Sit in your cell as in paradise;
put the whole world behind you and forget it;
like a skilled angler on the lookout for a catch
keep a careful eye on your thoughts.
The path you follow is in the psalms-dont' leave it.
If you've come with a novice's enthusiasm and can't
accomplish what you want, take every chance you can find
to sing the psalms in your heart and to understand them
with your head; if you mind wanders as you read
don't give up but hurry back and try again.
Above all realize that you are in God's presence;
hold your heart there in wonder as if before your sovereign.
Empty yourself completely;
sit waiting, content with God's gift,
like a little chick tasting and eating nothing
but what its mother brings.
I'm glad you posted this, since it is one of my favorite texts of all time. The simplicity of it manages to include, I think, just about everything a hermit should know and do. And the rest of us, non-hermits though we are, can learn from St. Romuald. "Like a little chick who eats nothing unless its mother brings it food." The perfect image of patient, quiet sitting and waiting on God.
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