http://monasticism.org/monk Monasticism in the Catholic Church Thu, 17 May 2007 02:25:40 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Well, as you few faithful souls that actually stop by and read these little reflections on monastic life have noted, it's been very little, and very occasional for about a year now. I was initially occupied with finding work, after losing my job at the seminary. On top ... http://monasticism.org/monk/2007/05/17/personal-note/ The real monk, the one who's deepest desire (God) is in line with the way he lives, is a smasher of idols. And the biggest idol he smashes is the notion that being called a monk means he is somehow special or different from others. He doesn't pretend ... http://monasticism.org/monk/2007/03/27/idol-smasher/ The film Into Great Silence has finally debuted in the U.S.  In Boston it's showing at the Kendall Square Cinema.  I haven't seen it yet, but will sometime this weekend.  Here is a link to the New York Times review of the film. http://monasticism.org/monk/2007/03/24/into-great-silence-debuts-in-us/ Here is a link to a terrific interview with Mr Groening, the director of, Into Great Silence, a film of monastic life taken at The Grande Chartreuse, charterhouse of the Carthusian monastic order. In response to what his film is meant to convey Growning says, "The film should become ... http://monasticism.org/monk/2007/03/01/into-great-silence-update-2/ Here is a wonderful reflection on The Our Father by Dom Bernardo Olivera, OCSO, Abbot General of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance. Dom Bernardo is recovering from a cerebral hemmorage he suffered on August 22, 2006. http://monasticism.org/monk/2007/01/10/our-father/ Here is a reflection titled, Discernment in the Blogdom of God on the use of blogs in one's faith life. Very interesting and worth a look, from Deacon's Blog, by Rev. Mr. Jim Konicki, of The Polish National Catholic Church. http://monasticism.org/monk/2006/12/14/blogging-for-the-faith-of-it/ Christian monastic life has been in existence for over a millennium and a half, which, as an organized expression of human cooperation, is notable. And yet, longevity is not, in itself, a badge of honor, or a sign of blessing. Marriage, of course, is the longest sustained human ... http://monasticism.org/monk/2006/10/05/71/ A few days ago my wife and I hosted an old friend of mine from the Abbey of the Genesee. My friend has been employed at the abbey since the 1970s; "steady as she goes" would be the operative phrase to describe him. And he brought with him ... http://monasticism.org/monk/2006/09/09/community/ I've been tinkering with the design of the blog and wonder what folks think. If you've got a moment leave a comment and let me know if you like this theme or the previous theme. This one is the WP-Andreas01 1.3 by Andreas Viklund. I've changed the ... http://monasticism.org/monk/2006/08/26/new-look-and-st-bernard/ A number of folks have asked me why I, a layman, would devote time to a project on monasticism. It's a fair enough question and one that deserves an honest answer. Actually, there are, as there are in most things, a number of reasons, existing on a number ... http://monasticism.org/monk/2006/07/23/why-do-this/