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The "Solitary Reaper" is the title of a nature poem by William Wordsworth. It speaks of his impression of a village girl, cutting grain and singing.
Taking it allegorically, every Cloistered Nun is a Solitary Reaper in God’s Garden. The poet asks the readers not to disturb this village girl, lest she may stop singing. The Eternal Gardener asks the world not to disturb his beloved while she is alone musing on Him within the cloister.
Looking for a definition of solitude to begin with, this is what I found: "Solitude is the creation of an open, empty space in our lives by purposely abstaining from human interaction, so that freed from competing loyalties, we can be found by God." Solitude is where one discovers that one is not alone. Our Holy Mother affirms;"... it is quite evidently easy to endure and pleasant to carry out, and there is every facility for its (silence) being kept permanently by those who desire to rejoice in Christ their Spouse in solitude. This will always be the aim of our Nuns- to be alone with Him only "(Life 36).
There is a saying that "two is company, but three is trumpery." This is true in the case of the Divine Lover too. Holy Mother recognises two signs in Nuns who are growing in the love of their Spouse when she says; "there is a visible beginning of love of God, utterly divested of all self-interest, together with a longing after seasons of solitude" (Life 15). Where silence and solitude are lacking, it’s a sign that personal intimacy with Jesus is lessened.
God will manage situations in Carmel just fine without our opinion. That is why St. Teresa our Holy Mother said, "Do not come forward to give your opinion unless it is asked for or charity requires it." When we hand over our lives to Him, we need to speak less because He is in control. Every remark not escaped, every bit of news reserved till recreation, every analysis of a person, are all a boon to a solitary soul.
The priority of Jesus’ silence and solitude is everywhere in the Gospels. It was on the mountain of silence and solitude that he communed with his Abba. There were prolonged moments of silence and solitude before every major step taken in His life. He lived the words of the psalmist, "Be still and know that I am God (Ps. 46:10)."
Our Holy Mother in reforming Carmel had a few things clear in her mind. She had realised the hard way that frequent exits and prolonged visits to the parlour did not contribute to the environment necessary for a life of contemplation and prayer. She had in mind the formation of an eremitical spirit within the enclosure. She envisioned St. Joseph's to be a desert in the city of Avila. Every Carmel is a desert, a mystical space primarily. The coenobitical aspect is complimentary. Without richly fostered silence and solitude, Carmel is barren.
Our Holy Mother St. Teresa speaks of her daughters with pride; " Solitude is their delight; and the thought of being visited by anyone, even of their nearest kindred, is a trial" (Life 36) And again, " I have great consolation frequently in choir when I behold these souls, so pure, so intent on the praises of God, nor does it fail me on many other occasions, for it is a joy to see their obedience and happiness, which so strict enclosure and solitude supply them, and their cheerfulness when they have any opportunity of mortifying themselves (Foundations 18).
Our Holy Mother looked at her daughters and uttered with full satisfaction; "Their joy was in being alone, and they assured me they were never long enough alone; and so, they looked on it as a torment whenever anyone came to see them, even though it were a brother." "She who had the most opportunity of being alone in the hermitage considered herself the happiest." (Foundations Ch. 1)
Our Enclosure is the God-given opportunity to be in solitude. Inside the enclosure, everyone becomes a blessing to another when desiring to be alone outside of recreation. The more we give ourselves to silence, the more we long for our two recreations, and they become lively. "A most useful precaution is for the Nuns, according to the present habit, never to be with one another nor talk together except at the appointed times, but that, as the Rule enjoins, the Nuns should not be together but each in their own cell..." Silence is best kept when one is alone. To accustom ourselves to solitude is a great help to prayer, and since prayer is the mortar which keeps our house together and we come here to practise it, we must like what promotes it (Way of Perfection Ch.4).
The monotony of Carmel is, in fact, a great opportunity to promote solitude. Carmel is disturbed when there is a frequent change in the timetable or manner of celebrating liturgy. The bare walls interspersed with few quotes from our Holy Parents, the lack of multicolour and ornamentation in the enclosure and cells, are all meant to foster the desert of Carmel, where our inner selves bloom and transform. Let us make use of the God-given facilities to the maximum.
Let us also be cautious about the dangers of the path of silence and solitude. The primary obstacle is within ourselves. Modern men and women have become thinking machines. Let us remember the teachings of St. John of the Cross. God will guide us with right actions and right words without many ideas and concepts, without much thinking and planning. Solitude and detachment go together.
We are bombarded with information much more than we need. If we do not take extreme care, the modern communication media that we have in our enclosure can become a death knell to the solitude of Carmel. The enemy does not come like a thief, but he comes like a friend and with our permission. As Pope Francis reminds us, He comes with tender words and concern. We have to be vigilant.
Let us reap the harvest in the solitude of Carmel. Sometimes I have this feeling: in Carmel there is silence, but the quality of our solitude needs to grow. The pivotal point in our Rule is this; “each of you is to stay in his own cell or nearby pondering the Lord’s law day and night and keeping watch at prayer unless attending to some other duty”. There are two important points here namely solitude and pondering of the word of God. The purpose of silence is to ponder the word of God day and night. Silence is to ponder.
The quality of our solitude is very much connected with the quality of our faith. Unless our eyes are hung to heaven our hearts, our head and our mouth refuse to be silent. Solitude for us is a Person, the person of Jesus.
Dear Solitary Reaper, my Sister
When I pass by you the corridor,
Or see you in the garden or Choir;
busy in the kitchen, turn or,
By the side of our sick
I adore the Trinity in you.
I hear the song of your soul.
We are all Solitary Reapers in God’s Garden
We are at Home in our Solitude.