieved his goal - he was reunited with the Father in heaven.

Among all the Orthodox recluses, Feofan the Recluse and Grigory Sinait were most famous. The former renounced high spiritual dignity and went to live in a cell where he wrote many books and spiritual translations. And the second generalized all the rules and rituals associated with seclusion.

In particular, Grigory Sinait wrote: "Stay in the cell, be patient: be through in your head all the prayers, for so bequeathed to us the Apostle Paul."

Reclusion in the Catholic Church

Catholic monks also adhere to the ritual of seclusion. In their culture, this ritual is called "incluzy." His roots stretch to the first Christians who refused all earthly goods and locked themselves in houses. There they led a very meager way of life, spending most of their time in prayer.

Later, this practice was adopted by Catholic monks. And in the 9th century the book Regula Solitariorum, which described all the rules and norms of reclusive life, was published. Her influence was so strong that even today many Catholics adhere to the recommendations that are contained in it.

Other crops

However, the recluse is not necessarily a Christian monk. Other religions and cultures also boast people with extraordinary willpower. For example, Tibetan monks often lead a reclusive way of life when they try to achieve harmony with themselves. True, unlike Christian monks, Asian brothers never accept indefinite vows. The longest practice takes no more than two to three years, and the shortest can be limited to ten days.

In addition, the recluse is not only a believer. Sometimes people are closed from the whole world for personal reasons, not associated with any religion. The reason for this can serve as disappointment in others or an attempt to realize the inner self. In the first case, detachment will soon destroy the human psyche, because with problems it is not worth locking yourself in. In the second, a brief loneliness can help to see what a person has not noticed before.