New monasticism revisited

[methodius]

I've posted articles in my blogs about new monasticism in the past, for example at Notes from underground: Urban monasticism and Notes from underground: Abandoned places of empire. You can find others by typing "new monasticism" in the search box of this blog or my other oneMost of them haven't attracted any relevant comments, and most of the

Comments

Mother Maria

[mizannie]

A friend wrote a book recently and Mother Maria
was featured. She is quite a figure. I gather
she remained close to her second ex husband,
even staying in his home at times when she needed
respite.

I ponder why those in the married state, and those
of us who are single (me, now a widow), why there
is no vehicle for those of us who wish to remain
in the world serving, like Mother Maria. Even she
had to become a tonsured celibate. Could we not
have some form of monasticism that allows for the
varied states in life?

There is a skete not far from here with 1 nun. For
a good while, there were two but one had to return
to where she came from as the work wore down her
health. She was the untonsured one and so all the
manual labor fell to her and eventually she collapsed
under the load. At my age, I wonder if I could stand
up to something like that, if it would be that way
at other monastaries. I am no stranger to hard work
and am fit but if this sister couldn't hold up, I
surely wouldn't.

I have tried disintangling from the world but after
all the years I've lived, there are obligations and
will continue to be, such as taxes that must be
filed, finding someone suitable to oversee property
and holdings until such time as one is tonsured.
It's complicated and there really is no one who
would be willing to do those things for me. If
tax forms aren't filled out properly and timely,
I face fines and jail. Jeepers.

So my question really is this, should monastacism
remain as it has for centuries or should it evolve
into something that fits with the times, or both?

The Protestants and Catholics are coming up with
what they call communities, where lay people work
with those in religious life and become associates
of their order, living the charism as befits their
state in life, staying in their homes but coming
together regularly for shared prayer, fellowship
and shared apostolate.

Being new to Orthodoxy, a lot is happening. For some
years before I was chrismated, I was approached about
considering the monastic life in Orthodoxy. But I
fear that it will be most difficult.

I applaud the efforts in South Africa to initiate
monasticism and I will keep all of you in my prayers.

Re: Mother Maria

[methodius]

That is part of the point of the "new monasticism" -- to enable, say, married couples to live a semi-monastic life, and there have been various kinds of communes and Christian communities.

But I believe that these manifestations of the "new monasticism" need to be connected with the old -- for example in having spiritual fathers/mopthers in a traditional Orthodox monastic community.

Protestant groups that have tried this have often gone of the rails, for example the Children of God, later known as "The Family" -- their leader got mnore and more weird, and eventually promoted "flirty fishing" and "hookers for Jesus".

I don't say they all go like that, but several have.