What Monasticism in the History of the Church can Teach Us

Introduction

Monasticism is a religious way of life that can be found in many parts of the world. It is a way of life by which men and women choose to be geographically apart from social, economic and political structures of urban life. Some choose this way of life as a permanent commitment, while others only temporary (to prepare for special work or mission in the world.

Monasticism in the Christian tradition had one of its original meaning from St. John Cassian and his writings. For John Cassian, monasticism involves: purity of heart, detachment from worldly possessions and ambitions, a great desire for interior silence, prayer and union with God.

Monasticism's influence in history

The more the monks in Christian tradition centered everything on God and their concern for all of Christianity, the more they produced an immense influence and positive impact on society. On the other hand, the more the monks attended to social, economic, and political affairs to the detriment of their contemplative life of prayer, silence and community, the more their influence diminished.

Cluny and the Cistercians

Cluny was an important monastic center in the history of Western Christianity. When Cluny was founded by Duke William of Aquitaine in the tenth century, its saintly abbots and monks created a great influence on European life and culture. This positive impact did not end with Cluny. The fullness of monasticism's positive influence came through the Cistercians.
The Cistercians' spirituality was able to balance well all the elements of the monastic way of life: liturgical prayer, sacred reading, labor to support themselves and their studies. It was the Cistercian way of life that gifted the Church with great mystical writers like: St. Bernard of Clairvaux, William of Saint-Thierry, Isaac of Stella, and St. Lutgard (or Lutgardis).

Conclusion

We can learn a lot from monasticism the virtues of moderation and balance in living. Moderation and balance is often lost when people in the cities and industrialized areas forget what is really essential in life. That is why many who are called to that vocation leave their secular way of life and rediscover the balance and moderation necessary to live according to the ideals of the Christian faith. It was the Cistercian monks (who followed the Rule of St. Benedict) who were able to achieve this balance at its best in many elements of their way of life. That is why their monastic spirit evolved into its fullest infuential force at a time in history when it was needed.

Sources of this blog post

• The New Dictionary of Theology, by editors Komonchak,
  Collins, and Lane
• Dictionary of Saints, by John Delaney
• The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism, by editor
  Bernard McGinn