Every great tradition within the Church can serve as a mirror. It reflects back to us something we may have forgotten.
Monasticism reflects back to us the question of an undivided heart.
We often live divided lives. We want God, but we also want to be admired. We want to pray, but we are afraid of silence. We want to live simply, but we are easily drawn into envy. We want to serve, but we still want recognition. We want to be free, yet we remain attached to many things.
The monks were no strangers to any of this. They were not angels. In fact, it is precisely because they knew the confusion of the human heart that their teaching still speaks to us today.
They spoke about temptation because they themselves were tempted. They spoke about humility because they knew the danger of pride. They spoke about prayer because they knew the dryness of the heart. They spoke about community because they knew how difficult it can be to love real people, with all their weaknesses and differences.
So reading the history of monasticism is not simply about admiring the past from a distance.
It is about allowing that history to question us.
- Where is my desert?
- What do I need to leave behind?
- What voice do I need to listen to?
- To whom do I need to learn obedience?
- What is keeping my heart from being free?
- How can I seek God today?
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