A publication of the INTERCOMMUNITY PEACE & JUSTICE CENTER NO. 117 / WINTER 2018 New Monasticism The topic of this issue of A Matter of Spirit is the “New Monasticism.” What do you Living Monasticism think of when you hear the By Christine Valters Paintner journeying with others who are also strug- word “monastic?” Do you gling against busyness, debt and divisive- picture a solitary monk in a Over the last twenty years there has been ness. hermitage far from town? a great renewal of interest in the monastic The root of the word monk is monachos, Do you think of a medieval life, but this time from those who find them- which means single-hearted. To become a community reciting prayers in Latin? Or do you think of selves wanting to live outside the walls of the monk in the world means to keep one’s focus a group of millennials living cloister. It was this desire that led me fifteen on the love at the heart of everything. This is and working together today? years ago to become a Benedictine oblate. available to all of us, regardless of whether Each of these, and more, are Becoming an oblate means making a com- we live celibate and cloistered, partnered and expressions of the monastic mitment to live out the Benedictine charism raising a family or employed in business. impulse, a desire to connect in daily life, at work, in a marriage and fam- The three main sources I draw upon to deeply to a life of prayer and ily, and in all the other ways ordinary people sustain me in this path are the Rule of Bene- service in community with interact with the world on a daily basis. In dict, written in the fifth century in Italy, the others. our community we meet regularly with one wisdom of the desert mothers and fathers In this issue, we explore another to support each other in living out written as short sayings and stories in the various ways in which the values of stability, obedience, conversion, second to third centuries in Egypt and Syr- monastic call is being lived hospitality, humility, silence and more. ia, and the witness of the Celtic monks in out today. Christine Valters Paintner looks at ways of liv- I am drawn to the monastic way because the early middle ages, especially in Ireland ing monasticism in everyday it offers me a framework for a way to live where I now live. life. Sister Laura Swan gives richly, to realign my priorities so that gen- us a historical overview, and erosity and love are at the heart of all I do helps to connect traditional rather than trying to make more money or monasticism to some of its become productive or successful. People are contemporary expressions. drawn to become a witness to an alternative Rory McEntee explores the new monasticism as an ori- way of being to what the culture deems im- entation in life, and explores portant. This requires community support, some of its key characteristics. Abbey Villelongue, Rick Samyn discusses how the Saint-Martin-le-Vieil, France monastic way of life leads to a life of service to others, and Gus Labayan brings a young adult perspective. John Mar- quez and Donna Clifford each tell their own stories, one as a former monk and one as a lay associate. We hope you enjoy this exploration of the “new mo- nasticism” and that you find in it some tools and insights for your own life of prayer and service. CC-Daniel Villafruela Holy Asceticism: one appointment to the next, that be- mindlessly starting and completing Simple Living tween each one you pause, you breathe another task. We call upon the breath just five long slow breaths. Imagine as an ancient soul friend to help us to There is a story from the desert moth- how this might transform your move- witness our lives unfolding, rather than ers and fathers where an Abba says to a ment from one activity to another. Or being carried along until we aren’t sure seeker, “Do not give your heart to that even when you move from one room where our lives are going. We can re- which does not satisfy your heart.”1 The to another, allow a brief pause on the turn again and again to our bodies and desert monks were absolutely commit- threshold between spaces. God lives in- their endless wisdom and listen at every ted to simplicity so that things or ideas side our breath and so every breath can threshold. did not get in the way of their connec- become a resurrection. Holy Generosity: Service tion to the divine. This way of life requires a commit- As we live out this monastic way ment of time and energy. Both are “To become a monk in the world more and more, acts of service be- resources that we tend to overcom- means to keep one’s focus on the come a natural way of being. The mit in western culture. The universal love at the heart of everything.” way you treat the others you interact lament these days seems to be “I am with each day at the bank, the gro- so busy.” The monastic way calls us to cery store, the workplace, all have find a simpler path through our com- For the Celtic monks, thresholds the potential to become acts of gener- mitments, to say “no” more often so were sacred places. The space or the osity and loving kindness. If we are no that our “yes” can be richer and more moment between—whether physical longer rushing through our lives, we meaningful, as well as to reduce our places or experiences —is a place of have time to attend to the gifts of the consumption which harms the earth. possibility. Rather than waiting being a moment and respond. We can seek a balanced path, a holy nuisance, or a sense that you are wast- It is not so much about being called asceticism that does not denigrate the ing time, it is an invitation to breathe to do more and more, adding more body, but offers more spaciousness to into the now and receive its gifts. The things to one’s calendar, as it is about be present to sacred moments. breath can help us stay present to all of reorienting oneself so that the way we Asceticism is always meant as a the moments of transition in our lives, move through the world becomes one practice in service to freedom. We can when we feel tempted to rush breath- of loving service. The opportunities to begin with things, bagging up those ob- lessly to the next thing. help others will always be available if jects that clutter up our lives and being Statio calls us to a sense of rever- we are paying attention. more mindful when shopping in the ence for slowness and mindfulness. We Ultimately, in the monastic way, our future. We can pray with our calendars can open up a space within for God to work is also to be approached as a form and discern which commitments no work. We can become fully conscious of service, and our relationship to work longer nourish us, where we can regain of what we are about to do rather than can be transformed into one where we more time for ourselves and God. Then we might begin to notice the stories we tell our- selves and the habits and pat- terns of our lives that no lon- ger serve us, and can begin to let those go as well. The less we hold tightly onto things and ideas, the more generous we are moved to be. Holy Pause: Moments of Silence One of my favorite practic- es in the monastic tradition is called statio, which is the com- mitment to stop one thing be- fore beginning another. Imag- ine, instead of rushing from 2 NO. 117 / WINTER 2018 CC- Lord Koxinga cultivate gratitude for the ability to use Conclusion c Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE our gifts and provide for ourselves and is the online abbess of www. AbbeyoftheArts.com, a virtual our families. Labor is cherished as a The monastic way is available to us monastery cultivating contemplative way to interact with the world and sus- all, it only requires a shift in perspective, practice and creative expression, a tain ourselves. a deep commitment, and companions Benedictine oblate, and the author of Cultivating interior silence and sim- for support. Community can be found ten books on monasticism and the arts. plicity will always lead us back to others in person or online, in soul friends who She currently lives in Ireland where she if we are having an authentic experience can help to keep us accountable, with and her husband lead pilgrimages to monastic sites and offer a free online of God and of our deepest selves. This is whom we can share honest questions, course at their website to become a one of the ways we know if our prayer is and who can help us to see places for monk in the world. bearing fruit, when our inner work cul- deeper growth, as well as to celebrate tivates in us a wider heart and capacity with as we show the world a different 1 Ward, Benedicta, trans. The Sayings of the to be present. way to live. Desert Fathers. Abba Poeman saying number 80. The Heart of New Monastic Life Adapted from The New Monasticism: An Interspiritual What then, does the spiritual praxis of new monastic look Manifesto for Contemplative Living (Rory McEntee and like? What follows is a suggested rhythm and practice for Adam Bucko, Orbis Books) new monastic life distilled from my own and others’ experi- New monasticism is not just a theoretical concept.