Should Monks Smile?

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Ideally, they are closer to the beatific vision than us regular joe schmos, so yeah, they should be radiating joy.
 
It’s not customary for monks in the Eastern tradition to sit for photos (though there are many such).

If you go to

Holy Resurrection Monastery

Official Website of Holy Resurrection Monastery, A Byzantine Catholic Monastery in Union with Rome.
hrmonline.org hrmonline.org

you will see photos of Eastern Catholic monks and nuns smiling.

BTW–why is this poll being taken among seculars? Is it really any of their concern?
 
Why in the world shouldn’t they? :confused:

If they are happy – they should smile!! 😃

~Liza
 
im sorta curious why such a poll was even created.

is there any reason why monks should not smile?😊
 
God made them human. Human beings smile, laugh, cry, yawn and so forth.

People like Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila, John XXIII, Mother Teresa, John Paul II had a wonderful sense of humor.

Thomas Merton was a very funny man. Mother Angelica is a monastic and she smiles quite a bit, as do her sisters.

I’m not sure why it would be inappropriate for a monastic to smile.

I’m not so sure that they are any closer to the beatific vision than other people. They are working to get there as are the rest of us and there are some who are very mystical, but they probably smile at things that deserve a smile. They do not cease to be human. In fact, monastic life makes one more human.

Fraternally,

JR 🙂
 
Someone said that a saint that doesn’t smile/laugh is a sad saint. 😉
 
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Yes, or else I suspect they might not be human beings.

I think the Rule (at least for Western monks) mentions refraining from boistorous laughter, meaning laughter at anothers expense, or laughter that could make someone think they were being made fun of. I know a lot of monks, and they smile a lot. If they didn’t, I’d probably keep my distance.
 
:);):o:p:DMost certainly. Aren’t they happy being monks? Therefore they should smile!

PAX DOMINI

Shalom Aleichem
 
I love to see smiling monks. But in some cultures, smiling for pictures is in fact considered rude and/or inappropriate. Many of the Slavic Cultures simply don’t smile for formal photos, and with Monks, that’s usually about all we see…
 
Aramis said:
I love to see smiling monks. But in some cultures, smiling for pictures is in fact considered rude and/or inappropriate. Many of the Slavic Cultures simply don’t smile for formal photos, and with Monks, that’s usually about all we see…
Click to expand...
There is a wonderful photograph of Therese of Liseux. I love the warmth of her smile. It has an impish look about it.

We often use the word monk to refer to males. But we forget that monk comes from monastic. Some of the most joyful men and women were monastic: Benedict, Teresa of Avila, Therese of Liseaux, Thomas Merton, Bernard of Clariveaux, Mother Angelica, Teresa of the Andes and many others.

These men and women were very healthy people with a wonderful sense of humor. Let us not forget the debates that Teresa of Avila had with the Lord and how she would tease him.

There is truth to what you say about not smiling in some cultures. I find this more common in the East than in the West. Maybe it has more to do with the severity of life that the Eastern world has had to endure compared to the West. Also, they seem to reserve the lighter side of their persona for those who are closer to them. It’s just a difference in culture, not a qualitative characteristic.

I’m not sure if I’m making myself clear. I hope so.

Fraternally,

JR 🙂
 
JReducation said:
There is a wonderful photograph of Therese of Liseux. I love the warmth of her smile. It has an impish look about it.

We often use the word monk to refer to males. But we forget that monk comes from monastic. Some of the most joyful men and women were monastic: Benedict, Teresa of Avila, Therese of Liseaux, Thomas Merton, Bernard of Clariveaux, Mother Angelica, Teresa of the Andes and many others.

These men and women were very healthy people with a wonderful sense of humor. Let us not forget the debates that Teresa of Avila had with the Lord and how she would tease him.

There is truth to what you say about not smiling in some cultures. I find this more common in the East than in the West. Maybe it has more to do with the severity of life that the Eastern world has had to endure compared to the West. Also, they seem to reserve the lighter side of their persona for those who are closer to them. It’s just a difference in culture, not a qualitative characteristic.

I’m not sure if I’m making myself clear. I hope so.

Fraternally,

JR 🙂
Click to expand...
Clear Enough for me! 👍

One of the dourest looking in photographs (former) monastics (now diocesan clergy) is Rt. Rev. Fr. Wes Izer. Photos of him almost always look like he’s irritated. And yet, in person, when cameras are not involved, he’s often smiling.

Heck, he smiles while talking about fasting, taxes, and icy roads…
 
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