The recluses' life may seem empty and gloomy: languid days spent locked up unwittingly push this idea. However, a 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 recluses, wholeheartedly supporting it.
Who are recluses?
Let's start with the simplest. Recluse is a person who voluntarily abandoned the society of other people. True, unlike hermits, they do not go to deserted lands or deserts. Instead, they are locked in a certain room, which is fully or partially protected from the influence of the outside world.
There is a temporary and lifelong shutter. In the first case, the believer is locked for a certain period, for example, for the duration of the fasting or church holiday. In the second, the monk undertakes to spend the rest of his life in complete isolation from material reality.
Christian hermits
In Christianity, the recluse is a monk who seeks the salvation of the soul in solitude. To do this, he shuts himself off from everyone in his room, cell or cave. There the believer will be tested by silence, which reveals the essence of being and helps to find the path to God.
Throughout the retreat, 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, an emergency gathering of all clergymen or a natural disaster threatening the monastery may serve as a reason for this.
Orthodox traditions: Theophan the Recluse and Grigory Sinait
Orthodox monks often practice retreat. The main goal of this action is “hesychia” - sacred silence. That is, the reclusive person seeks to retire in complete silence. For greater effect, Orthodox monks take a vow of silence for a period of detachment. Thus, the Christian is left 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 to their rooms, but move to live in special caves or cells. Sometimes the passage to them is walled up, leaving only a small window where their brothers can bring food and books. These walls can only be removed if water and food have remained 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, Theophan the Recluse and Gregory Sinait gained the greatest fame. The first refused high 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: “While in a cell, be patient: sort through all the prayers in your head, for the Apostle Paul bequeathed to us like this.”
Hermit in the Catholic Church
Catholic monks also adhere to the rite of seclusion. In their culture, this ritual is called "inclusion." Its roots are drawn to the first Christians who refused all earthly goods and locked themselves in houses. There they led a very meager lifestyle, spending most of their time in prayer.
Later, Catholic monks adopted this practice. And in the 9th century, the book Regula Solitariorum was published, which described all the rules and norms of reclusive life. Its influence was so strong that even today many Catholics adhere to the recommendations contained in it.
Other cultures
However, the recluse is not necessarily a Christian monk. Other religions and cultures can also boast of people with extraordinary willpower. For example, Tibetan monks often lead a reclusive life when they try to achieve harmony with themselves. True, unlike Christian monks, Asian brothers never take indefinite vows. The longest practices take place no more than two or three years, and the shortest can be limited to ten days.
Moreover, the recluse is not only a believer. Sometimes people are closed from all over the world for personal reasons unrelated to any religion. The reason for this may be disappointment in others or an attempt to realize the inner self. In the first case, detachment is more likely to ruin the human psyche, since with problems you should not lock yourself in yourself. In the second, a brief loneliness can help to see what a person has not noticed before.