Posts
 |
| Source: christthesavioroca.org |
Last weekend, a small group from the parish made a short overnight visit/pilgrimage to the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Elwood City, PA. One of the nuns there, Mother Paula, was a former parishioner here for many years before leaving to pursue her monastic vocation. Though short, it was a wonderful trip, as we worshiped with Mother Christophora (the abbess) and the other Mothers and Sisters; shared meals with them; walked around the beautiful monastic grounds; and had an opportunity to interact with Mother Paula and the other nuns.
Mother Christophora is very concerned about future monastic vocations, and she is thinking out any possible “strategies” for attracting Orthodox women to the monastic life. Orthodox monasticism and popular American culture are two very different “lifestyles,” to say the least. Ascetical discipline (including chastity) and obedience do not readily come to mind as “lifestyle choices” when one plans for the future in contemporary America! However, for the young (Orthodox) Christian man or woman who comes to love Christ above all else, these monastic virtues are not burdens to tolerate, but the light yoke of Christ that accompanies coming to him in response to his call, challenging as they may be (Matt.11:28-30).
My purpose is not to compose a short apologia for monasticism, but to simply invite everyone who reads this to think about visiting an Orthodox monastery in order to “taste and see” a very different Christian vocation that has been an integral part of Church life for many centuries. One can sense an intensified embodiment to an Orthodox Christian "way of life" immediately. Hospitality is, by the way, a key component of most Orthodox monasteries. Beside the commitment to the evangelical life of the Gospel, we should be aware that our liturgical tradition and spirituality have been decisively shaped by monastic patterns, also for centuries now.
Americans love and look forward to their vacations. A time to (supposedly) relax and be entertained. A time to escape what often devolves into the mundane, daily grind of life’s responsibilities. This may be especially true for families with children. However, there exists an alternate choice to the conventional vacation. I would ask Orthodox families to consider a trip to a monastery. You will not be entertained, but you will be edified. You can immerse yourselves into an atmosphere of real silence, punctuated by the call to prayer, the sounds of nature on the monastery’s grounds, and by quiet and purposeful conversation. A retreat that may provide (spiritual) renewal and a renewed commitment to the “life in Christ” which so completely fills the daily life and prayerful environment of the monastery. A time to “slow down” and reflect upon – or be reminded again - of the “one thing needful:” Jesus Christ.
In the past, our parish has organized and made many such pilgrimages to the women’s Monastery of the Holy Dormition in Rives Junction, MI; and the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Elwood City, PA. Our parish men have often visited St. Gregory Palamas Monastery in Hayesville, OH. Perhaps it is time to renew those annual pilgrimages from the parish
