Just Monk'n Around

“All must endure great travail and conflict when they are first converted to the Lord but later they have unspeakable joy”

It has been an extremely long time since I have read a book that has caused me to stop and question my relationship with Jesus Christ. The Desert Fathers is an interesting read in regards to how some of the early Christians lived their lives during the first centuries. From insane stories about demons to blatant sexism against women to relatable grievances, this book offers an array of reflections that cause Christians to think about how exactly they model their lives for God.

Honestly, I do not think enough about God and His will for me as I live out my day. I might say a short prayer to Him as I drive to classes or I might talk about Jesus to my friends, but my life does not reflect the words I say. I do not spend enough time just praising God and recognizing Him as the Creator of the universe, the Author of salvation, the One who gave me everything I have and will ever receive. I just do what I want to do without really thinking about how I need to be living for Him.

The men and women in The Desert Fathers, however, actually do whatever is necessary to live a holy life for Christ. They take their sin very seriously and spend every waking moment trying to better themselves and put God first. As Evagrius said, to “go against self is the beginning of salvation” (153). It was not their will they wanted to follow, but the Father’s. As one of the hermits said, “A monk ought to examine himself every day, morning and evening to check how far he has kept the Lord’s will” (126).

One of the ways the monks attempted to purify themselves was through self-control. This included fasting, watching your tongue, and restraining anger. Hyperichius stated that fasting is the monk’s “control over sin. The man who stops fasting is like a stallion who lusts the moment he sees a mare” (27). He also said that the monks “who cannot control his tongue when he is angry will not control his passions at others times” (28). Marcarius said that if you are “stirred to anger when you want to reprove someone, you are gratifying your own passions. Do not lose yourself in order to save another” (24).

Another way the monks practiced their faith was by watching who they were friends with. A hermit said that you should not “make friends with a woman, a boy, or a heretic” (7). This seems strange, but the monks were careful to not be tempted by anyone or anything. Women were seen as tools of the devil. An archbishop even said to a woman, “Do you not realize that you are a woman, and the enemy uses women to attack holy men” (10). Paesius also said, “Do not stay with anyone who is always scornful when they speak” (123). Constant negativity can adversely affect even the most devout Christian.

“A brother said to Antony, ‘Pray for me.’ He answered, ‘Neither I nor God will have mercy on you unless you do something about it yourself and ask God’s help’” (89). This is very powerful. Many times we ask others to pray for us whenever a situation arises, but we do nothing to fix it ourselves. Instead of going directly to God and asking for wisdom, we go to others to intercede on our behalf. As Christians, we are to be constantly taking charge in improving ourselves and removing sin from our lives with assistance from the Lord. We cannot ask others to help us if we are not ready to help ourselves.

It really is a tough pill to swallow when you think about how far from God we can be – especially when we think we are so close to Him. It’s hard to imagine that there are sins you are committing and you don’t even know it. The monks realized this and chose solitude to be able to recognize those grievances. That’s why it is important that we stop what we are doing and spend some time in quietness so we can see the hidden faults within ourselves. We have to be able to see the issues in our lives before we can address them. Mathois said, “The nearer a man comes to God, the more he seems himself to be a sinner. Isaiah the prophet saw the Lord and knew himself to be wretched and unclean (Is. 6:5)” (157).

I think that we as Christians are called to practice some form of monasticism. I don’t mean that we need to live in a monastery only speaking after dinner or giving up everything we have. No, I mean that we need to remove ourselves from the distractions of the world and just reflect about our lives in relation to Jesus Christ. How can we see our sins and repent from them if we are too distracted by the different things the world offers to us? How can I claim to solely love Jesus if I refuse to put down the remote and spend time with Him in prayer? Antony summed up this idea best when he said, “Fish die if they stay on dry land, and in the same way monks who stay outside their cell or remain with secular people fall away from their vow of quiet. As a fish must return to the sea, so must we to our cell, in case by staying outside, we forget to watch inside” (8).

The monks were definitely insane sometimes, but I think that we can all learn a lesson from them. We need to take our sin seriously, and we need to remove ourselves from the picture and focus only on God. The Christian life is not an easy one, but the reward of being a child of God makes it all worth it. We need to remember that.