Okay, not quite. But it does have its moments of being enticing. If you think this will be a rant of how there is no great men in this world, think again. It is not about that -Briercrest has many incredible guys here, but sorry to say, I will not be going into that. This is about monastic living.
In my History of Christianity class we have learned about numerous monastic movements in the Western and Eastern church. When I was first confronted with monasticism in my readings -which was the Desert Fathers- I did not agree with them. This early monasticism consisted usually of living days in solitude in a desert, and spending time meditating on God, with no to little resources. It was also usually extreme asceticism. My problem with this was there was no human interaction, or limited. We are commanded to be a light to the world (Matt. 5:14), to go out into it -and let us not forget the Great Commission! Of course, we are not of this world, but we need to be active and within it, we need to preserve it - just like salt can preserve meat from going bad. How can we spread the gospel and light of Christ if we isolate ourselves? Also, with no human interaction how can we learn to be patient, to share, or to be obedient. These can be tested without human interaction but to me, human contact can be the ultimate test. Lastly, we are not able to fulfill the many commands Jesus and Paul make -encouraging one another, forgiving, serving others etc.
Anyways, now comes Western monasticism. The Desert Fathers did have an impact of the orders that would arise but Western monasticism was different. One large difference was they lived in community with one another -even though some of the early monasticism did live in communities. They also interacted with the outside world. They wanted reform in the Church. And depending on the order, they set an example of asceticism, poverty, obedience, and submission, along other things. These monasteries became a place of rest for the weary traveller, a place of education for the knowledge seeker, and a place for the weak and sick. As well, some notable church figures -bishops, writers, and popes- came from monasteries. I am not saying these orders were completely opposite from the monasticism movement before them -or had become perfect-, but to me, they had reached a definite improvement.
You may be wondering where I am going with this, well, be patient. I am almost there. So, for my History of Christianity paper I decided to do something along the lines of Irish monasticism. In my searchings of the immense library here, I stumbled upon a book called Monk Habits for Everyday People: Benedictine Spirituality for Protestants by Dennis Okholm. I thought it sounded interesting so I decided to start reading it. It has been so nourishing, and I highly recommend it. I have learned so much from it but also it has opened my eyes. I am one who really adores the simple lifestyle -even though I am very far from it myself. The simplistic lifestyle of a monk -or it would be a nun in my case- seems so appealing in a world that has been bombarded with consumerism, materialism, and noise. These people have made God their top priority which can sometimes be so hard in the North American culture. They also have disciplined themselves, to listen more and speak less, to be humble in their abilities -but also acknowledge what they can do-, to be completely obedient to the authorities above them, and just to lay down their 'rights'. Especially those monastic orders found in North American, these rights include the fact we think we have a right to fortune and wealth because of our geographical location. It is hard to explain and I do feel like I just rambled -sorry- but to me I want to live more simply, become less distracted with the things of this world and becoming more fixing my "eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen" (2 Cor. 4:18).
