Monasticism and Modern Amenities - Should a Line Be Drawn?

[ErichK]

I have been looking at many monastic orders and have to blink a few times to absorb what I’m seeing.

Monks playing video games, chatting on cell phones and bluetooth devices, watching television, playing games like basketball and hockey, using GPS systems in [luxury] cars, etc…

More than half of these go against the basic rules that many of the monastic Fathers laid out for their followers to live by (St Francis wrote that one should never ride on horseback, let alone even wear footwear, unless absolutely necessary).

I’m not judging, or pointing fingers - I’m just curious as to how these are allowed, let alone even deemed necessary. I can understand priestmonks needing cell phones and perhaps a computer for email correspondence in order to counsel, and a car for driving to distant places when needed, but why the rest of the latter? Isn’t the monastic life supposed to be practiced with the utmost humility in the utmost simplicity?

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

I have been looking at many monastic orders and have to blink a few times to absorb what I’m seeing.

Monks playing video games, chatting on cell phones and bluetooth devices, watching television, playing games like basketball and hockey, using GPS systems in [luxury] cars, etc…

More than half of these go against the basic rules that many of the monastic Fathers laid out for their followers to live by (St Francis wrote that one should never ride on horseback, let alone even wear footwear, unless absolutely necessary).

I’m not judging, or pointing fingers - I’m just curious as to how these are allowed, let alone even deemed necessary. I can understand priestmonks needing cell phones and perhaps a computer for email correspondence in order to counsel, and a car for driving to distant places when needed, but why the rest of the latter? Isn’t the monastic life supposed to be practiced with the utmost humility in the utmost simplicity?

This is a hard one to discuss with out others seeing a judgement being placed.

I live the vow of poverty but some of my brothers want to live a more strict form of poverty. I have nothing against that, what bothers me is when they pass judgement and say that I must live differently. It is one thing to live it yourself, it is another to tell others how to live it.

There are many monastic groups out there, find the one that fits you, do not expect those that do not fit you to conform to you.

 

[Cluny]

More than half of these go against the basic rules that many of the monastic Fathers laid out for their followers to live by (St Francis wrote that one should never ride on horseback, let alone even wear footwear, unless absolutely necessary).

Franciscans are NOT monastics. That’s why they called themselves “friars” or brothers–because they WERE NOT monks, but something different.

Monks in cities, even in the palmy days of the Byzantine Empire, have always had whatever the commonly available technology of the day was.

I know of one very strict Russian monastery in this country that, among other ministries, has a computer driven publishing business. You know they have the best technology they can afford.

Monks in the rural areas, or even more isolated, of course, might be living with less.

And don’t forget, not all relgious orders or congregation in the Roman church are monastic. In fact, very few are.

The terms are not synonyms. (EG, Jesuits or Salesians are not monks, and don’t pretend to be.)

 

[Monkciate]

More than half of these go against the basic rules that many of the monastic Fathers laid out for their followers to live by (St Francis wrote that one should never ride on horseback, let alone even wear footwear, unless absolutely necessary).

Franciscans are NOT monastics. That’s why they called themselves “friars” or brothers–because they WERE NOT monks, but something different.

Monks in cities, even in the palmy days of the Byzantine Empire, have always had whatever the commonly available technology of the day was.

I know of one very strict Russian monastery in this country that, among other ministries, has a computer driven publishing business. You know they have the best technology they can afford.

Monks in the rural areas, or even more isolated, of course, might be living with less.

I recently visited Belmont Abbey, which is Benedictine, and was somewhat shocked by some of the amenities which the brothers are allowed: iPods, computers/laptops in their “cells” (in addition to the common library computers), a movie collection which rivals Netflix, queen-size beds, etc… One novice brother even had the audacity to ask if he could bring a $10,000 stereo system for his cell.

I believe this is the type of thing which the OP is referencing, not common dishwashers, washing machines, fax machines, John Deere tractors, etc.

I even visited Gesthemani Abbey recently and found one of the brothers (the same brother who sleeps out in the woodshed nightly, as a mortification) talking loudly on the phone at the front desk about iPods and other luxury technology.

It’s a difficult subject, indeed, because it’s easy to pass judgment. In some ways, though, I found my stay at Belmont better than staying at any Holiday Inn or Hilton, since buffet-sized meals happened every day.

 

[Joannm]

Benedictines do not take a vow of poverty. The rule calls for simplicity and common ownership. That is, the I-pod the brother had is not his own, but belongs to the community for all to use. There is no private ownership. Some monks and sisters live more simply than others, but Benedict did not want his brothers (and nuns) to endure undo hardships. If a monk needed something, with permission from the Abbot, he could have it, even it was a bit “extravagant.” Most of the Benedictines I know live simply but are not denied modern conveniences or technology.

 

[Monkciate]

Benedictines do not take a vow of poverty. The rule calls for simplicity and common ownership. That is, the I-pod the brother had is not his own, but belongs to the community for all to use. There is no private ownership. If a monk needed something, with permission from the Abbot, he could have it, even it was a bit “extravagant.”

While you’re right about common ownership, the problem is that much of the stuff in the monks’ cells is de facto borderline private ownership. So while the iPod is the community’s, the question becomes how often will the community need to make use of it? But, as you say, it’s all the discretion of the abbot, so who am I to question otherwise?

 

[JReducation]

We have to make some distinctions here.

1. A monk is not supposed to be poor. Monks have always been allowed to have property. In fact they usually own very large estates and have enterprises that provide for the needs of the monks. The life of a monk is a life that is lived in contemplation, not in poverty. Some monastic orders are more enclosed and more detached from the world than others; but that is a choice that each monastery makes independently. The monasteries are not part of a large order as are Franciscans, Carmelites, Dominicans, Augustinians, Trinitarians and other mendicant orders.
2. The Franciscans are a very unique family. We were founded on poverty and obedience. Our life is comprised of absolute obedience (blind obedience sometimes) to the pope, St. Francis, the superior and the wishes of our brothers. Monks also share in this obedience. In that respect, the two families, Benedictine and Franciscan are very similar. But the similarity ends there. Franciscans do not own anything as a community or personally. Monks do. A Franciscan is allowed the use of anything that is necessary for his work, his health, his studies and his prayer life. Monks are allowed anything that will make their life more comofortable, as long as it’s not immoral. There is the difference. When a Franciscan leaves his house and moves to another house in the order, everyrhing that he used in the previous house remains there. He takes only his habit, his prayer books and whatever the superior of the house allows him to take. Monks, on the other hand, are bound to the same monastery all their lives. They never transfer from one place to another. That is the trade off. While Franciscans get to see the world, monks remain stable.
3. The other mendicant orders, such as Carmelites, Dominicans, Augustinians and Trinitarians are orders of priests. Franciscans and Benedictines are not. We have priests, but we are considered lay orders. Our focus in on the religoius life and on the fraternity to which we belong. While the focus of the other mendicant orders is on their mission. Fraternal life supports their mission: teaching, parish work, care for the sick and poor, etc. For the Franciscan and the Benedictine the mission is a product of their fraternal life. First of all we are brothers who come together to love and serve each other. From our love and service to each other we decide how much we can serve those outside of the fraternity and how. It’s like and inverted pyramid. Dominicans, Carmelites, Augustinians and Trinitarians are priests who belong to a religious family. But it is understood that they will serve the laity in some capacity. Franciscans are religious whose first duty is to live according to the rule of Francis. Benedictines are religious whose first duty is to live according tot he rule of Benedict. Both Franciscans and Benedictines focus on the internal spiritual and material needs of their brothers. If it is necessary, for the good of the brothers, to go on the road and minister to others, then they do so. If it is not necessary, they do not.
4. Then you have the congregations such as Salesians, Christian Brothers, Marianists, Mercedarians and others. These communities were founded as a family of men who are called to meet a specific need in the Church. They come together, under vows, to live and work together to meet that need: education, missions, preaching, poor, youth and so forth.

These are different gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to the Church. Each religious family is supposed to support the work of the Church through their prayer life, their community life, their holiness and whatever ministry is allowed to them. They are like the spice that gives flavor to the stew, but they are not the stew. The stew is the Church. The Church is really the duty and responsibility of secular men called diocesan priests. All the above religious support the work of the different dioceses in which they live through their own gifts: fraternity, prayer, penance, ministry.

I hope this helps.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[anode]

I have been looking at many monastic orders and have to blink a few times to absorb what I’m seeing.

Monks playing video games, chatting on cell phones and bluetooth devices, watching television, playing games like basketball and hockey, using GPS systems in [luxury] cars, etc…

More than half of these go against the basic rules that many of the monastic Fathers laid out for their followers to live by (St Francis wrote that one should never ride on horseback, let alone even wear footwear, unless absolutely necessary).

I’m not judging, or pointing fingers - I’m just curious as to how these are allowed, let alone even deemed necessary. I can understand priest monks needing cell phones and perhaps a computer for email correspondence in order to counsel, and a car for driving to distant places when needed, but why the rest of the latter? Isn’t the monastic life supposed to be practiced with the utmost humility in the utmost simplicity?

Read JR’s posts carefully re the difference among orders.

Basically, the term ‘monks’ usually refers to Benedictines, OSB, who take vows of stability and conversion of life, not the standard three, which came much later. They usually stay in one place and recite the Divine Office. They often teach, and because they don’t move, tend to acquire things related to their work, in the past, vast libraries, more currently–media. It was the Benedictines and their allies who ‘saved’ civilization by their scholarship and copying of the seminal documents of western Europe. Like other religious, they own things corporately, but don’t practice ‘poverty’ as such, other than their renunciation of their own will, married life, and their living in common–all items I would find penitential indeed. Dominicans, by their focus on preaching, also do not emphasize poverty other than that mentioned above. Dominicans would also tend to acquire things related to their work, such as media and advanced degrees, something Benedictines also tend to acquire, which are related to their teaching.

If you read the excellent blog by Tom Gibbons of the Salesians, Kicking and Screaming, you would find a description of a very comfortable life–aside from the fact he is training for the priesthood!

If you study the CFR- Franciscans of the Renewal and also of the Primitive Observance, you’ll find a lot of visible poverty.

There are a variety of charisms out there with varying expression within each house, according to the superior. In addition, some orders, such as the women’s Dominicans at Nashville and Ann Arbor, very actively use media to recruit. Others may be conducting necessary business related to the order, vocational work, or teaching. Physical activity is essential to a balanced life-a hallmark of the Benedictines. The video-games, I don’t know.

I believe you have characterized yourself as a convert or soon-to-be convert; clearly you are interested in religious life. The wait between conversion is 2 or 3 years, plenty of time to read up and visit different orders, to learn their charisms and their expressions. You should also feel free to ask questions, even if they are pointed ones.