Father Justin ran away to the Sinai Desert to escape
the shackles of the technological west...

"Ok, Yankee, you're our new engineer. We have the largest collection of scrolls outside the Vatican.
Fetch yer digital camera and get to work!"

Good thing the Prophet left his hand print and a hair as a sign for the faithfull forbidding entrance. Maybe New York can get one of those.

http://interkriti.org/cgi-bin/com/f2.cgi?01/2941

http://www.orthodoxnews.netfir...0The%20Monastery.htm

quote:

The service moved at a measured tempo. A monk would step forward to a lectern, located in the middle of the nave, turn up the flame on an oil lamp, and read a few passages. He would back away and another would step forward. Occasionally there would be a call and response, with one monk chanting a passage from an enormous, leather-bound prayer book, and the other monks echoing responses as they strolled around the chapel or sat in dark wooden chairs in front of the twelve columns in the nave. Holy! Holy! Holy! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

The pace was steady, rhythmic, mesmerizing. In a way, the service reminded me of the pyramids - perfectly balanced, reassuring in proportion, and completely devoid of time. A "living tradition," as the monks like to say.

At one point, a particularly tall monk circled the basilica waving a brass lantern with incense burning on coals. A sweet, pungent aroma, like singed flowers, filled the hall.

That sounds wonderful. And I�m sure it would be�the first four or five times for you or me. Or maybe that would be something that you or me could do every day, four times a day, just like those monks in the Sinai. Maybe in such a quiet, mystical and mysterious atmosphere it is easy and pleasant to get in touch with the timeless. But I would be constantly worried that such relatively artificial (if beautiful) confines would take me away from creation, if you know what I mean. But I suppose you can indeed find the world in a grain of Middle Eastern sand. To each his or her own. But you�ve certainly posted links to a lot of interesting or unusual lives, MM. I wonder which ones would resemble ours if we let go and let them play out. Or are they already playing out? Whose "No, you can�t do that" is holding you back from being the monk that you so obviously seem suited to be?

Frater (brother) Brad,

Hey, hey, we're the monk-men, and people say we're monkin' around...

Timothy (Kallistos) Ware is putting an intriguing
spin on Orthodoxy, somewhat feminist and environmental. Hmmm...

http://www.incommunion.org/

Hey, hey, we're the monk-men, and people say we're monkin' around...

I�m not sure we�re kooky or inspired enough. I don�t know if we are fractious and envious of power enough that we would eventually throw, say, JB of the Cross into a small, well-furnished condo in Hawaii with only crab and lobster to eat for six months. I don�t know if access to video games, Netflix, order-in pizza or any number of modern conveniences would make us that much different from a fraternity, but I do think, brother MM, that enough time has spun round on the clock that the world is ready for another religious order. I�ll take "monk-men" for a name under advisement (monk-keys?).

But can you envision an order that instead of making its own daily bread via hard labor in the fields perhaps spends the day going online to evangelize? Perhaps we would recruit lots of internet geeks to set up servers and web sites. (No porn, of course, but you KNEW there were going to be some sacrifices.) But I suppose we would have to have a brick-and-mortar presence. We�d have to have a monastery. We couldn�t just do this monk thing virtually from home. I just don�t think that would work. But nothing says we have to be on a top of some mountain. All we need do is find some big house to rent out in the country or perhaps a large studio loft in the big city.

And lest you think I�m joking, don�t you think it�s about time for some type of new place that isn�t quite as stuffy as a typical monastery but that does allow one to devote one�s time to the Holy?

We just need a gullible, errr, I mean, inspired benefactor. What say you, brother?

---

By the way, I suppose an associated convent of feminist environmentalist nuns would be just fine.

According to polls, women greatly outnumber men in church attendance. So, if you happen to be male, it can be the equivalent of being female in Alaska.

Nevertheless, I'll take your proposed living arrangement under consideration. Will there be a connecting tunnel or just rumours about one?

We'll have to rough it. Pizza from scratch and vegetarian only on Fridays. If there's no sacrifice,
people won't take us seriously.

According to polls, women greatly outnumber men in church attendance.

I sort of model myself after John Walton of The Waltons. Olivia never made him go to church, although she never did drop the nag. The only time I remember him going was to back up the new preacher, Rev. Fordwick (played by John Ritter, RIP) who, because of a mishap with "The Recipe", brought disgrace upon himself (at least in his eyes) and wanted to quit as the preacher. It was one of their very best episodes. At the very end the elder John walks into church, and this highly unusual and symbolic act sort of greases the skids to put everything back to the way things ought to be on peaceful, decent, forgiving Walton's Mountain.

Thank you, Earl Hamner.

The Walton's, first two seasons on DVD

So, if you happen to be male, it can be the equivalent of being female in Alaska.

I always did sorta like Erin-bob. I suppose there are worse reasons for attending.

No doubt accounting for Alaska's low birthrates . . . . wonder if there's in any lesson in this for Europe's empty churches?

But I guess a giant sperm-donor raffle would be out of the question . . . .

Speaking of new uses for turkey basters, here are some of the
good bishop's feminine freindly memes:

http://www.incommunion.org/art...ation-to-the-creator

I know it's a sloppy seguey, but we gotta save the thread.

Straight from the "empty churches" of Europe into the retrograde monkery of Mt. Athos. Sorry, MM, but I think we still have a population problem.

I know it's a sloppy seguey, but we gotta save the thread.

Oh, yeah�orthodox monks and mystics and turkey basters�or at least two of those three. Okay. You're right, MM. Time to take this subject seriously.

I recently finished reading Tom Merton's "Seven Storey Mountain". It's one of the best autobiographies that I have ever read. In it he talks about his long voyage from his worldly life to that of a Trappist monk. It seems that just like the Marine Corps, there are a lot of washouts. Although becoming a monk and entering a monastery can sound like a great idea to one with many worldly problems and one who is searching for peace, direction and stability, the reality is another thing altogether. The hardships in particular of the Trappists are legendary, although I don't think it's anywhere near the strictest order. And this is why I have altered my own plans for leaving the world. I don't want to have to use a rock for my pillow or be woken up in the middle of the night by some lunatic ringing a bell for prayer when by rights we should be sleeping off the previous night's big meal. That's why I've decided to become a von Trappist monk instead. It's quite less severe of an order and you get to do a lot of singing in the outdoors. I think it comes with all the strudel you can eat as well.

I return this thread to you, MM, healed and back on track.

It seems to me that a reverence for nature (and trees!) is worthy. But umm�

quote:

Two things above all are noteworthy in Edward Carpenter�s "partial vision." First, the tree is alive, vibrant with what he calls "energies" or "electricity"; it is "full of most amazing activity." Second, the tree is cosmic in its dimensions: it is not "a separate or separable organism" but is "vast" and all-embracing in its scope, "ramifying far into space � uniting the life of Earth and Sky."

And I think one should remember that is ain�t necessarily because we hate trees that we chop them down. It is that we love clearings, meadows, gardens, lawns, fields and pastures. We also love the products made from the trees such as books, pulp, paper, particleboard, match sticks, paneling, counter tops, book shelves, baseball bats, and parquet floors. We can have both. Let�s have reverence for trees but let�s also get a grip, poetic musing aside.

Best get with JohnBoy on the pan-entheism thing...

Beware of Trapps! That's the best selling video in Saudi Arabi, BTW. Maybe we can Trapp them!

I remain confused about Mary. I really hurt someone's feelings over it once. Perpetual Virgin and Co-Redemptrix with Christ and all of it. He's a third order Carmelite and by-the-Book RCC. So, I listened to him for a long time and let him explain his deeply cherished beliefs.

Live and let live...

The protestants are almost pathological in their
lack of reverence for Mary. What's up with that?

Lord, deliver us from reactionaries...

The Orthodox strike the middle ground on this and I for what it's worth, appreciate the b-a-l-a-n-c-e.

Merton wasn't too crazy about their monasticism, although he respected some of their saints and hermits.

Seven Storey Mountain is one of the best conversion Storeys (sic) I have had the priviledge... etc, etc. His "conversion" was an ongoing Storey with many levels. 26? or more, methinks...

blessings 2 U frater Brad, mm <*))))><

The protestants are almost pathological in their lack of reverence for Mary. What's up with that?

I have no idea about this whole Mary thing. It seems the Catholics have turned her into a god. And perhaps the Protestants have a hang-up about dealing with the female. I don�t know. If the Orthodox strike a better balance then good for them. Surely there is no harm in a reverence for love, charity, kindness, devotion, and hope, no matter the vessel.

From an outsider�s standpoint, it all gets very confusing. You have saints, gods (three of them�the Trinity), archangels, Mary, guardian angels, and have I left out anyone? Does less-is-more apply to any of this or should we expect ultimate reality to be at least this complex, if not more?

I think the truth is that there is One, and that a lot of this other stuff is just a man-made attempt to make it all more comprehensible, to put it all in more bite-size pieces, so to speak. But that wouldn�t change the ultimate truth one whit. Perhaps as important as what we believe is how we believe it. It doesn�t seem reasonable to think that we can obtain perfect understanding of things so ethereal, so we had better be nice about whatever it is we believe, even atheism (good luck with that!). Perhaps the Truth flows, or reveals itself, by the reaction people have to an idea or belief over the long haul.

Blessing brother MM.

www.ican�tdofishsymbolswithalphanumericcharacters.com

Excerpt from Brad's above post: I think the truth is that there is One..........

Brad I agree. All throughout The Bible God tells us that He is The One, and that there is no God besides Him. Christ is God. I share from Isaiah: 44:6,7,8

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
I am the first and I am the last,
And there is no God besides Me.
And who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;
Yes, let him recount it to Me in order,
From the time that I established the ancient nation,
And let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place,
Do not tremble and do not be afraid;
Have I not long since announced it to you and declared
it?
And you are My witnesses.
Is there any God besides Me,
Or is there any other Rock?
I know of none.

I am not into Goddess worship of any kind neither, which many do follow inside and outside of Churches together with new age philosophies and belief systems.

I love Mother Mary for the gift of birthing Our Lord and She has been bestowed honor and blessings among all women, having a very special place with God.

I am also not into angel worship.

God is my Beloved.