When I read the writings of monks, spiritual masters, men and women, I am struck by their depth and insight. If I were to go to a monastery I would expect to hear this kind of talk among the monks. It would be one of the attractions for a person who is drawn to a more contemplative life. But if you do not find that in a monastery then I don’t think you are likely to be nourished by the presence of others who live there. I, for instance, would be interested in a monastery that talks about prayer from the monk’s personal experience. If I don’t hear any of that when monks get together, if they get together, than I would find that puzzling. Thomas Merton, if I recall correctly, felt that the monks at his monastery were simply introverts and not contemplatives, some of whom might fit into yesterday’s blog about monks who live in bubbles. So if a newcomer arrives, after Covid, I think I would need to talk to him about prayer, contemplative prayer, rather than what I do around the house in work or how beautiful the nature scene is outside. If you are joining a monastery because of the pretty scenery, I don’t think you will become a monk of what Thomas Merton was looking for.
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So, as I read the last three postings, I surmise they are about the relationship between solitude, prayer, and communities built on prayerful solitude. I must admit I was a bit put off by the bubble monks, they felt a bit selfish.
ReplyDeleteAs I ponder these teachings, I began to wonder about the purpose of prayer. The purpose of the prayerful. What exactly is prayer. What is the relationship between the pray-or and the pray-ee.
I am not a professional pray-er, but I have been exposed to Catholic prayer all my life. I find the repetitive nature of the prayer I've encountered in church to be soothing. As an adult I started exploring different types of meditation. I know that mindfulness and meditation are currently enjoying fashionableness. But to my way of thinking, prayer is more than meditation and fashion.
Doing Zen retreats, I found solitude gave me the opportunity to explore my internal thoughts and convictions in relation to the community I was in. For example, working in the kitchen in silence caused me to focus on the work I was doing. I moved from being irritated at the repetitive nature of the work to coming to focus on doing the tasks as well as I could and putting my best thoughts and well wishes into the work. I think that the solitude of the work brought me to seeing that tasks and actions can be prayer in and of themselves.
For you Father Terry, what is prayer and the purpose of prayer?