Monasteries, Models For New, Higher Forms of Human Civilization, Social Equality & Peace

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Monasteries Are Models For New & Higher Forms of Human Civilization, Love & Peace

The Greek Orthodox Monasteries of Meteora, Greece; One of the clif top monasteries at the top of the blog, above; You can see many more of the Greek Orthodox monks and nun's monasteries via google's key word:
Meteora Greece.

By mid June, 2010, we are adding several more color photos of monasteries, monks and nuns of the Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican monastic traditions; Please pray for the organic re-unificatgion of these great Churches, unfortunately separated by historical and geopolitical circumstances; So that we may all be one in Christ and his Holy Sacraments.

The monastic way of life is a life dedicated to God and Christ in silence, solitude, renunciation of the vanity and materialism of the world, prayer, penance, contemplation, liturgy, work, cenobitic, idiorrhythmic or eremitic life style (Read below) and in preparation for the soul's final entry into heaven's high rhelms of eternal praise and glorification of the Holy Trinity.

The monastic way is the Heavenly and Angelic Way; The great entry portal into eternal, heavenly life with the Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Theotokos, Mother of God who is enthroned at the right hand of Christ, surrounded by the joyful choirs of ArchAngels, the Holy Apostles and all the Marteyrs and Saints in unceasing praise and celestial liturgical worship before the Ideal High Altar and Heavenly Throne of God the Father and God the Son and Holy Spirit now and unto all ages.

The Following links in our blog will be added by early June, 2010:

Our updated price lists for Monastic habits of the Latin/Catholic, Orthodox/Byzantine and Anglican traditions

An essay on the New Monasticism and a Tribute to the late Thomas Merton, 1915-1968, A Contemplative Monk Ahead of His Time; And a look into the unsolved mystery of his untimely death.

Essay on the Vegetarian Way; Improving your Health and Helping Protect All Living Beings, Humanity & The Earth From Needless Cruelty & Destruction.

Essay on: Western Over-Industrialized Society Has Failed; The monastic way can, as an historic, epoch creating model, help rebuild civilization on humane, firm foundations of Peace, social equality, social ownership of property, (as in monasteries) racial harmony, non competitiveness and the universal brotherhood of all peoples & cultures. Contemplatives in monasteries and hermitages traditionally do not compete with each other nor should they or the laity in world at large; Global cooporation not competition in religious life and the rest of the world.

A) Cenobitic life: The cenobitic monastic life style was originally founded by St. Pochomius in the 3rd century in northern Coptic Egypt.

This original model was built and expanded upon by St. Benedict, of Italy, patriarch and father of Western monasticism; St. Benedict wrote his glorious Rule For Monks in the 5th century, since called  The Holy Rule of St. Benedict.

In St. Benedict's cenobitic model, all monks and nuns live, pray and work together in common and hold all personal and monastery property according to an early form of social production and distribution of property and resources including agricultural and other industrial self-support.

This early form and latter forms of this cenobitic religious life, property and resource distribution were models for subsequent religious orders of Western Christendom and now models for rebuilding higher and more advanced forms of society, collective, spiritual and social relationships -all based on the universal values of peace, love, community, prayer, contemplation, non-competitiveness, social ownership of resources, vegetarianism, etc. (above)

B) The Eremitic life: Each monk or hermit lives, works and prays in all or mostly  a solitary contemplative life in separate cells or cottages etc. under an Abbot or Spiritual Father; Holding all personal property in common or according to various idiorrhythmic forms; The hermit seldom or never joins other hermits or monks in common prayer, liturgy & work.

C) The Idiorrhythmic life: Each monk or hermit holds all personal property as his or her own in an Idiorrhythmic monastery, skete or urban "hermitage" in the midst of the secular world; The daily round of prayer and work is all done alone or with 2-3 companion anchorites in and around the hermits hermitage, skete (small hermitage of 2-3 monks/hermits) or urban cottage.

D) The Beguines Religious Women........(excerpt from Life In The Middle Ages, The Church by K. H.)

E) In the "New Monasticism"; the Idiorrhythmic life style can include participation in urban community and social service projects in ministering the works of mercy like Fr. Louis Vitali and Sister Berny Galvin, both active Franciscans in the Roman Church in San Francisco: feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, visiting the sick, elderly and imprisoned, comforted the afflicted and in some cases, supporting non-violent Peace and social justice issues and movements; Helping to build a better, more equal world based on the epoch creating models of Dr. Martin Luther King, Black civil rights leader, Cesar Chavez, founder of the United Farm Workers and Thomas Merton, a theologian, author and contemplative monk ahead of his time etc.

F) Mendicant, Active and Semi-Active Friars and Nuns: This modern type religious lifestyle, originating in mostly Western Christendom in the Latin Church and latter in the Anglican Church and the Taze model, dates back to the 11th and 12 century models of St. Francis and the early, barefoot Franciscan friars and nuns (Including the original Poor Clares) and St. Dominic and his early Dominican Order of Preachers (OP); Combining the active and contemplative religious life styles.

G) The Anglican Monastic/Religious Model; Originally based on the ground breaking 19th Century  epoch creating "Oxford Movement" in England; the monastic and other religious orders of the European  and English High Church movement in mostly "Protestant" England, gave rise to the great re-birth and flowering of the Benedictine and Franciscan orders and liturgical life in the Church of England and the Episcopal Church in North America, especially in the New England and (Fon-du-Lac) Wisconsin areas; Such as the Graymore Friars (They latter joined the Roman Church as a Franciscan order), the Cowly Fathers, Order of the Holy Cross, Sisters of the Transfiguration, Order of the Holy Nativity, Society of St. Francis(Friars), Community of St. Francis(Sisters), etc.

This wonderful re-birth and flourishing of monastic and religious life, above, in the world wide Anglican Church has greatly accelerated the prospects and vision for unity with the Church of Rome, sectors of the Old Catholic Church sucession, Utrich Sucession, Teze Community, some Luthern and Protestant "Prayer Foundation" groups and the Orthodox Church; This blosoming of Anglican monastic and religious life, prayer, liturgy, mysticism, publishing, outreach, social service ministry and theology, especially since important conferences of Anglican Bishops and clergy,, the Vatican Council II in Rome, has served well as an archetype for more advanced, progressive forms of spirituality, theology and monasticism including "The New Monasticism", outlined above for the good of all Christendom.

Essays on these will be expanded on latter in this blog. including illuminating profiles on Anglican, Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Old Catholic Bishops, authors, laity and clergy who have greatly contributed to the above vision for all humanity and the higher path to a more enlightened, humane civilization of Peace, contemplation and social equality and justice for all peoples and cultures-building the ultimate vision and prospects for universal brotherhood for all.



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