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Jul 24, 2018 · Monks support themselves by the work of their hands, and most others work a day job. Perhaps the lesson to be learned from the monks is the simplicity in their lives. They live with just enough to provide for their community and pursue a life of prayer.
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Monasticism (from Ancient Greek μοναχός (monakhós) 'solitary, monastic'; from μόνος (mónos) 'alone'), Also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work.
- Development of Monasteries
- Recruitment
- The Abbot
- Rules & Regulations
- Clothing & Possessions
- A Monk's Daily Routine
- Giving Back to The Community
From the 3rd century CE there developed a trend in Egypt and Syria which saw some Christians decide to live the life of a solitary hermit or ascetic. They did this because they thought that without any material- or worldly distractions they would achieve a greater understanding of and closeness to God. In addition, whenever early Christians were pe...
People were attracted to the monastic life for various reasons such as piety; the fact that it was a respected career choice; there was the chance of real power if one rose to the top; and one was guaranteed decent accommodation and above average meals for life. The second or third sons of the aristocracy, who were not likely to inherit their fathe...
Monasteries were typically managed by an abbot who had absolute authority in his monastery. Selected by the senior monks, who he was supposed to consult on matters of policy (but could also ignore), the abbot had his job for life, health permitting. Not just a job for the old and wise, a monk in his twenties might stand a chance of being made abbot...
Monks followed the teachings of Jesus Christin rejecting personal wealth, as recorded in the Gospel of Mathew: Along these lines, creature comforts were shunned but the strict application of such ideals really depended on each monastery. So, too, silence was a method to remind monks they were living in an enclosed society quite different from the o...
Monks had to keep the tops of their heads shaved (tonsured) which left a distinctive band of hair just above the ears. In contrast to their hairline, a monk's clothes were designed to cover as much flesh as possible. Most monks wore linen underclothes, sometimes hose or socks, and a simple woollen tunic tied at the waist by a leather belt. Over the...
Monks were not usually permitted to leave the monastery unless they had some special reason and were permitted to do so by their abbot. There were exceptions, as in Irish monasteries where monks famously roamed the countryside preaching and sometimes even founded new monasteries. For most monks, though, their daily life was entirely contained withi...
Monks and monasteries did give back to the community in which they lived by helping the poor and providing hospitals, orphanages, public baths, and homes for the aged. Travellers were another group who could find a room when needed. As already mentioned, in education, too, monasteries played a prominent role, notably building up large libraries and...
- Mark Cartwright
2 days ago · “A monastic vocation is a call from God to follow Christ in the form of life of a monastery: a life shaped by separation from the world,” but also a life shaped by “liturgy, community, obedience, silence, work (manual and intellectual).
Medieval monks lived a life of hard work and prayer, with manual labor being an essential part of their daily routine. Monasteries were self-sufficient communities, and the monks took on a variety of tasks to sustain themselves and their fellow brethren.
This way of life, called monasticism, imposed rigors and privations but offered spiritual purpose and a better hope of salvation. In western Europe, the focus of this essay, it exercised a powerful influence on society, culture, and art and was one of medieval Christianity’s most vigorous institutions.
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The term monasticism implies celibacy, or living alone in the sense of lacking a spouse, which became a socially and historically crucial feature of the monastic life.
