This first foray into the world of writing a blog arose because of friend of mine invited me to write a short reflection for a group of young adults prior to Valentine's Day. Amidst the hype and commercial opportunism, there's often an underlying pressure to be 'in a relationship'. How do we handle the expectations and pressures of being single or not? How might being alone enrich our lives and the lives of others? What follows is just a short piece thinking about Jesus' need to be alone - how being solitary might be generative and restorative?
Mark 1:29-39
As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of
Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed
with a fever, and they told Jesus about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted
her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick
or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And
he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons;
and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the morning, while it was still very dark,
he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.
And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found
him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." He answered,
"Let us go on to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the
message there also; for that is what I came out to do." And he went
throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out
demons.
Reflection
Mark recounts Jesus going to a deserted place, early in the
morning, to pray. He had gathered around
him a group of disciples who had responded to his call; he had begun to
proclaim that the Kingdom of God had drawn near; he was reaching out to those
in need bringing grace and healing; he had spent time in the intimacy of
Peter's household. He was with us; he
spent time together with others. And he
went to be alone; to pray.
Bonhoeffer wrote of the balance between time in solitude and time
spent in fellowship in his book Life Together: He warns us that many people 'seek fellowship
because they are afraid to be alone'; but he says let whoever 'cannot be alone
beware of community.' When we take the risk of laying ourselves
open to the intensity of God's refining light we are strengthened and sustained in our
discipleship.
Being before God is a gift of deep attentiveness that shapes our
whole day: stillness and silence; prayer and contemplation. Time alone leads to more fruitful fellowship
and mature relationships; we can delight in the gift or our
togetherness, rooted in Christ, in worship, fellowship and mission.
Jim Cotter's poem 'Solitude' extends our moments of being alone
to the places where we are able to be at a distance, if not in a deserted
place. How do we encounter God when we
are alone, knowing God's love at a profound level? How does that solitude equip
us to be together, how can it be creative & generative space and time?
Solitude
Aloneness is neutral.
To be alone is simply to be at a distance -
in a bathroom or crowded cafe.
Loneliness is negative.
To be lonely is to dislike being alone,
even to be cramped and embittered by it.
But to be alone or to live alone
is not necessarily something to dread.
For solitude is positive.
To be solitary is not to exclude or be excluded.
It is to be in touch with the springs of your own creativity;
it is to be aware
that we can never be separate from anyone;
it is to know at the deepest level
what it is to love and be loved.
© 2015 Julie Gittoes
© 2015 Julie Gittoes
