Thanks Prodigal Kiwi for the link … and introducing the book. I’ve always been facinated by the monastic movement in the early church. Now it’s interesting to see how this New Monasticism plays its role for church and society today.
Walking through these 12 marks will prove challenging and life changing:
1) Relocation to the abandoned places of Empire.2) Sharing economic resources with fellow community members and the needy among us.
3) Hospitality to the stranger
4) Lament for racial divisions within the church and our communities
combined with the active pursuit of a just reconciliation.5) Humble submission to Christ’s body, the church.
6) Intentional formation in the way of Christ and the rule of the
community along the lines of the old novitiate.7) Nurturing common life among members of intentional community.
8) Support for celibate singles alongside monogamous married couples and their children.
9) Geographical proximity to community members who share a common rule of life.
10) Care for the plot of God’s earth given to us along with support of our local economies.
11) Peacemaking in the midst of violence and conflict resolution within communities along the lines of Matthew 18.
12) Commitment to a disciplined contemplative life.
May God give us grace by the power of the Holy Spirit to discern rules for living that will help us embody these marks in our local contexts as signs of Christ’s kingdom for the sake of God’s world.
I have felt for sometime now that we need new orders of monks and nuns for the tech generation. Some of us need to be unplugged to be plugged in to God.
And yes the church as a whole needs to find new ways to be a counter cultural community for Christ.
Pastor Sivin,.,i know tis maybe a Dumb Question….Im a confirmed Anglican now attending A Methodist Church…and I want to know where can go…in Malaysia or any where else…to become a monk not of the catholic order…I dont think im called or anything….but maybe this life all its complications are just too handle for me to handle…yes you may think im running away from my lifes problems…But i DONT CARE…
Just a note for any interested in the contemplative monastic life. The Cistercian Order of the Holy Cross is made up of monks, nuns and oblates that live both in communities around the world and individually in the world. For more info, see our website at http://www.cistercianmonks.org. Thanks and may God bless your journey!
Dear Br, may I know more about the community and how one can join.
I live in Africa.
God bless you,
Martin