1 - the introduction

      Some say that monks must serve the world so that they do not eat the bread of the people in vain, but we must understand well what this service includes.

    The monk is a praying person who cries for the whole world, and this is his main concern.

     Who motivates him to cry for the whole world? He is the Lord Jesus Christ...

     The work of a monk is not to serve the world by the work of his hands. This is the work of the people of this world. Man in the world prays little, but the monk prays constantly, and thanks to the monks, prayer does not stop on earth, and this is what benefits the entire universe because the world continues with the monk’s prayer. However, when prayer becomes weak, the universe perishes.

     What can a monk do with his hands? In one day's work, the monk earns a little money, and what is that to God?...while in one thought approved of God he performs wonders. This is what we know in the holy books.

     The Prophet Moses prayed in his heart, and the Lord the Lord said to him: “Why do you cry out to me?” Thus, the Jews were saved from calamities. As for Saint Anthony the Great, he sustained the universe through his prayers, not the work of his hands. Saint Sergius of Radonezh helped the people of Russia to liberate themselves from the Tatar attack through prayer and fasting. Saint Seraphim was praying in his heart, and the Holy Spirit descended on Motovilov during their conversation.

     This is the work of monks.

     The Holy Spirit taught the monks to love God and the world.

     Perhaps you say that there are no longer monks who pray for the whole world, but I say, if there are no more monks like these in the world, then it will be the end of the world, and rather misfortunes will overtake it, and they are happening now...

     People think that monks are useless and useless offspring. They make a mistake in this thinking. The world does not know a monk who prays for the entire universe. They do not see or experience their prayers, and they do not know with what joy and kindness the Lord accepts these prayers. The monks wage a fierce war against their desires, and thanks to this resistance, they become great before God. (Saint Silouan the Athos) (1)

2- What is monastic life?

        Monastic consecration is at once the first and last word on the mystery of salvation. The first word: The answer of our father Abraham, “Here I am, O Lord,” which will one day lead to the Virgin’s answer, “Here I am, a servant of the Lord.” And the last word, because if man had answered in the beginning and said, “Here I am,” then in the end God will present Himself completely to man: “Behold, I am with you until the end of the age.” (3)

     Monastic consecration is the path most in compliance with God's will and most similar to His mystery, the path of following Christ most, a path drawn by Christ. The Lord has provided other sufficient ways to obey His law. He told the rich young man that the basic commandments were sufficient. But if you want to meet God, you must follow me. (3)

     Monastic life finds its meaning in the following main aspects:

     a. The monastic life is an Easter life: because the monk dies in relation to the world and rises again with a new awareness, an enlightened will, and a total giving of heart. This is not for nothing, but it is established in God. It is a theology (praise and glorification) chanted not only with the lips, but with the entire being. Through sin we refuse God to appear through us. The monk, on the contrary, wants to keep God present in the world. In addition to the praising aspect, there is jihad and struggle, because struggle is the other aspect of the Easter character. Monastic life brings the monk into the struggle that Christ himself underwent.

     B. Monastic life is a prophetic life: it is a prophetic life in the strongest sense of the word: a prophet is one who cries (a crying voice...). Then he is the one who sees. The monk lives in the presence of God and sees the invisible. Then he declares, not only with words but also with silence, in his way of life, that man cannot “stay” and become dull. He has no right to forget that God is God and that he has rights over us. The monk is a revolutionary being who proposes to change life. He seeks the conversion of people and that is why people do not like monks. Monks, for example, want obedience instead of chaos, chastity instead of pleasure, and poverty instead of wealth, which is the law of God...Monastic life announces the Kingdom of God and preaches it, and in this sense it is prophetic.

     C. Monastic life is an apostolic life: The apostles studied with God for three full years to be His witnesses. This is the condition of the mission and to this end the Lord asked them to leave everything to follow Him. This is very deep. This means that a true renewal of the Church cannot come from a partial Christianity that gives God part of its time... If Peter, Andrew, Matthew, and the rest of the disciples had responded to Christ’s call to live a good life, persevering in their ordinary lives and meeting with Christ for an hour every day or every week... the Church would not have existed. has been established. In this sense, monastic life is basically an apostolic life, a life sent by God to make a complete and pure announcement to Him.

     Dr.. The monastic life is a contemplative life: it is the inner life, and the inner life is the life with God. Life in the world is not despised: it reflects God indirectly, while the monk longs for direct knowledge of God. The monk sees the world in God. He seeks God, estranging himself from the world.

     e. Monastic life is a life of repentance: there is no salvation without repentance. Repentance (in Greek Metanoia) means a transformation in a person, a transition from one state to another. “Forgetting what is behind me, I reach out with all my soul to what is ahead” (Philippians 3:13). It is an endless pursuit of God. God is the only truth that cannot be satisfied, and in repentance there is an unlimited hunger and thirst for God. The soul by nature desires and loves God. All happiness other than God is exhausted and ends because it is limited. In the pleasures of the world, the soul lacks rather than enriches, and loses its freedom and strength. The happiness of the world is a false happiness, and that is why we see the world as a prey to anxiety and anxiety: peace is in the infinite God. The soul that is absorbed in the passions empties itself and dies, and the monk’s “asceticism” is nothing but a war against the death of the passions. Repentance, as experienced by the saints and expressed in the Church, always combines two opposites: the feeling of man's sin and smallness on the one hand, and the feeling of God's holiness and greatness on the other hand. There are many repetitions of the word, Lord, have mercy in Orthodox church prayers. The Jesus Prayer is a request for mercy: O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner. Because repentance is a continuous work. Every “access” to God is an idol and idolatry, and “obtaining God is precisely the search for Him without interruption” (Gregory of Nyssa). This does not stop after death, but continues in the afterlife, and the life of a monk is nothing but a prior taste of the taste of eternity. The monk must never stop in the work of inner progress and must never wait for the result and effect of his struggle until death.

     And the. Monastic life is a life of glorification like the angels: The monastic state is a movement, and because the angels are in this position, because they “find” God, they automatically emit cries of glorification without interruption. The monks took it upon themselves to glorify God on earth and sing to Him constantly with psalms and prayers.

     g. Monastic life renews the mind and gives knowledge: Monastic life renews the monk’s activity and creates a new creation in his intelligence. The Apostle Paul commands us to “renew your mind” (Romans 12:2) and “let the mind of Christ be in you” (Philippians 2:5). The Christian person (who has the mind of Christ) is the one who has new eyes opened towards heaven, and true understanding is looking at the world with the eyes of Christ. (3)

3- Historical overview

        In every age, human thought is concerned with the issue of monasticism. Monasticism is not of the utmost importance for monks in the exclusive sense, or say, as a matter of specialty, for the group of monks and hermits, but also in general for every Christian. Monasticism, meaning “spiritual work,” is an integral part of the history of all religions and civilizations, including those that have no religious basis. Every religion or form, ancient or modern, is related to religions, the life of spiritual people, each of which has its own ascetic approach that differs according to its prominent doctrinal awareness. (2)

     The emergence of Christian monastic life begins with Christ. He is the first monk, so to speak, and he paved the way for us to salvation and life through poverty, chastity, and obedience to the cross out of love for God the Father. (3)

     All the holy fathers confirm that monasticism began since the age of the apostles, and even before that, since the days of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth. Saint Basil the Great says that life in monastic communion is in fact an imitation of the way of life of Jesus Christ and his disciples. That is, just as Jesus Christ gathered around him a group of apostles and lived a distinguished life with them, so also the monks imitate that life, by living in small, distinguished communities under the obedience of the superior, and preserving its origins with righteousness and wisdom. (4)

     The first Christian community, as described in the Book of Acts of the Apostles, was the first example of groups of monks who “devoted daily with one accord to the teaching of the apostles, to the breaking of bread, to fellowship, and to prayers” (Acts 2:42, 46), and who had “everything in common” (Acts 44 :2 and 32:4). (3)

     Some believers, men and women, also decided to abstain from prayer and fasting, practicing asceticism and virginity, in cities and in the countryside. The truth is that all those baptized in Christ are set apart to seek the face of God: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness...” (Matthew 6:32). Among the reasons that contributed to the increase in the number of Christians devoted to God, in addition to the drive for authenticity and living faith, was the noticeable decline in morals among Christians themselves, especially after the end of the era of persecution and the “victory” of Christianity, which made some look to another field of struggle and testimony for Christ, and it was This field is desert. (3)

     Saints Anthony the Great (died around the year 356) and Pachomius (died around the year 346) appeared, who laid the foundations of monastic life in its stable forms that have continued to this day. (3)

     Then, Saint Basil the Great, with his famous ascetic laws, charted a path for shared life based entirely on the Gospel and brotherly love stemming from love for God. Monastic life moved to the West after Saint John Cassian (died in 435) translated the biography of Saint Anthony the Great. Saint Benedict (died in 547) relied on the method of Saint Basil in establishing Benedictine monasticism.(3)

     In the fifth century, the need emerged to control monastic life in terms of its relationship to spiritual leadership. This was the task of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, held in Chalcedon in the year 451, which subordinated the monks to the bishop of the diocese.(3)

     Saint Theodoros the Studite (759-826) became prominent and assumed the presidency of the Studium Monastery in Constantinople in the year 799. In addition to his dedication to defending icons, he reformed the monastic life in his monastery on the basis of strictness in following the common valiant life, so the Studium Monastery became a center of radiance of life. The chief monastic order in all of Byzantium and his order is imitated even today (what is known as the Pedicon of Constantinople). The construction of monasteries continued in Constantinople until the fourteenth century. (3)

     As for Mount Athos, the establishment of monasteries there began in the year 963, when the system of communal life was introduced alongside the life of solitary life. (3)

     Monastic life entered Russia, the Slavic countries, and the Balkans, most likely with the introduction of the Christian faith. The first monastery in Russia, according to tradition, was established in the tenth century near the city of Kiev by Greek monks immediately after the baptism of Prince Vladimir. (3)

4- Patterns of monasticism

      Autism HermitageIn it, the monk lives alone. It was founded by Saint Anthony the Great, and special images such as hermits and tourists branched out from it. (6)

      Company Cenobitism :And it was established by Saint Pachomius. In it, the monks live in groups, pray the various prayers together, and are divided at work into teams according to different industries and jobs. (6)

      Interconnected individuality Idiorhythmism : That is, individual life in harmony with the group, and was established by Saint Macarius. Some people live in isolated villages. They meet every Saturday evening in the church, listen to the teachings of the elders, attend mass, and eat together on Sundays. (6)

5- Monastic vocations

     There are three types of vocations, and from here there are three significant renunciations necessary for a monk, whatever his type of vocation. According to John Cassian, the first type is the direct call from God. The second is the call that is fulfilled by other people and the third is the one that is fulfilled out of necessity. The first type is characterized by a certain degree of inspiration: the heart is inspired, even during sleep, and is irresistibly drawn to love God and follow the commandments of Christ. The second type of advocacy occurs when a person becomes inflamed with heat as a result of the words of holy men or is affected by contact with them. Which drives him to yearn for God. The third type of supplications occurs in emergency circumstances, such as a financial disaster, illness, or the loss of a loved one, which prompts the person to turn to God.(2)

     Archimandrite Sophrony adds to the doctrine of the Holy Fathers one or two observations that he acquired during the years of his spiritual association with a large number of the monks of the Holy Mountain: There are people who come to the Church and their souls are greatly matured from the atmosphere of its ancient heritage with its sublime liturgy and its sacramental life, from its inexhaustible treasures in prayer and teaching. . These people grow peacefully and do not know conflicts. Sometimes they develop from their childhood a deep and strong longing for God. This yearning becomes, in the end, clearer than everything else and drives them simply and naturally, “so to speak,” to the monastery. The matter is different with those who, for one reason or another, have lost God and have moved far away from Him or are in conflict with Him. Their “return” often takes the form of a severe internal crisis with conflict and tension. They often fall victim to nervous diseases, psychological disorders or even insanity. For such people, new spiritual conversion occurs through grace. They feel it as an existential reality and it is expressed on the psychological level by adopting a clear goal. (2)

     Grace brings us into the world of divine light. Despite all its attractive power, freedom of will is not lost and it does not relieve us from the struggle that follows it or even from our doubts and hesitations. Those who have known this grace are also exposed to temptation and perhaps satanic darkness. Then the knowledge that was given to them, which inevitably deeply imprinted their intellectual awareness, could be used by the evil one, making “the end of that man worse than his beginning” (Matthew 12:45). At other times, grace overflows in abundance to the point that the soul is fully aware of its resurrection... When this happens, the person becomes firm and stable for the rest of his life and is freed from internal conflict, so the sufferer no longer searches for the truth. (2)

     Fathers never underestimated the importance of any kind of vocation. Because the history of the Church includes a fair number of people who came to their calling out of necessity and yet they achieved a perfection perhaps greater than those reached by those called directly by God. Thus, the fathers judge based not on the beginning of the path, but on its end. (2)

6- Monastic vows

     Where do we find the image of a recluse? Where should one look for the spiritual image of the recluse? Baptism belongs to everyone. As well as the rest of the church secrets, none of them are specific to a solitary monk and not other believers. Where do we find the autistic? We find it on the cross, the cross of Christ. A recluse is a person who lives on the cross of Christ. “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Placing a monk on the cross is a sacrament associated with the Resurrection. “If a grain of wheat does not die, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). So death is the source of life.(5)

     Death and life are two opposites that do not go together. They are the two most opposite things in existence. But they met and reconciled through Jesus, through the cross: Jesus dies on the cross, and death is completely defeated at that time. “The rocks were split open and the graves were opened...” (Matthew 27:52). Jesus was stabbed with a spear about three hours after his death: “And immediately blood and water came out” (John 19:34). No blood or water has come out of the body of a person who has been dead for three hours. As for the body of Jesus, blood and water came out of it, and John the Evangelist confirmed the truth of that by saying exactly in this place in his Gospel: “And he who testified has seen it, and his testimony is true, and he knows that he speaks the truth so that you may believe” (John 19:35). This means that Jesus' body, from the exact moment of his death, defeated death and became a victorious body. But our death is not a closed death, but an open death, a bright and life-giving death. Thus, on the life-giving cross of Christ, the solitary is a person who dies and rises without interruption, dying for the world to rise in Christ. (5)

     How does a recluse crucify himself to the world without interruption?

     The cross in the Orthodox tradition contains four nails, and these nails spiritually symbolize monastic vows:

     Chastity, poverty and obedience The fourth vow is patience.

     The vows that a monk makes are a free human being's response to the Lord's call and His plan of salvation. (5)

A vow of chastity or virginity

  Monastic celibacy is not a status but a state: it is inner purity of the heart, purity in the full sense of the word, and monastic celibacy is not a virtue, that is, an end in itself, but rather a means by which we rise to something greater. Adam and Eve - the first man - were one. But by sin they were divided and separated. Now man and woman are trying in vain to unite again at the level of the body. Therefore, the goal of the monk’s celibacy, in conclusion, is to restore the unity and perfection of human nature following the example of the Lord Jesus. The monk does not achieve the unity of his nature through the sacrament of marriage (which does not contradict virginity), but rather spiritual marriage, that is, by uniting himself with Christ and uniting himself in Him. Virginity is more fertile than marriage. The monk, through his prayers and attachment to God, gives spiritual children to the church with a fertility that cannot be compared to the fertility of marriage. Through virginity we die to the world and its desires. That is, through virginity we are separated from the stream of death and enter the world of resurrection. (5)

     Virginity is not naive ignorance of biological facts. The highest and only example of perfection, the Virgin Mary, answered the angel who came to announce the birth of a son with this question: “How can this be, since I have not known a man?” (Luke 1:34). The Church envisions humanity in three spiritual states: the state that is above nature, the natural state, and the state that is below nature. Virginity or monastic chastity understood as gifts of grace belong to the first case. As for marriage blessed by the church, it belongs to the second. The third state (below nature) includes every other form of sexual life. (2)

     To maintain virginity, a minimum level of asceticism, protective discipline, and discipline are necessary: in food, speech, and thought. But the basic condition for preserving virginity is prayer: the prayer of a loving heart that yearns for God and seeks union with Him alone. (5)

Vow of poverty or lack of wealth:

     Poverty for an autistic person means first of all a social reality. The autistic person does not own or have the right to own what others own as others own. Secondly, it means a moral reality, as the autistic person lives the life of the poor and feels the pain that the poor suffer unjustly. Poverty, first of all, has an ascetic aspect, that is, it is part of the ascetic struggle, of the ascetic war that the monk wages on his way to his goal. It is a movement of detachment, abstraction, and voluntary abandonment of the world’s goods, not out of contempt for the world, but rather out of preference for what is better than it, I mean God, the Creator of the world. (5)

     Poverty also has a mystical aspect: when a person owns something, he is connected to what he owns and is subject to it. The nothingness within us gives rise to a thirst for possession. This is where selfishness comes from. Selfishness is an attachment to things, submission to them, and the illusion that my existence and life depend on them. Thus, without realizing it, I become its slave, and it hides from me God, the ultimate source of my existence. Wealth is a barrier between man and God. Wealth is “obsessive”. “I will demolish my barns and build others that are wider than them.” As for the monk, he is the person who achieves through poverty an abstraction that returns him more and more to the hands of God. (5)

     The Lord Jesus greatly insists on self-deprivation: “You cannot worship the two Lords, God and money.” The greatest poverty was achieved by the Lord Jesus when he was incarnated and gave up his divine glory: “He emptied his divine self, emptied himself” (Philippians 2:11). Therefore, one of the conditions for our monastic struggle is that we remain poor: because the monk is “present,” that is, active in the world to the extent that he is detached from it. The more monasticism is rich and organized in the world, the more it is absent from it. It has no spiritual influence or radiance. True poverty was experienced by the early Christian groups, and it was, in their view, the greatest virtue. (5)

     The monk most achieves poverty in the communal system where everything is shared and the monk has nothing. (5)

     To preserve poverty, the monk must be constantly alert to his natural inclination to attach to things put to his use, or to certain functions... The monk must be constantly vigilant to free himself from any attachment and keep the vow with God’s help. (5)

Vow of obedience:

     “He who loves me keeps my commandments” (John 14:15)

     Monastic obedience, on the other hand, is a religious act and therefore a person must accept it freely, otherwise it will lose its true spiritual meaning. Such obedience is only spiritually fruitful if the will and self-government voluntarily submit to the spiritual father in order to achieve the will of God. Because the essence of our obedience lies in its connection with the search for God’s will.(2)

     If poverty separates us from kingship in order to gain existence, then by obedience we give up existence, that is, we give up ourselves, we give up our personal will. Obedience is not simply submission to external authority. Submission distorts a person and turns him into an object instead of a subject, while monastic obedience revives him from within and is illuminated by divine obedience and inner love for God. This surrender of the will does not diminish the human being, because the human being is a free being. Monastic obedience is directed directly to Christ, the Christ who became obedient to the point of death. “Thy will be done, not mine.” It is done for the love of Christ and for the sake of Christ. It is done internally, not just externally. Obedience that is very easy and does not require an internal effort from the monk is dangerous to his spiritual life. (5)

     The topic of obedience cannot be exhausted. But its general principle always remains: that a person should not put his trust in himself. This is especially important for beginners. Even monks who are advanced in spiritual struggle do not neglect obedience.(2)

Vow of patience:

     This is the fourth nail, which is implicit in the fourth monastic vow: constancy and patience. This urgency and this patience determine the fate of our monastic life and how we achieve it. Patience is the heart of monastic vows. It is what drives the monk to perfection without interruption. The monk's perfection is like the perfection of every Christian, but in a clearer and more intense way: it is seeing God. “Your face, O Lord, I seek” (Psalm 26:8). Throughout the Bible a basic truth is that no one can see the face of God and live, so we must first die as creatures. (5)

     As for the first sighting, it is by faith: Faith is the certainty of things not seen as if they were seen (Hebrews 11:1). Therefore, the perfection of a solitary person is divine viewing, and he can do it only if he dies. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). The monk strives to always die to what he is: “He died with Christ to the elements of the world. You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). The monk is the perpetual martyr, bearing witness to Christ in suffering and death until the end. (5)

     “Who is the faithful and wise monk? He is the one who maintains his resolve until the end, who continues until the end of his life increasing irritation upon ardor, enthusiasm upon enthusiasm, zeal upon zeal, and longing upon longing” (Saint John of the Ladder). This is the monk who fulfills his vow of patience: “Whoever endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). (5)

7- The monastic ischem

     In the Greek monasteries of the Holy Mountain, the first step is to dress without making any vows, which is a “blessing.” Hence the word rasophorus, “the one who wears a garment.” Before that, the novice is instructed on the meaning of monasticism and the necessity of abandoning the world and relatives. This stage is a testing stage in which the aspirant prepares for spiritual jihad. (2)

     The second degree is the “small ischem” when the monk offers the vows, which are returned and offered again, with a slight change, when the monk comes to the upper degree to wear the large ischem. There is a slight difference in the external appearance on the two occasions, but at the same time, perhaps, a profound transformation has occurred in the monk’s inner consciousness. These degrees of monastic consecration and the offering of vows are not enough

It is the only way to realize the perfection of divine love. Thus, every human being grows and advances. The Apostle Peter writes the following: “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for having done so you will never stumble. For in this way He will abundantly offer you entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10-11). (2)

8- Conclusion

     The rejection of the world and the vows required of a monk are not always easily understood. A common reaction lies in the following question: “Is it permissible for a life to be based entirely and at its core on a negative attitude and rejecting principles?” The answer is “no.” Christ’s true commandments “in love” have a positive character, and life with God in general can only be a positive action. Where the love of God flows, there is no need for any effort in self-denial in order to overcome one of the passions. The person who is filled with the love of Christ, for whom love has become a second nature, this person does not need to remove his attachment to the things of this world or to be liberated from the slavery of the passions because he does not He would have been fired from it. In this case, every spiritual work based on the commandments of Christ comes as a spontaneous and thankful expression and not as a result of self-control. (2)

     From here we come to humility or gentleness, as Saint John of the Ladder says: “Meekness is a rock standing on the shore of the sea of anger...Meekness is a support for patience, a door to love and even a mother for it, an indication of prayer, a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit, a brake on violence, a source of joy, and an imitation of Christ.” (2)

     Gentleness is an issue that is incomparably greater than any “psychological” condition. Meekness is courage that takes upon itself the burdens and weaknesses of others. It is the constant willingness to bear blame and not yield to praise. It is calm steadfastness in the face of every hardship, even in the face of death. Meekness contains within itself great power and victory over the world. Christ says: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth,” meaning that they will overcome the world in the highest sense of the word. (2)

     As for the ascetic actions, which are fasting, prostrations, staying up late, and silence, all of them bring the monk to prayer.

     Saint Silouan the Athos says: “He who loves the Lord is always pious by remembering him.” Constant remembrance of God inspires prayer. If you do not remember the Master, you will not pray. Without prayer, the soul will not dwell in divine love, because through prayer the grace of the Holy Spirit descends on the person and he is preserved from sin, because in the state of prayer the soul is captured and passionate about God, so it stands humbly before the face of the Master whom it knows by the spirit.”(1)

     Prayer is a living encounter between the soul and God. Prayer is the path and the goal of the path at the same time. The acquisition of any perfection is achieved by prayer and in prayer. The monk is specifically a man of prayer. “Prayer makes a monk, not clothing.” (3)

     Prayer, above all, is an internal stance for the soul that is aware of itself before God: it realizes that it is lost or sinful and full of shortcomings and defects. That is, it realizes itself as it is, so it turns towards God and throws itself before Him and in Him. (3)

     The content of prayer is an act of thanksgiving, confession, glorification and finally an act of request. (3)

     This results in the monk focusing his effort, in his life and will, on diving into the life and will of God Himself. This he achieves especially through prayer. Thus, prayer constitutes the culmination of every ascetic action. Prayer is the highest expression of Orthodox monastic life and the Orthodox monk devotes his main powers to prayer. The most perfect form of prayer is known as pure prayer, through which one enters into the divine entity by the power of the Holy Spirit, which constitutes the goal of all true ascetic work. For this goal, the monk throws everything behind him. Monastic asceticism from the world is precisely this renunciation.(2)

     The pinnacle of prayer is union with God.(5)

     The free decision to choose and to adhere to divine goodness without return through painful struggle constitutes exactly the heart of the ascetic Christian life. The signs of this life lie in nothingness

The soul is satisfied with everything that is on earth and there is “nostalgia” and longing for God and a burning search for Him.

     This is expressed in the following words of Saint Silouan the Athos:

     “My soul longs for the Lord, I search for Him with tears.

     How can I not search for you? You were the one who looked for me first.

     And you gave me the blessing of your Holy Spirit.

     And my soul became attached to your love.”(2)

9- Notes on monasticism

In the introduction to the first of Father Paisios’s letters, he addresses the novice monks with this saying:

They are the employees of the mother church's radio. Therefore, if they set out away from the world, they set out out of love for it, away from worldly confusion, in order to obtain better communication, and to help the world in what is better and more abundant.

...When the monks are asked to go out into the world, this is similar to what some foolish soldiers do. When they see that their squad is in danger, they insist on the radio operator to leave his device and carry the gun. (Imagine how much the squad of two hundred soldiers would be saved if one gunman was added to it.) While the voice of the worker on the radio announces the call, shouting: “Forward, forward, soul...etc.” Others believe that he is only making sounds into the air.

As for the skilled radio operators, even if they are insulted, they continue their effort without caring, in order to be able to communicate, so they ask for help directly from the Major General. Thus, the major air, land and sea forces come to support them with their armored fleets. In this way, not by cold, relief is obtained. In this way, the monks are moved through their prayers by divine forces and not by their weak individual strength.

...So monks do not leave the wilderness to go into the world to help a poor person, nor to miss a sick person in the hospital, to offer him an orange or any other consolation. This is what the common people usually do (and God will demand from them such actions). As for the monks, they pray for all the sick so that they will be granted double health, so that the good God will have mercy on His creation and help people so that their conditions improve, so that they in turn help others, acting as Christians who worship well.

…I would like to stress the monk’s great mission, the importance of which exceeds the act of human love.

...In short, monks are not just small lamps that illuminate the streets of cities so that people do not stumble. Rather, they are the lighthouses standing on the rocks, which shine from afar and with their light guide the ships of the world from the deepest depths of the seas in order to reach their destinations.(7)

Jesus said: If you want to be perfect, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me. (Matthew 21:19)

In the book “Peace to God,” Saint John of the Ladder wrote that God is for all who choose Him. Likewise, life and salvation are understood by all people, whether believers or unbelievers, just or unjust, pious or unbelievers, sinners or righteous, monks or laymen, wise or simple, healthy or sick, young or old, similar to the flow of light, the rising of the sun, and the succession of the seasons. The Sunnah is for all people alike. Yes, and it is not the other way around because “there is no favoritism with God.”

The infidel is a being with a rational soul and a mortal nature who excludes himself from life by choice because he thinks that his eternal Creator does not exist. The transgressor of the Sharia is the one who distorts the Sharia of God according to the corruption of his own insight and invents what the Almighty opposes, thinking that he believes in it. A Christian is one who imitates Christ in his words, actions, and thoughts as much as a person is able, and believes in the Holy Trinity with a sound and flawless faith. The lover of God is the one who uses natural goodness well and does not hesitate to do good deeds to the best of his ability. The one who controls his whims is the one who tries with all his might, in the midst of trials, machinations, and unrest, to imitate the condition of those who are indifferent and do not react to the unrest. The monk is the one who achieves, in a dirty, material body, the rank and conduct of the disembodied. The monk is the one who keeps the commandments of God alone at every time, place and work. A monk is one who does not stop restraining his nature and guarding his senses. A monk has a chaste body, a pure mouth, and an enlightened mind. The monk is a sad soul that continues to dwell on death in sleep and wakefulness. Retirement from the world is a voluntary abhorrence and denial of nature in order to attain what transcends nature.(8)

Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do the matter of the fig tree, but if you also say to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer believing, you will receive it. (Matthew 21:21)

In one of his letters, Father Avram, who is the spiritual son of Sheikh Joseph the Hesychast, says: There is no better option than the option of monasticism. Monasticism means deification, sanctification of body and soul, and union with God. Monasticism is awakening, awareness, and discovery of the Kingdom of God within man. Who is the wise man who will understand these matters? Without monasticism, no one reaches divinity. There is no pure heart without constant vigilance, abstinence, and prayer... If the heart is not purified, pure Jesus cannot make it a home. How can one have a pure heart in the middle of the world? The fathers realized the difficulty of this matter, and for this reason they left the world and took refuge in the wilderness.(9)

While they were walking, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha received him into her house. This woman had a sister called Mary, who sat at Jesus' feet and listened to his words. As for Martha, she was busy with much service. She stood up and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?” So tell her to help me. Then Jesus answered and said to her, “Marty and Marta: You are anxious and troubled about many things.” But need one. So Mary chose the good portion that would not be taken away from her.

As for Saint Silouan the Athos’s talk about monks, he mentions that some say that monks must serve the world so that they do not eat the bread of the people in vain, but we must understand well what this service includes.

The monk is a praying person who cries for the whole world, and this is his main concern.

Who then is it that motivates him to cry for the whole world?

He is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He gives the monk the love of the Holy Spirit, and this love fills his heart with pain for humanity, because not all of them are on the path to salvation. The Lord himself grieved in pain for the sake of his people, whom he handed over to death on the cross...The Lord granted this same Holy Spirit to the apostles, to our holy fathers, and to the shepherds of the church. And in this lies our service to the world. Therefore, neither pastors of the church nor monks can care about the things and concerns of this world, but they must follow the example of the Mother of God, who was residing in the temple, in the Holy of Holies, studying day and night the rulings of the Lord and dwelling in prayer for the people. The work of a monk is not to serve the world by the work of his hands. This is the work of the people of this world. Man in the world prays little, but the monk prays constantly, and thanks to the monks, prayer does not stop on earth, and this is what benefits the entire universe because the world continues with the monk’s prayer. However, when prayer is weakened, the universe will perish... “Prophet Moses” prayed in his heart, and the Lord God said to him: “Why are you crying out to me?” and thus the Jews were saved from calamities. As for Saint Anthony, he sustained the universe through his prayers, not the work of his hands. Saint Sergius of Radonezh helped the people of Russia to liberate themselves from the Tatar attack through prayer and fasting. Saint Seraphim was praying in his heart, and the Holy Spirit descended on Motovilov during their conversation. This is the work of a monk….

You may say that there are no longer monks who pray for the whole world, but I say, if there are no more monks like these in the world, it will be the end of the world, and rather misfortunes will overtake it, and they are happening now.(10)

He also told them that he should pray at all times and not grow weary (Luke 18:1).

Saint Macarius the Great said: “Whoever desires to draw near to the Lord and be worthy of obtaining eternal life, to become a temple of Christ, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to fulfill with purity and without blemish the commandments of Christ, must, above all, believe with certainty in the Lord, give oneself completely to His commandments, and abstain from The world is in everything, so his mind is not occupied with what is visible. Then it is appropriate for him to always think that God alone is before him, to seek His satisfaction alone, and to always remain in prayer...”(11)

Father Joseph the Hesychast mentioned in one of his letters that the life of a monk is a permanent martyrdom. In another message, he says that parents will bless their children if they are saved. The bright biography of the children becomes a lamp for the parents as they are given a blessing. The monks’ blessing benefits their children even to the seventh generation. The authentic monk is a product of the Holy Spirit. When his senses are purified by obedience and divine observation, when his mind is calmed and his heart is purified, then he will receive the blessing and enlightenment of knowledge. It becomes all light, all mind, all clarity. He overflows with divinity to the point that if three people were to begin writing down what they heard from Him, they would not be able to keep up with the stream of grace flowing from Him in waves and conveying peace and transcendent stillness to the passions through the body. The heart is aflame with divine love and he chants, “Hold the waves of your grace for me, O Jesus, for I am melting like wax.” His mind is captured in theoria. He changes and becomes one with God. Like the iron in the furnace and the fire become one.(12)

Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. And whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:24-26)

When Father Elias Morcos was asked about the goal of monasticism, he replied: The basic goal of monastic life is isolation for the sake of repentance, purification of passions, constant praise of God, and prayer for the world. But this does not prevent it from performing practical services when necessary and appropriate. The Monastery of “Those Who Do Not Sleep,” for example, (in the fifth century) organized missionary tours between the two rivers. About seventy monks (and again about one hundred and fifty) left the monastery to preach the good news to the residents, complementing them. However, such practical cases are not the primary goal of monastic life. Note that pious Christians who are not monks can establish schools, hospitals, orphanages, etc. through associations designated for that purpose. As for the monks, they remain focused on prayer, repentance, and receiving those in need of guidance.(13)

Everyone who has forsaken houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, or lands for my name’s sake will receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life. (Matthew 29:19)

One of the bishops complained to Father Porphyrios that the monks were fleeing to the mountains to save their souls and leaving the parish priests with the responsibility of saving human souls. Father Porphyrios answered him: “Your Beatitude, you speak and your words settle in the human ear.” As for the monks, when they speak (that is, they pray), their words go to God’s ear and then reach the human ear.” Because the monk’s closeness to God is what brings him closer to his fellow man.(14)

The Lord Jesus said: The children of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are deemed worthy of obtaining that age and resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage...because they are like angels and are children of God.”

Saint Theophan the Recluse wrote in one of his letters to his nuns: The celibate men and women have been constant in the Church of Christ since the time of the Apostles. They have always been in the Church since those days and will be as long as the Church exists, meaning until the end of time. This lifestyle is not alien to our nature, but rather the spirit of faith in Christ reinforces it. There were many girls in Corinth who wanted not to marry because of their passion for loving Christ, the Lord, the only Bridegroom for all. So their fathers asked Saint Paul the Apostle for guidance on what to do. The saint advised them to leave the daughters to their choice as slaves to the Lord, and not force them to marry. The parents followed his advice and the girls remained virgins. Other churches followed the example of the people of Corinth, and virginity flourished in all regions.(15)

Because there are eunuchs who were born like this from their mothers’ wombs. There are eunuchs who were castrated by people. There are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept, let him accept. (Matthew 12:19)

Father Sophrony, in his definition of monasticism, says: “Therefore, we see the Church, after the period of martyrs, taking refuge in the wilderness, where she found her perfection and lived the source of her light. There we find the true strength of the struggling Church. Who are Saints John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Epiphanius, Bishops Alexios and Philip, and the other holy shepherds? These people who are clothed with light are present not only among the bishops, but also among the simple monks, starting from Anthony the Great to John of Damascus to Sergius of Radonezh and Giorgi the Hermit, who strengthened the faith and demolished the heretics and strengthened them. Wouldn't Christianity have disappeared from the world without monks? (16)

The Apostle Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians: “So whoever marries does well, and whoever does not marry does well...”

 

Quoted from the monastic brotherhood website
“The Family of the Holy Trinity.”

 

 

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(1) Mother Mary (Zacchaeus) (1999), Saint Silouan of Athos, Patristic Heritage Publications

(2) Father Avram Kyriakos (1991), Orthodox Monasticism, Brotherhood for the Propagation of the Orthodox Faith

(3) Saint George Monastery, Monastery of Al-Harf (1984), Monastic Life, Al-Nour Publications

(4) Monastery of the Sisters of Our Lady of Belmana (2004), Letters of Mother Taisia to a Novice Nun, Patristic Heritage Publications

(5) Saint George Monastery, Monastery of Al-Harf (2001), On the Life of Autism, third edition (the title of the previous two editions is “The Principles of Spiritual Life”), Al-Noor Publications

(6) Fathers of the Egyptian Church (1976), Bustan al-Ruhban, second edition, Beni Suef Archbishopric

(7) The Solitary Father Isaac the Athos (2000), Letters of the Blessed Sheikh, Monk Paisios the Athos, Koura: Monastery of the Hot Intercessor

(8) The Monastic Order of the Monastery of Saint George Al-Harf (2006), The Stairway to God: Saint John of Peace, Patristic Heritage Publications

(9) Elder Ephraim (1999) Counsels from the Holy Mountain, Arizona: St Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery

(10) Mother Mary (Zacchaeus) (1999), Saint Silouan of Athos, Patristic Heritage Publications

(11) Deacon Silwan Moussa (1999), Saint Neil Sorsky’s biography and writings (1433 - 1508), Koura: Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery

(12) Archimandrite Thomas (Bitar) (2001), Biography and Letters of Sheikh Joseph the Hesychast of Athonite, Lebanon, Patristic Heritage Publications

(13) Trabelsi, Adnan (editor), (2005) You asked me and I answered you. Keserwan: A group of authors

(14) Tomadakis, Alexandre (2007) Père Porphyre- Anthologie de Conseils, Lausanne: L'Age d'Homme

(15) Monastery of Our Lady of Kaftoun (2005), Saint Theophan the Imprisoned, his biography and works, Kaftoun: Monastery of Our Lady

(16) Father Avram Kyriakos (1991), Orthodox Monasticism, Brotherhood for Spreading the Orthodox Faith.