Christian monasticism

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Is there a solid basis for the existence of Christian monastic orders? Did Jesus preach this?
 
Is there any chance they might have been wrong? Doesn’t living like a hermit have strange effects on the mind?
 
monks do not equal hermits. they are community dwellers for the most. but I can ask later this week if no one steps up
to answer
 
Aw. Look up Father Anthony El Lazarus.

He became a Coptic monk living in seclusion in Egypt. He was a university lecturer and atheist for 40 years before finding his way to faith. Unlike the majority of his peers he actually lives completely alone.

You can actually travel to meet him, which isn’t as hard as it sounds with Cairo being so accessible.

He has some wonderful pictures of Mary!

Either way, to answer your question, no you don’t lose your mind. Infact for his age, he’s more ‘with it’ than ever.
 
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Jesus didnt preach it… He did it. He began His Ministry with 40 days of solitude in the desert, and many times withdrew from the Disciples momentarily to pray.
 
Yeah, but Jesus then left the desert and began preaching and doing good works. And even though he was withdrawn from society in that he did not take a wife buy a home and raise children, there is no evidence he said that was what all Christians had to do… He never actually lived in a monastery or became a hermit
 
Wow, that’s a real fall from the horse on the way to Damascus…
 
I think this is more a question of vocation. You see, the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ. To make an analogy to the physical body, the role of the hands are different from the legs, or the role of the heart is different from the liver. The same can be said for the Church. There are those who are called to be priests while others are called to married life. Also, there are religious orders who are very missionary in their nature, while there are those who are secluded and their “mission” or role in this body of Christ is to pray for the whole Church. That is how I think of vocation. It is discerning God’s will for us - discerning our role - in His Mystical Body.
Curious11 said:
Wow, that’s a real fall from the horse on the way to Damascus
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On a side note, I would really recommend watching Fr. Lazarus ElAnthony. I really love him. He is Coptic Orthodox though and not Catholic.
 
A smart man I met once said,

People would think you a fool if you walk without shoes. Will your feet not get cold? Perhaps instead of looking at you strangely, they should wonder if you have hot feet!

Ergo; Sometimes, things seemingly without good reason, have a reason we can’t see.

When I was little, I had even more of a motor mouth than I have now (I know, hard to believe).

My mentor at that time said to me; your challenge will be, to stay quiet (I think I rolled my eyes haha) but then he said:

You can come easily to the world. But when you get there, make sure you brought something to it as well!

Jesus had a mission to complete. His destination was ‘us’. For those of us going in the other direction, isolation can be similar (a chance to train and study without interference and strain) or even a way to dedicate more fully to something without ‘noise’, as with Father Lazarus.
 
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Sorry I was not able to address this in my previous post. But the way I think about Christian monks and hermits in particular, is like the battle of the Israelites with the Amalekites as found in Exodus (this passage by itself of course, should not be taken literally for it is full of symbolisms and images). In this passage, we see the Israelites prevailing in battle everytime that Moses held his hands up (symbol of praying), but Amalek prevailing whenever Moses let his hands down.

This, I think, is like the role of monks in the Church. While there are those doing all the social justice works, evangelization efforts, and serving the faithful through the Sacraments - essentially being at the battleground - there must also be people who are always praying for those who are in battle (like Moses in the passage).

I really really really really recommend Thomas Merton’s book: The Seven Storey Mountain. This book has reinvigorated the monastic life in the 20th century. It is about a protestant turned atheist turned catholic who then became a Trappist monk. It’s a very nice read (even life-changing for me).
Curious11 said:
Doesn’t living like a hermit have strange effects on the mind?
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Well, that is why monks and contemplative nuns do not simply accept people into their communities. It is definitely not for everyone. There is always a period of discernment. A careful assessment is always made.
However, it is tougher for hermits because they are isolated and they do not live in communities like monks and contemplative nuns. That is why a careful discernment is necessary, and a spiritual director always assesses (sometimes with the help of psychologists) if a person can live as a hermit.

However, you can also say the same for married life. Not all people are really equipped, psychologically and emotionally, for a married life and having kids. So, it’s really all just the same. lol 😅
 
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I haven’t read him. I suppose God rewarded him for living a monastic life?
 
I would argue prayer is the greatest work we can do, regardless of vocation.

Imagine for a moment what this world would look like without the monks, nuns and everyone else spending constant hours in prayer for the Church and the world.
 
Yeah sure. But only praying your whole life? Aren’t christians meant to pray but also help in a practical way? Faith with Works basically.
 
I’d say look at St. Mother Teresa. Look at all the good she did. She attributed that to long hours spent before the Blessed Sacrament. Prayer is the bucket by which we refill the wells in our life that we may draw from them for the good of others. Prayer is, in my opinion, the single most important work for a Christian. Even charity can become misguided in the absence of prayer.

Prayer is work.
 
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Mother Teresa did a lot more than just prayer. That’s my point, would God reward someone who spends a lifetime doing nothing but praying? James seemingly condemns this in his epistle…

Praying seems a first and most vital step, but it must be followed with good works, right?
 
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I guess when you word it as “nothing but prayer” it sounds like prayer is somehow not enough, or maybe trivialized next to corporal works (I’m not trying to put words in your mouth or make it seem as though you said something you didn’t, it’s just what my own ears hear). I think a devout prayer life always leads to action. Sometimes it’s internal, like the work of rooting out sin. And sometimes it’s external, it’s corporal. I don’t know that you could pray seriously without being convicted or moved to do something. For the mystics and hermits (who are few and far between) I have to think God used them for good. Maybe they could have gone out in the world and done more, but maybe that is not what the Lord asked of them. On the other hand, even St. Antony eventually became pretty social, compared to his time in the desert.
 
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