Counter Culture

When people look at the monastic life, they often think it very strange. Monks do not talk a whole lot, nor watch TV, listen to radio or have a whole lot of sound in their solitude. But we who look at their culture as strange, might be even more strange, especially to a monk.

During the time set for work in the monastery, a specific task that helps keep the monastery clean, or derives income for the monastery, or an administrative task, suddenly a bell chimes. It is time to stop the work. No work is so important as to trump the bell. Stop what you are doing and go on to whatever is next, usually prayer or meals. Why? So that we do not let anything become too important in the day as to forget that God comes first. The monk does not fool himself the way we do ourselves. He does not say, "I must finish this task and then I will pray." "Later" never comes to the fool.

We see all of our tasks as too important not to complete. Our spiritual life is always in the shadow of our task oriented life. When you go to your grave, do you think anyone will care so much about whether you finished or accomplished something? Someone will come along to take your place in the task world. So then, who is living a "strange" life?