The Goal of Monastic Life - Essay Example

Monastic life’s goal is similar to Christians,’ except that each category’s exercises ensure the attainment of the final destination.

            Ordinary Christians usually juggle family, work, and child nurturing to bring up a Godly society while one devoted to monastic life renounces family life and embraces celibacy. This ensures that the entire time one has is entirely for God and the tasks that entail his lifestyle. For example, St. Anthony after having observed asceticism and all its aspects, decided to seclude himself in a lonely place in the port. Seclusion from the world and normal world activities gave him the time required to ensure that he had time for God.

            The monastery lifestyle aids the monks to subdue the bodily passions that may hinder them from having complete dedication to God. This is via fasting, enduring harsh circumstances with people of a similar motive living together as a family. Primarily, this entails fervent fasting, praying, and persevering trials for the sake of the church while making constant intercession for humankind. These trials and sufferings monks render in union with those of Christ while in Gethsemane (Migliore 173). Here, Christ was pleading for assistance and accompaniment in the journey of human salvation, which entailed the Holy Trinity’s intervention.

            Seclusion gives monks the detachment they require meant for external stillness or quietness, which is essential in aiding one to get in touch with oneself. Hence, monks meticulously know themselves better, so that they are capable to fight their passions and embrace a life worthy of God's beholding. The exercise aims at fulfilling the monastic golden vows summed up as The Benedictine Rule, which acts as a guide all through the partakers’ lives. They comprise total obedience, stability, and transformation in the way of life, which will aid in subduing passions and desires of this materialistic world, thus devoting to the will of God (Migliore 41).

            Monastic life calls for the monks not only to fervent prayers and to be in the confinements of the monastery but also to aid in situations where pastoral work is in demand. This encompasses running parishes where priests are few and in organizations that require teaching especially in religious colleges and universities that lack the same. Practical monastery purposes differ radically, but their core goal is for monks to ensure that they offer their lives as a sacrifice in service of others for God’s love and glory (Migliore 176).

In what manner is the monastic life best carried out?

            Monastic life involves an individual denouncing marriage life, embracing celibacy, and concentrating all the energy one has to the dedication of holy living, which is in accordance with The Benedictine rule. This manner prompts an individual to disentangle oneself from worldly possessions, which Martin Luther argues; some have turned them to be God (Migliore 3). The trace of monastic life emanated before with Jesus’ invitation to his children to leave everything for his name’s sake. The exercise entails the seclusion of the populace having one similar spiritual goal in a confinement (monastery) where they will live like a family. Practices in the monastery may vary across numerous stations that belong to diverse patrons, but all have a similar goal of spiritual perfection. They utilize this God-given chance for reevaluation and subduing their passions while under an abbot who is a spiritual director.

            Spiritual perfection especially for the monks calls for total submission and obedience to the teachings and practices in the monastery. This is an obedience declaration where the partakers have to give undivided adherence that will allow them to fulfill the set requirements. Consequently, fulfilling the scriptures that call for total personal trust and obedience to God instead of intellectual assent to formulated dictatorial doctrines (Migliore 23). Additionally, monastic life similar to other church celibate orders entails embracing the virtue of poverty. Since the current life is a pilgrimage and rehearsal of a life to come where they have to prepare as they intercede for humanity (Migliore 245). Monasticism to the monks and its diverse partakers does not entail that they have ceased being human, but it is a deeper involvement granted through grace meant for self-perfection.