“Idleness is the enemy of the soul: and therefore the brethren ought to be employed in manual labor at certain times, at others, in devout reading.” – St. Benedict of Nursia (The Rule of St. Benedict)
Prayer and work was the ideal for the Benedictine monk. But it also applies to The hermit. The hermit also should alternate between prayer and work. For idleness is the enemy of the soul.
Even after retirement, one should find work to do, whether working on a garden or volunteering at a soup kitchen. For the rhythm of life includes rest and work, action and inaction. It is the work that enriches the rest.
I am a Christian Teacher focused on the Pursuit of God through Prayer, Contemplation, Silence, Solitude, and Simplicity. I became a Christian in 1983, attended Bible school, and eventually earned my Doctorate in Ministry. I served as a Protestant minister for 27 years and also spent about a decade practicing Buddhism. In 2005, I was baptized into the Catholic Church, but have since joined the Episcopal Church. I live in the desert southwest of the United States.
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