What is a
Monk?
The Monk Seeks God as Companion and Friend
A monk is searching, like everyone, for a life with meaning. He finds his deepest meaning by leaving all to follow Christ on His journey of return to the Father. So the monk seeks God not only as his Creator and Lord, but also as his companion and friend.
The Things in a Monk's Life are Simple and Plain
The monk wants to live the Christian life as intensely as possible. He is prepared to give himself fully to the search for God. He opens himself to experience all the wonders of the mystery of our life with God. His model and goal is the Brother who is Himself God's own Son, Jesus Christ. To aid his search, a monk keeps his life free from distractions. He lives austerely--food and clothing are simple and plain.
A Life of Silence and Solitude Enriches Community Life
Much of a monk's life is spent in solitude. This doesn't impoverish community life; it enriches it. A monk knows that he needs solitude and silence to grow in the love of God. He brings this spiritual maturity and love to the community (others who share his search and his ideals).
A Monk Seeks Love and Peace
A monk realizes that he cannot worship a God of love and harbor hate in his heart, that he cannot worship a God of peace and be a man with no peace in his soul. He knows that the way he goes about his search and the God he seeks, must in some way be the same. Since he seeks the God of love and the peace of Christ, he strives to live in love and peace with his brothers. Since he seeks to hear the Word and will of God, he lives a quiet life, much of it in silence.
What Do Trappist Monks Do?
Trappist monks don't preach or teach. They don't run hospitals or schools. What do they do? ( I love this..) Pray
Their Call is to Continual Prayer and Conversion
Their call is to continual prayer and conversion. They believe that God answers prayer, as assured in the Gospel. They strive to make their lives an intercessory prayer by giving themselves to God for others. They try to live as witnesses to the Good News, that in all things God might be glorified.
Can we, in some sense, be monks? We can be monks in the sense that we continually seek God as companion and friend, and to devote ourselves in prayer, contemplation and perhaps in silence. In the mad dash for the many noble and important pursuits, we think that only when we are loud can we be heard, that in expansive and often exaggerated lines we think we are communicating, and in the cacophony of seemingly orchestral decibel we find joy. But there is a particular haunting beauty in simplicity, in the silent. We can be monks in the sense that we seek the companionship of God, where we tread the byways, and brooksides of His presence where we are attended by His provisions, or even in the wearied, discouraged sleep of our caves where God lets us sleep, feeds us, and whispers to us in a small still voice His gentle encouragements.
From May 4 to May 11, I will spend time with the Trappist monks in Guimaras, Iloilo, with a group of Evangelical believers who are willing to explore alternate expressions of spirituality, and gain firsthand experience another dimension of our relationship with God. Silence, solitude, and contemplation will be the primary pursuit. I hope to discover many things about God that can only be found in times like these.
Monk?
The Monk Seeks God as Companion and Friend
A monk is searching, like everyone, for a life with meaning. He finds his deepest meaning by leaving all to follow Christ on His journey of return to the Father. So the monk seeks God not only as his Creator and Lord, but also as his companion and friend.
The Things in a Monk's Life are Simple and Plain
The monk wants to live the Christian life as intensely as possible. He is prepared to give himself fully to the search for God. He opens himself to experience all the wonders of the mystery of our life with God. His model and goal is the Brother who is Himself God's own Son, Jesus Christ. To aid his search, a monk keeps his life free from distractions. He lives austerely--food and clothing are simple and plain.
A Life of Silence and Solitude Enriches Community Life
Much of a monk's life is spent in solitude. This doesn't impoverish community life; it enriches it. A monk knows that he needs solitude and silence to grow in the love of God. He brings this spiritual maturity and love to the community (others who share his search and his ideals).
A Monk Seeks Love and Peace
A monk realizes that he cannot worship a God of love and harbor hate in his heart, that he cannot worship a God of peace and be a man with no peace in his soul. He knows that the way he goes about his search and the God he seeks, must in some way be the same. Since he seeks the God of love and the peace of Christ, he strives to live in love and peace with his brothers. Since he seeks to hear the Word and will of God, he lives a quiet life, much of it in silence.
What Do Trappist Monks Do?
Trappist monks don't preach or teach. They don't run hospitals or schools. What do they do? ( I love this..) Pray
Their Call is to Continual Prayer and Conversion
Their call is to continual prayer and conversion. They believe that God answers prayer, as assured in the Gospel. They strive to make their lives an intercessory prayer by giving themselves to God for others. They try to live as witnesses to the Good News, that in all things God might be glorified.
Can we, in some sense, be monks? We can be monks in the sense that we continually seek God as companion and friend, and to devote ourselves in prayer, contemplation and perhaps in silence. In the mad dash for the many noble and important pursuits, we think that only when we are loud can we be heard, that in expansive and often exaggerated lines we think we are communicating, and in the cacophony of seemingly orchestral decibel we find joy. But there is a particular haunting beauty in simplicity, in the silent. We can be monks in the sense that we seek the companionship of God, where we tread the byways, and brooksides of His presence where we are attended by His provisions, or even in the wearied, discouraged sleep of our caves where God lets us sleep, feeds us, and whispers to us in a small still voice His gentle encouragements.
From May 4 to May 11, I will spend time with the Trappist monks in Guimaras, Iloilo, with a group of Evangelical believers who are willing to explore alternate expressions of spirituality, and gain firsthand experience another dimension of our relationship with God. Silence, solitude, and contemplation will be the primary pursuit. I hope to discover many things about God that can only be found in times like these.
Comments
I thank God that He gave us different callings. He called me to preach :)
Enjoy your time there.
(and bringing home pinasugbo will be in order...)