CH Quiz Study Guide #5

Convent

is a religious community and building for nuns that live and work that follow rules under religious order is their home and a place they worship. They follow guidelines of how they should live their life using St Benedicts rule

Monastery

a building or complex of buildings that houses a room for prayer for monks. It includes a church, dormitory,library, church, school, etc. They follow guidelines of how they should live their life using St Benedicts rule

Monk

a male that dedicates their life to religious devotion that lives under a monastery. where they follow a disciplined lifestyle focused on prayer, meditation, study, and sometimes manual labor or service.

Nun:

a woman who dedicates her life to religious devotion in a convent. They are engaged in a disciplined lifestyle such as prayer, meditation, charitable work, and sometimes teaching or healthcare services.

Abbot:

is the head or leader of a monastery in certain Christian traditions. An abbott oversees the monks, manages the monastery, and provides spiritual guidance. An example of an Abbot would be St Benedict, an influential person in monastic history.

St. Benedict

was a Christian monk, theologian, and founder of monasticism in the west. He founded several monasteries and schools. St Benedict wrote a book about rules that monks should follow on how to live and work together.

"Dark Ages"/Medieval Europe:

A time where the western roman empire was collapsing and the church was in power and the relationship between the church and the state continued to evolve. In response many monasteries spread throughout Europe to preserve the purity of Christianity and keep its innocence.

Tonsure:

the practice of shaving or cutting someone's hair. Many monks were tonsured to represent their commitment to God and so there won't be a barrier from obtaining God's word. It also symbolizes humility because it was unflattering and to shun away from any distractions.

Monastic rule:

A set of guidelines that sets expectations for monks and nuns to follow. These rules indicate how members should pray, work, interact, and live in their religious vows. These rules emphasize discipline, devotion, and communal living.

Solitude

The state of being alone by choice for personal reflection and spiritual connection. St Benedict encourages spending time alone for reflection within monastic life.

Spiritual discipline:

practices that help people grow their faith and get closer to God while developing self control. Monks and nuns practice spiritual discipline through prayer, service and fasting.

Desert Fathers:

are people that went out into the desert to practice strict spiritual discipline by being alone in the desert and dedicating their lives to God and living in solitude. Many people felt the need to go to the desert because of the corruption going on in their cities. They wanted to follow the way of Jesus who isolated himself in the desert to be close to him father.

Probationary Year

A year where people that are considering monastic life learn the rules, lifestyle, and spiritual discipline before being fully committed. It gives a chance for the novices to be tested to determine they can handle the commitment.

Celibacy

someone that is abstaining from marriage and sexual relations often for religious or spiritual reasons. It is commonly practiced by monks and nuns.

Explain the ways in which the life of the monastery helped pave the way for our modern day approach to education and communities of learning.

The monastery helped pave the way for modern day by preserving texts and providing education at the monasteries. There were many monasteries that preserved writings such as science, literature and philosophy from ancient times. Monasteries also established libraries. Monasteries also provided formal schools for children reading and writing. Lastly, the rule of St Benedict emphasized the importance of the balance of work, study, and prayer like modern student life.

What can the structure and layout of monasteries communicate to us about what is held as valued and emphasized within the community?

In many monasteries the chapel is in the central building emphasizing the importance of worship and prayer. The dorm rooms are very simple and minimalistic emphasizing humility and shunning away from materialism and there are individual cells that show focusing more on prayer and self reflection. Also, there is a chapel near the dorm rooms for any one that wishes to engage in nightly prayer. Lastly, there are many shared spaces which emphasizes the importance of unity between the monks/nuns. To conclude, the layout shows how prayer, unity, and personal reflection are very important.

Based on our seminar on monasticism, explain why pursuing monastic vocation today isn't viewed or pursued with the same enthusiasm as it once was. What about the modern world contributes to this change?

Pursuing monastic vacation isn't viewed or pursued as much today because of the cultural and social changes in our world today. Monastic life is very traditional and old fashioned which is the very opposite of our world today. The modern world is very secular and place high value on individualism, pursuing career paths, having a family etc. Also, monasteries provided education that couldn't be found anywhere else, however now there are many opportunities to become educated without having to go to a monastery. Lastly, practicing solitude can be difficult because of how everything in our world is digital and many people connect across the world so engaging in monastic life you can feel disconnected.

Explain the significance of the role of an abbot within a monastic community. What obligations and responsibilities come with serving as an abbot?

The significance of an abbot is to govern the monastic community and lead by example. The responsibilities are to ensure that the monks remain faithful and to manage the monastery. Also, to oversee the monks or nuns to keep them on track. Abbots lead in daily prayers, provide guidance and support, and assign duties.

Why did the Desert Fathers begin practicing monastic spiritual disciplines in the first place? What circumstances within the church led to the adoption of this practice?

Desert fathers began practicing spiritual disciplines due to the environmental factors such as the church and the roman empire at the time. After christianity was legalized in rome many desert fathers thought that christianity was very mainstream and the church getting involved with the government it went against their morals. Also, they wanted to follow Christ's example when he went out into the wilderness to pray they wanted to follow his example and do the same.

Explain the blessing and curse associated with the church's power and influence within the Roman Empire during this time period. How does this relate to the rise of monasticism?

The blessing and the curse with the church's power is that there was a lot of corruption going on within the church because of the involvement of the church with the state. The church gained a lot of political power which contradicts the mission of the Church. The blessing was that christianity was legal, gaining more recognition, and the dominant religion. This relates to monasticism because many people separate themselves in response to get away from all of the corruption and to preserve christianity. Monks and nuns wanted to escape the secular world and live a pure life solely dedicated to God.