Silence, Solitude, Simplicity: A Hermit's Love Affair with a Noisy, Crowded, and Complicated World

by Jeremy Hall, Kathleen Norris (Foreword)

We all need God, Sister Jeremy says in her first sentence, and readers of all sorts will find here a warm and practical address to that need. The monastic way is not forsaking the world, but for the sake of the world, and Sister Jeremy's Benedictine wisdom is fundamental human wisdom. Her book is the fruit of decades of practice, and the spiritual journey she recounts is nobody's but hers 'which makes it, paradoxically, something from which everyone can learn. I did is much more effective teaching than one might or you should. There is nothing musty, cobwebbed, or nostalgic in these pages. Sister Jeremy, in her late 80s, is totally alert to the world around her and within us. She is allergic to sentimentality. Because she has spent so much time in silence 'she lived as a hermit for 20 years ' she is especially attentive to words and how like a chameleon they can be. Her antennae are sensitive to anything phony. Every sentence glows with her graceful and witty and hospitable spirit. She is an inspired teacher, a trustworthy guide, one of God's great ones. She shows how a monastic is not on a pedestal or behind a wall, but right in the thick of things with all of us. Jeremy Hal, OSB, is a member of Saint Benedict's Monastery, St. Joseph, Minnesota. She holds a doctorate in theology from Marquette University. Currently retired, Sister Jeremy taught theology at the College of St. Benedict/St. John's University and School of Theology 'seminary, and at Creighton University. She is the author of numerous articles as well as The Full Stature of Christ (Liturgical Press). Sister Jeremy lived as a hermit for twenty years. During that time she gained renown as a wellspring of wisdom and gifted retreat leader.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a solitary for 20 years - from her mid-sixties until mid-eighties, Sister Jeremy develop rich insights into the benefits of a life composed of the three components of her title, silence, solitude and simplicity. She's also a sister who was faithful and immersed in the life of her church, and makes the connection between individual and communal life as she understands it, clear and reinforcing.

A good read for those trying to find these balances in life.

[Harry Allagree · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wonderful little reflection on spirituality was published in 2007, a year before the author, Sister Jeremy Hall, OSB, died at the age of 90. Kathleen Norris, another spiritual writer of some renown, who wrote the foreword, succinctly captures Sister Jeremy's main theme: "It is only silence, she insists, that allows God's word to enter and transform us, only solitude that can foster true community, only simplicity of life that will enrich us beyond anything we can imagine."

Readers who've delved into the major works on spirituality will probably not find much new here. Sister Jeremy's genius, as I see it, is in expressing in a simple, coherent way the basics of what it means to desire God & the paths one must take to continually pursue that goal. She writes against the background of St. Benedict's Rule & the background of her extensive familiarity & understanding of Scripture, learned through her own lived experience, both in community & as a hermit for some 20 years.

This is a "solid" book, and I'd recommend it especially as a possibility for parish discussion groups.

[Carol Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is destined to become a classic. It is so deep.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silence, Solitude, Simplicity: A Hermit's Love Affair with a Noisy, Crowded, and Complicated World by Sister Jeremy Hall, OSB, is a long, slow drink of Peace and Communion. Though only 170 pages, it requires a special approach, lectio divina to really appreciate its riches. Lectio Divina or divine reading is a spiritual practice which intersperses meditation and prayer at intervals of reading a text, usually scripture. In this way, the reader is able to digest and integrate the steps outlined to build upon a relationship with God while being active in the world. The centerpiece of the book is Chapter 5: The Desert: Place of Meeting. The Desert, a focal point throughout the Old and New Testaments is the place where God calls His chosen ones to communion before they take up the task He has set before them. Amoun these are Elijah, Moses, and of course Jesus Christ. It is in the desert that each soul faces who they really are and who they are called to become. Throughout the text, at junctures the author includes entries from an earlier spiritual diary entitled Grace Notes. These entries serve as an experiential summary of what is included in the chapter. Silence, Solitude and Simplicity, is a journeying book, that will introduce the reader to their true identity, purpose and the joys of the Ultimate Relationship. Recommended.