March 24 (in the
Church of England) and September 28 (The Episcopal Church) is the feast of Walter Hilton. He lived in 14th
century England. He ended his life as an Augustinian priest in the priory at
Thurgarton, which today remains an active parish church. Hilton had studied canon
law before exploring his spirituality more dramatically. At the time, a number
of individuals had embraced a solitary form of Christian living as a means of
attaining holiness and union with Christ. The most famous of these solitaries
today is Hilton’s near contemporary, Julian of Norwich.
After a time, Hilton
abandoned the solitary life of a hermit and joined the community life of the
Priory in Thurgarton. We aren’t told why he choose community life over solitary
life, but one can speculate: loneliness, the blessings of common prayer and
Eucharist, opportunities to serve Christ through love of neighbor, better Wi-Fi,
and so on. The fact is, we cannot be certain. What we can be certain about, is
that Hilton, went on to write about the spiritual life in a way that captured the
imagination of the people of his time: clergy, religious (monks, nuns, etc.), and laity alike.
His two most popular and
well known works, “The Scale of
Perfection” and “The Mixed Life”
were best sellers in the 14th and 15th centuries. These
works drew upon earlier sources from the deep wells of the Christian Spiritual
Tradition, but also reflected his own experience of seeking God and in
providing direction to others. They reflect theological rigor, but also a
gentle and Christ-like common sense, sensitive to the weakness of the human
condition even under the restoring and reforming effects of the Holy Spirit.
On one occasion, a man of
some importance, with considerable worldly responsibilities, wrote to Hilton
asking whether he should abandon his duties (and presumably his family) in
order to enter a monastery. Hilton encouraged him to seek God where he was in
the midst of his busy demands and responsibilities. In other words, Hilton
acknowledged that a spiritual life of weight, depth, and profundity could be
graced to a man in the world; that while desirable for some, entrance into a
monastery was not necessary to achieve the way of Jesus.
This message hit a chord
with women and men, priests and monks, the married and the unmarried in Hilton’s
time. Hilton’s writings point to a deep immersion in the truth, presence, and
love of God, which requires climbing a spiritual ladder from height to height. This
tells us that there are higher hills in the Christian faith that we have yet to
climb. With Christ’s grace and the advice of good spiritual trail guides, like Walter
Hilton, may we carefully hike out from the easy flats to the rugged heights of
God’s love.
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