What is the Goal of Orthodox Christian Monasticism? - Mother Christophora
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
- In this episode, Mother Christophora discusses the goal of Orthodox monasticism and why someone might decide to become a monastic.
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This is the second episode from my interview with Mother Christophora, Abbess of the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania.
To learn more about Mother Christophora's #monastery, please visit their website: www.orthodoxmonasteryellwoodci...
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She brings such a calm, when she speaks.
Thank you for the meaningful interviews. As a young man, I spent a week in a Russian Orthodox monastery. It was a life changing experience.
As a Greek I can say what I understand as the spirit of Orthodoxy, either one chooses ascetic living or not.
It's more or less to carry your own 'cross'/burden of existence in this world, bad and unfair and uncertain as it is, and do it voluntarily.
This resembles to the ancient myth of Sissiphus.
One needs to acknowledge and accept the inevitable amount of suffering and instead of praying/asking this to be gone, he/she should rather seek/wish/ask for the strength and endurance to withstand it.
Living in the Orthodox 'lifestyle' is way far from any kind of 'easy living', its a community focused life and not an individualistic one, its about actual sharing of wealth for example (and really who does that?)
Due to its incompatibility with the official authoritiy structures, and of course economic policies and forces, one would only live a resemblance of a 'true' Orthodox Christian life, and of course a life without much wealth and belongings.
Thank you Mother. Mother’s are a grace of God. 🙏🌈😇
Indeed!
8:47 Ah, yes. I remember Mother Katherine saying in her interview, "Why is gratitude so important", that God is present in every encounter we have.
Thank you for your sharing which is a reminder to a reader me.
Thank you for these wonderful interviews. Full of love and integrity.
Christ is Risen! Thanks to God...glad you found us!
I am very happy to have received this spiritual insight from Mother Christophora. A more rare interview to be sure, and quite the blessing.
Thanks to God...glad that you found it edifying!
May God bless you, dear Mother Christophora! Kiss you.
Thank you! Lovely and informative interview! I look forward to visiting the monastery some time.
Thanks to God! It's a lovely monastery...very humble...very sweet sisterhood...
Mother, Is there an age limit for entering a monastery? I am a widow with three grown children. I constantly think about this. Quite exhausted from this nagging feeling. I am 66. Just wondering. God bless you.
Technically, there is not an age limit...though it does get harder as you get older...some communities do have age limits, but most will consider exceptions to their rule...
I'm reminded of St Paul of the dessert. Who at 60 went to become a monk. Granted it did not sound easy.
Please pray for us St Paul. שלום
:) Thanks for all your hard work, Herman - I enjoy many of the videos you produce. Mother Christophora is such a breath of fresh air - so respectful, loving, gentle, disciplined and full of Christian wisdom. I listened to her five videos on your channel a couple of months ago and they have stayed with me. Glory to The Lord.
Thanks to God! And thanks for your kind words, Rob...I'm glad you're finding them edifying!
love her. thank you!
Thank you helping to share this beautiful perspective.
Beautiful!!
Many thanks for this edifying resource! And greetings from Anaheim!
Shalom brother!
Thanks to God! Glad you found us, John!
Wonderful talk
Thank you
Thanks to God!
Thank you. This was very good to hear. I wish we had a monastery near Richmond, Va. (Hint, hint)
Thanks to God...yes indeed...we need more monasteries(!)
Queen of All Skete in Rochelle VA is currently being constructed. Abbess is Mother Andrea.
0:01 Mother Christophora is the Monastic Abbess of The Monastery of The Transfiguration of Elwood City, Pennsylvania.
0:27 Protective Veil presents
0:46 The Goal of The Christian Life: Unity with God.
0:56 How to be United with God.
1:46 The Monastic skips some steps.
- We give so much up in a way
but um
+ We receive things in a much deeper, awesome way.
- we give up a family
+ We acquire many families.
2:00 Life in a different, deeper, awesome way/sense
2:35 Young people who fall in love have a lot of impetus, alot of energy.
For The Monastic
2:53 We Have Energy Towards God ☦️ and living with other people.
+ We like to Be with God + We like to pray + We like to be in Church
3:23 + Receiving Sacraments together + Receiving Communion from the same chalice.
3:36 and forming a Spiritual Family, and hospitality to guests to the Monastery.
+ We didn't give up a family, we gained a family.
3:50 + We gain families in the offering of hospitality.
4:10 + Children love to come to The Monastery.
4:32 + Older Teenagers have a great time, small children play on swings.
5:00 The Beauty of The Monastery
+ Quiet
+ Beauty
+ Natural Beauty
5:17 Orderly
5:51 We give up things.
6:05 It's another thing that purifies us.
6:24 - "Most of us are very self-centered."
6:43
7:08 + Less Self-Centered , More Loving
7:41 "Another mystery we have here."
+ Carpooling
+ Quietly praying
+ Listening to spiritual lectures
+ Having gentle, meaningful conversations
8:43 Remembering The Presence of God in everyone we meet.
9:14 + Less interest in wordly things, not necessarily condemning them in of themselves.
9:54 The Majority of Church Services are made up of Psalms. They are read and sung at different times in The Church Services.
10:24 Those who are called to Monastic Life, another Mystery. We can't always explain "Why me" and someone else.
10:53 There is something deep inside some of them that call them to The Monastery.
11:26 Thank you.
Please include me in your prayers unworthy servant Fr Laurence
Thanks for your videos, I became interested in Orthodox Christianity after reading the Brothers Karamazov. Is there a name for the icon art you use in your introductions / as your channel picture? It is beautiful.
Thanks to God...it's a great blessing to receive feedback...thank you, Michael! The Brothers K was seminal in my path to Orthodoxy, too (that, and The Way of a Pilgrim!) The icon you refer to is of the Protecting Veil of the Theotokos: orthodoxwiki.org/Protection_of_the_Mother_of_God
Me too, Michael. How has your journey been?
Hallelujah
I appreciate what a lot of nuns have to say. I think that I can relate to them and learn more from them rather than from a bishop or a priest.
😇
But was Jesus message not to go out and proclaim the gospel? And love our neighbors? How can we do that locked away?
datchet11 Different people are called to different ministries. Also, define the world… Monasteries are small worlds onto themselves. And sometimes the world has to come to you. My experience has been that the monastery is a place to go back and re-charge and reconnect with the faith. Monasteries have always been the place where the faith is held true; which is why the western popes often tried to stab them out and impose their discipline over the rabble-rousers and monastics who were skeptical of change. This is evident when you consider the evolution of monasticism in the East versus the West.
Oh and one more thing... the best bishops have come out of monasteries, once their faith is molded.
Your comment makes me think about the virgin Mary....or as we call her in Orthodox Christianity, The Theotokos. If you don't know her story as told in Orthodoxy, I encourage you to seek it out. From her barren parents, Joachim & Anna, to her living in the temple, to her engagement to Joseph (who chose him for her and HOW they chose him for her.....Mary's parents were long gone from earth at this point). Mary, The Theotokos, is the ultimate example of a monastic who went into the world to share the Gospel.
What has happened often throughout history is that people come to the monastics (because they are attracted by holiness), just as the people of Judea came to St. John by the Jordan. Additionally, they love their neighbors by means of prayers for the world in general, and by prayers for specific individuals that people outside the monastery have asked them to pray for.
@user-du6gp7ed9g it's all about Jesus not Mary.
As for monasticism, it was invented by them; We(God) did not ordain it for them, but (they adopted it) to seek Allah’s(God) pleasure, then could not observe it as was due. So We gave the believers from among them their reward. And many of them are sinners.
Yes, family life in the North-American culture is just that boring and colourless struggle that she just described. Poor American workaholics don’t even know how truly filled and spiritually and culturally buoyant family life can be, both in Eastern and Western Europe.
Thank you! Lovely and informative interview! I look forward to visiting the monastery some time.