Serious individuals know that life is a journey. Most self-help books will offer you advice on good attitudes, positions, and guidelines for the journey. But for a Christian, life’s journey is only one part of the equation; the journey is only a means to the destination. To attempt a journey without a solid destination is to wander about without a compass. And if your destination is vague and nondescript, then your journey will be confusing, and over time you will become disillusioned.
A Christian’s journey is directed toward heaven, the home of pure light, God. We are attracted by the light because it informs and encourages us. When the light is hidden, we know that that is part of our journey, and we only increase our desires and our efforts. Our goal will lead to perfect fulfillment.
How does this destination make our journey different? For one, we know that here we do not have a lasting city, and that our hearts will not be totally filled with any of the joys or pleasures we can find here on earth because they are meant for God (Augustian’s concept). So we understand the difficulties (and even expect them) as part of the journey. Knowing the destination heightens our anticipation, and actually gives us courage along the way. Who has not experienced the joy inherent in the struggle when the known end result is transformation? Think of the dieter, the athlete, the student. All endure because they know if they do, they will emerge a “new person.”
The same applies to the Christian, and even more, to the monastic. It’s not enough to believe. It’s part and parcel of the Christian life to follow “the way” toward something, or rather, someone. Knowing the destination propels us forward toward transformation. We see the journey in a totally different light because it is passing. Our goal isn’t the perfection of our journey, but learning the guideposts and finding the way destined for us. By so living, we can achieve the fulfillment of our purpose here on earth.
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Thanks for starting your blog and welcome to the blogosphere!
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"Monastic life is not esoteric. It is a passionate life led for God alone. The joy and peace one experiences is hard to describe."
I would like to think a life led for God alone is at the core of every Christian and that such a seeking after God is not by itself exclusively the mark of the monastic life.
However, in my life as a Christian and now also as a Benedictine oblate (a lay person living in the world), it has been only in the Benedictine practices of the divine office throughout the day that I found the life closer to God I had always sought. It was not surprising therefore that I would find "a passionate life led for God alone" comment prominently proclaimed on a monastic blog. Keep blogging. It's an important truth — especially for those who think the monastic message is only for monastics.
Thank you John. Monastic life is not meant to be other than the baptismal promises lived intensely. That is why there is no sacrament that marks such a life. All christians are called to live out their baptism vows as fully as possible. Only in a monastery, the many distractinos and obligations of regular life are removed so as to allow the individual to concentrate more fully on God.
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