Thanks for the question. I know some people refer to making one's vows to the bishop, but the answer is very simple and such a characterization is incorrect. Every vow is made to God. Every vow is motivated by God first and last. Those making canonical profession make their vows "in the hands of" the local bishop which means he becomes their legitimate superior, but even so, the vows are made to God --- not to the bishop, the church, or any other created or temporal reality. The Church mutually discerns and mediates the profession and the consecration. The hermit dedicates herself to God and the service of God's Church via vow or other sacred bond and the Church is mediator of this dedication/avowal. The bishop receives the vows and mediates God's consecration of the hermit. Again, the Church is mediator of all of this but God is the one acting to consecrate.
What God does in all of this has temporal implications and the church is the one who governs all that happens and the implications thereof. Canon Law (Universal Church Law) is meant to be sure the historical (temporal) implications are spelled out and made clear to all involved. For those whose vows are private. these vows too are made to God. The difference is that they do not have public ramifications (rights and obligations) which need to be spelled out in law (canonically). They are private commitments, but made to God no less than canonical vows are made to God. So, canonical hermits (C 603 and those who make vows as part of their commitment in an institute of consecrated life) make vows to God on behalf of the Church and of all that is precious to God beyond the Church. Non-canonical or lay hermits make vows (or their dedication in whatever form it takes) to God on behalf of others (we hope!). One avowal is part of a public profession the other is a private act of dedication.
[[Why would someone explain they are "God's hermit" and cite Sunday's reading from 1 Corinthians on wisdom and maturity in explaining their vows as willed by God? Sounds like they were saying canonical hermits do not put God first but instead put the Church in a position of priority]]
Ah, okay, you are writing about a recent post put up by "JH". I don't know why she cited 1 Corinthians in this context. Let me suggest that perhaps she was saying she had come to greater maturity and wisdom in dropping the qualifier "illegal" from her hermit designation. Perhaps the Sunday reading had spurred her on to make what I personally believe is a wise change in what had been an ill-considered usage. However, your own take on this also has merit I think --- especially given the history of her posts about canonical standing and c 603 vocations. The bottomline here is that unless she says specifically why she used the citation she did, it will always remain unclear and uncertain as to why she added that to her post. I choose to believe she is recognizing that any making of vows, private or public, is a matter of becoming God's own hermit -- a very positive and edifying insight and motivation.
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