"What is a Monk?" continued

WORK
     The work taken on by the monks depends on the needs of the community and the capacity of the individual monk.  With prayer, work is another hinge which supports the monastic life.  Like prayer, work is for the good of the individual and community, but it also unites the monk with the experiences of those who labor for the sustenance of their lives.  Since work by its very nature (whether it be manual or intellectual) in some way or another is geared toward improving or sustaining life, it is also considered a participation with God in His work of creation.

SILENCE
Although it is not a vow, the monk seeks silence so that he may be attentive to God’s presence.  Reflecting on and being aware of God’s presence is prayer in and of itself.  Finding God in silence leads the monk to a greater sense of unity with the Lord.  This does not mean that the monk is anti-social, but he is constantly aware of God's presence and desires not to be distracted from it by noise or unnecessary chatter.  The silence which the monk cherishes allows him (when he does speak) to say things that are edifying and prudent.

THE VOWED LIFE
     All monks take vows which bind them to the community in which they live.  Before he professes the vows has an extended period of preparation so that he can freely choose to profess them.  The vows are not meant to be hindrances to personal freedom, rather the vows actually free the monk to give himself entirely to God.  The monk chooses not to get married, but devote himself to God through a celibate life.  It is a choice for the monk to allow himself to be guided by a superior of the monastery because he believes that God is leading him through the superior.  There is a personal choice made when the monk takes on a spirit of poverty which allows him to appreciate the gifts that God has given him and use them wisely.  Essentially the vows enable the monk more freedom to seek God as the central focus of his life.

THE MONK’S HAPPINESS
     Many people find it difficult to believe that a monk can have a happy life without the possibility of marriage, family, independence and money.  But if the monastic life is lived well by the monk, the possibility of happiness is infinite (literally).  Often, the notion of happiness (especially in today’s society) is very distorted because it is equated with pleasure or the accumulation of material things.  Human beings only find true happiness and contentment if they do what they were created to do.  Everyone by the vocation of their humanity was created to discover, know and love their creator.  This is the monk’s sole focus in life which brings the monk the happiness that does not depend on finite things.