Monk?

Monks off to Vigils

Monks typically rise early in the morning, while most of us are still comfortably at rest in our beds. At the Abbey of the Genesee they rise sometime before the first service of the day, which begins at 2:25 AM, and is known as Matins, or more commonly as Vigils. It is the first of seven times the monk will gather with his brothers for the sole purpose of praising God, and it begins the sanctification of time, which the monk does on behalf of all people, everywhere.

Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall proclaim your praise

With these words the monk’s day begins with the admission that he is helpless to even open his mouth without the assistance of his God, and that his only desire is to praise Him who makes it possible. Humility and gratitude are the two pillars of monastic spirituality, they keep him grounded and channel God’s gift of joy to him.

The cloister is dark and free from the sound of voices, as the monks individually make their way to the church, only the sound of their footsteps and the rustle of their cowls heard in the silence. This is the heart of the Great Silence, when the community refrains from talk and when, after Vigils, each one repairs to his cell to commune with God, each in his own way. Here, when the birds have not yet begun their song, is the heart of the monk’s day, the reason for his very exisence.

There is a fine reflection on the Liturgy of the Hours, of which Vigils is the first, at the Abbey of the Genesee’s web site.