What Are Some Common Misconceptions About Monasticism? - Mother Christophora
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- Опубликовано: 14 фев 2019
- In this episode, Mother Christophora discusses some common misconceptions about Orthodox Christian monasticism that she has encountered.
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In this episode, Mother Christophora discusses some common misconceptions about #monasticism that she has encountered.
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This is the fourth episode from my interview with Mother Christophora, Abbess of the Orthodox Monastery of the #Transfiguration in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania.
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Thank you to Mother Christophora. It saddens me to know I lived in New Castle. PA right next to you for 5 years and never new you and Orthodoxy even existed. Praise God I know now!! Orthodoxy is Home for me.
SUSIE FORD God bless you, sister ☦️
Glad you found your way Home, Susie!
Wow
Regarding those people that claim to be Christian, but tell you that spending your life in worship and prayer is a "waste," one has to wonder what such a person thinks heaven is going to consist of. Seriously, the world doesn't need more CEOs or actors or politicians...the world needs more saints.
Beautifully stated
This is my family 100%
No prayerful life is wasted. It's definitely not a life for the masses. It's a vocation, a calling.
My family's reaction came from their feminist worldview. They said if I were to become a priest, that's one thing, but bc I was interested in becoming a nun, I was discouraged immediately. It turned out not to be my calling afterall, at least not before first experiencing family life. But my family never even asked why I was looking into religious life.
Thank You Doctor.
What a breath of fresh air! I so enjoyed the several occasions I've spent there at HTM. They truly practice God's Love, and this is something that people of this world long for, and I hope people will really open their hearts to the Truth and warmth of God's Love.
Thank you. I am considering the monastic path myself. Possibly St. Tikhon's in PA.
Thanks to God! May God enlighten you and direct your path!
Thank you for this video. I am currently an inquirer. Like all of us, I often think about God's path for my life (sometimes to a detrimental extent). I was not aware that monasticism could be an area I could research and contemplate. It is fascinating and beautiful.
Does inquirer mean considering a vocation?
Will be visiting this monastery for the first time. I am very much looking forward to meeting Mother Christophora and the other sisters. Thank you for these interviews.
I so enjoy Mother Christophra's interviews, thank you for doing this!
Thanks to God!
Thank you for this wonderful interview! Mother Christophora is so wise yet humble! She is incredibly kind and helpful - she is an example to all of us of how to live Orthodoxy! Thank You for your prayers Mother (I'm sure she's praying for all of us!)
Thanks to God!
Outstanding video! Thank you to Mother Christophora, and to the Protecting Veil channel. It was a very insightful, and informative video.
Thank you very much for your wise words
She seems like a wonderful person to know. Nice to see how it really is, not the Hollywood version. Or perhaps old medieval idea of monastic life.
Thank you very much
Love the talk!
This was really wonderful to listen to
There is so much here that's needed. Thank you!
Thanks to God! Thanks for stopping by!
Love this! I've legit wondered some of this stuff myself.
Thanks to God! Glad you found us, Jannah...stay tuned!
❤❤❤ Thank you!
Love it! Great advice as I look to go to a Monastery.
Awesome
what a wonderful video. Thank you!
Christ is Risen! Thanks to God!
I just subscribed, I really like your content!
So glad you found us, Kyle!
I've been thinking about becoming a monk for some time now. If Theosis is the purpose of our lives, why do I want to spend my life on futile things such as building a career and making money? Yes, my one misconception about monastic life is that'll lose myself by dying to myself. But I might find my true self by becoming the person God created me to be. Also, I'm particularly fond of reading novels, books and watching certain films. Not for mere entertainment but for philosophical reasons. I only choose stories that will make me think. Would becoming a monk be out of the question as these are among my hobbies and interests?
I recommend to talk to your spiritual father about this decision that you want to take. God bless you and help you to find your path to Hin.
I would encourage you to spend some time at a monastery as soon as possible. It is usually impossible to know if a vocation is possible without living in a monastery for a little while...
0:01 Mother Christophora, Abbess of The Monastery of The Transfiguration in Elwood City, Pennsylvania. Mother Christophora has been the Abbess there for 30 years (since the year 1987, so as of now she's been the Abbess for
*Addressing Misconceptions about Monasteries*
0:47 There are misconceptions about Monastic Life.
1:18 A Panic, A Fear in Family
"Will we ever see you again?"
2:01 "You're going to be..."
- lonely there
- bored there 2:20 No, we're quite filled with activities.
- you're throwing your life away 2:35 Certainly not, on the contrary, God asks much more of us. The Talents are not buried, but multiplied.
3:15 The Sacrifice, The Talents, are NOT Wasted.
3:52 "You're so beautiful, why didn't you get married?"
5:03 Loving God, and offering ourselves to Him.
*Addressing Spiritual Misconceptions about Monasteries*
5:24
5:53 Through Monastic and Spiritual Struggle ongoing, we actually say we die to the old man and be alive to the new, become like the person God created us to be.
6:18 It is not that we cannot think for ourselves.
6:28 + We are nurtured + We have guidance
7:02 The Plant is still The Plant, The Plant is still Unique.
7:14 Becoming Who We Are.
7:32 - "It's very controlling, being obedient every minute"
7:52 + "In God's Plan we should never control one and other.
8:08 "Um, but we should through Love and Respect and Charity and Goodwill and Perserverance, we should help each other grow."
8:26 + Sharing the lessons of our mistakes
8:57 "It's not there to control people. It's to gently guide people and correct through our own humility."
9:05 "- There is a fear that people would be very controlled and become like robots or puppets, that is not - that should not happen. 9:32 Imposing that kind of obedience on Non-Monastics, that's a great mistake and a great tragedy."
9:58 + Respect + Freedom + To Find Oneself.
10:52 + Joy + Love + Respect + Humility +
11:20 Teaching by our own example.
11:30 "No matter how far we fall, God is there, waiting for us to return."
Thank you, Mother Christophora. Modern historians have often said that monasticism is a ’long extinct and deeply reticent world’ (Davies: ’Europe’) - yet clearly, nothing could be farther from the truth. It is exactly during ’interesting times’ such as the ones we are currently living in that monasticism becomes of the greatest importance. As St. Benedict firgedca path through the Dark Ages to vreate European civilisation, so monasticism today, through making us all aware of the Uncreated Light, may help us all chart a path through the chaos and turbulence of the coming centuries. O Господи, спаси и сохрани!
Thank you, Mother Christophora.
God Bless you!
May I ask which Saints guide and inspire you?
Very nice presetation,indeed the Monasticism is very important for Orthodox Church,it is her longs through she is breathing. There is olso White Monasticism maybe you can present us . Thank you Mother Christophora and may God healp you. Prey for us.🙏
Thanks for your comment, Elena! I will see if I can interview someone about this, too...
@@ProtectingVeil what is white monasticism
White Monasticism?
Celticfire white monasticism is you can be monk or nun in your home,go to work and have a normal life . It was practicing during the communist era on secret. You have to have a spiritual father for guides .
Elena Lugos Thank You...
Calling a monk "throwing their lives away" is an unbelievably sad, ignorant, and wickedly hateful thing to say to someone. Families must be forgiven for their insolence.
❤
🙏
As a lay person in Orthodoxy, I “understand” very basely theosis, and how monks and nuns praying for the world is good. I also understand that they act as witnesses for the world to see.
But I cannot help but shake the feeling that leaving the world is still strange to me. I feel like we need good people in these organizations constantly helping the world in the world.
Sometimes talking to God about men is more beneficial than talking to men about God.
Traffic lights and lighthouses are both useful, but each one in its own way...
What I've discovered about monks and nuns is that leaving the world, they are better able to help the world, but they do this in secret. Christ reminded His Disciples that what "you do to your Heavenly Father in secret, He will reward you openly." Monks and nuns are still in this world; they're just not of it, and therefor, they are able to serve God more freely. We may not see the evidence of this right away, because we're in this world and are subject to its limitations. By renouncing the world means that we're no longer bound by or to it, but rather, we are wholely free to become entirely subject to God's Holy Will by breaking free of our own will. The monk or nun becomes totally obedient to God's Will by performing certain vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and stability to the practices he or she does according to the rule of that community or Monastery. It's a life dedicated to God with Salvation through Christ Jesus as the outcome. There are joys and sorrows; trials and even tribulations. Most importantly, it's a dedication of the rest of one's life to God, knowing that He, the Bridegroom of the Church, will reward Monastics and married people both in this life and in the next. It's a choice as Orthodox Christians we make, and whether I choose monasticism or the married life, I know that if I'm obedient to the Will of God and whomever He allows me to be entrusted with whom He wills, to serve Him. We do nothing alone but through and by the grace of God, and there is peace and safety in this. Glory to God!
❤️🇬🇷👍☦️✝️🇺🇸👍
If someone decides to leave the monastery would they stll be welcomed in the monastery if they ever came back to visit?
In my (limited) experience...yes, generally they would, unless there was some pastoral issue that got in the way...depends on the situation.
To put it very simply:People who want to escape their worldly problems do noy belong in monasteries. They are running away from something. To be a monastic means running toward something. And that something is God.
Don’t want to discourage anyone, but I am sure most people aren’t naive to think that you will escape from the problems of the world to a perfect utopia.