30 Wesley Seminary students joined me recently for a
course I designed called Spiritual Retreat for the Leader. The location for the
course was a monastery in Kentucky. Shortly after my return I tweeted, “If I didn’t
love my family, job, and ESPN so much, I would join a monastery and become a
monk.” I think I actually meant it.
The monastic life is appealing to me. I have taken several
3-4 day retreats at the monastery over the past 8 years. I miss my family so
much it hurts every time I retreat. There is, though, a small part of me that wants
to stay behind at the monastery forever. But God has not called me to be a
monk. I am compelled, instead, to incorporate into my everyday “normal” life
those monastic practices that most cultivate the soil of my soul for God, the
gardener, to grow me.
Here are some ways for ministers to infuse our lives with
monastic practices without leaving our lives to do so.
-Monastic
Practice #1- Silence: We preach sermons, teach lessons, lead
meetings, counsel couples, make small talk and return phone calls. At some
point, most of us run out of words. Those who don’t, should. The practice of silence
allows us to peek more intently into the holy of holies. When we shut up, we
can hear God speak up. Then, and only then, will we have something life-giving
to say. Perhaps you can designate one day weekly or monthly to shut off the
noise that goes into your ears or comes out of your mouth. No music. No words.
No noise. Only silence. When we shut up, we can hear God when he speaks up. That’s
when we are most ready to receive a “word from the Lord.”
-Monastic
Practice #2- Solitude: The 21st Century pastor is
hardly ever alone. Solitude is hard for us. It brings us face to face with our
true self, since there is no one around to distract us. There is no hiding from
God or ourselves when we are alone. We remember our failures and frailty, as
well as our potential, when we are alone. Being silent and still in solitude strips
us down to our core where we find our true naked self. This is often a painful
but peace-filled balm for the minister’s soul. In solitude there is no one to
please or impress. It’s just you and God. Solitude is not a license for
isolation. No, learning to be alone actually prepares one to maximize life
together in community.
-Monastic
Practice #3- Supplication: Monks gather together to pray nine
times daily, including 3:15 am and 5:45 am. They gather to sing the Psalms as prayers
to God. In the span of just two weeks, they will prayerfully sing all 150
Psalms! Most of us can’t imagine praying the Psalms nine times each day, but
how about three times? I read a Psalm when I awake, at noon, and just before I sleep.
I prayerfully intercede for myself and others based upon the content of each
Psalm. The Psalms have a way of voicing for me what I feel deep in my soul but
can’t find words to articulate. The prayers we find in the Psalms encompass a full
range of emotions. There are angry prayers, sorry prayers, “help me” prayers,
grateful prayers and more. It’s harder to find time to sin when you’re praying
the Psalms frequently.
-Monastic
Practice #4- Submission: We’ve all heard the phrase, and most
of us have said, “It’s not about me.” Monks actually live it. They have to.
Although monks have space for silence and solitude, they are forced to live in
a 24/7 community with people they would not choose if they had the choice. The
monks work, worship, and eat together every single day. There is no escape from
people who frustrate them. Intense interconnectedness is much harder, but more
sanctifying, than isolation. When a person joins the monastic community, he
must submit to the monastic community. He must also submit his life to the Abbot,
the head of the community. We have lost a healthy view of submission and authority
in the 21st century American Church. Our country was built on rugged
individualism and anti-authoritarianism. That was necessary in tyrannical times.
But there is something soul-sanctifying about submitting ourselves to a
community we have chosen and to the leaders within that community.
-Monastic
Practice #5- Simplicity: Monks don’t worry about “keeping up
with the Joneses.” The one with the most toys might be the winner in pop
culture but is the loser in the monastery. The monk leaves every possession
behind when he joins the monastic community. While there, nothing he possesses
is his own. He owns nothing, so that God can own him. The monk doesn’t have to
worry about stuff, preserving and protecting it. The good life is the simple
one, and the monk knows it. Possessing and being possessed by God’s love liberates
us from wanting anything else. Imagine what would happen if the Church and her
ministers were free from bondage to opulence and content with the basic
necessities of life! We could focus less time, money and energy on things that
don’t last and more on things that do.
