Father Paul Lester takes on several dimensions of the hermit life, especially regarding the distinction between hermits and anchorites, and the way hermits are called to what every person is called to, but more radically and, perhaps, more vividly. I love the way he points out that hermits live their vocations in the heart of the Church, and often live in the center of Christian communities. I also love his reference to the paradox of eremitical life's solitude. Father is clear that hermits are not special, though their vocations are rare ones and significant in the life of the Church. He also points out that hermits are signposts for every person who is a seeker. (Thomas Merton would very much agree, I think!)
I very much appreciate Father's tendencies to speak on the same points I have made here over the years, particularly recent material on the ecclesial nature of the eremitic (or anchoritic) vocations. I suspect that means we have heard similar questions and share similar sensibilities re the eremitic vocation. I can also recommend the books he mentions. Rotha Mary Clay's is very fine and is considered a classic. E.A. Jones' work, Hermits and Anchorites in England 1200-1550, is also excellent and contains some particularly interesting information on hermits that sometimes mirrors how dioceses do things today (not least re the place of the local bishop in the hermit's life); he also has a great chapter on "Renegades, Charismatics, and Charlatans," which suggests this has been a problem throughout the centuries! What is more striking about both of these works is the huge number of hermits referenced and therefore, recorded in Church registers and archives.
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