English Benedictine Congregation - Vows, Prayer & Silence

WHO ARE MONKS AND NUNS?

There have always been women and men who hear the voice of Jesus inviting them to leave behind their possessions, their jobs, their accustomed way of life, and to come and follow him. Some of those who hear this invitation are called to the monastic way of life. Men who lead the monastic life are called “monks”. Women who lead the monastic life are traditionally called “nuns”. Sometimes the word “monastics” is used to refer to both men and women who lead the monastic life.

They respond to the invitation of Jesus by coming to a monastery. They make vows by which they give the whole of their lives, and their very selves, to God. They give up the right to marry and raise a family; they commit themselves to life-long membership of a community; they undertake to live a monastic way of life. The monastic life is an ordered life, with a fairly unchanging routine. It involves following the “evangelical counsels” -- chastity, poverty and obedience -- which Jesus commended to his followers.

In practical terms, the three main elements in the life of a monk or nun are prayer, reading and work.

Monks and nuns pray together in the monastery church. They gather together in the church several times a day: once to celebrate the Eucharist, and several times a day to pray the “Liturgy of the Hours”, acts of worship centred on the psalms found in the Old Testament. They often call this “The Divine Office” or "The Work of God".

They pray on their own too. The time nuns and monks spend alone in prayer is time spent with God, listening to his voice, loving him, living in his presence, savouring his love for them.
The monk or nun is called to be a person who reads. Their reading is centred on the Word of God contained in Holy Scripture. The practice of lectio divina, "sacred reading", goes back to the earliest monks and nuns, and the last half-century has seen a revival of this ancient practice, which is becoming more widely appreciated by many outside monasteries too.

The work done by our monastic communities is very varied. If you look at the websites of the monasteries of the English Benedictine Congregation you will see how many different types of work our nuns and monks do. We believe that the work we do is of service to the Church and to the world in which we live. And we value in a particular way the contribution of the older members of our communities. Their work may not be very "productive" in terms of income-generation, but their patient dedication to the work that has been given to them and their patient endurance of the weakness that comes with old age, is one of the means through which the Lord brings them to holiness.

Hospitality is an important part of the life of a Benedictine monastery, although the way it is practised will vary from one community to another. St Benedict tells his monks that guests should be welcomed as Christ.

Community is important for monks and nuns. That does not mean that we talk all the time: silence and solitude are an important part of our lives. But St Benedict clearly thinks that living together in community is a good way to come to holiness. He writes,
“they should each try to be the first to show respect to the other, supporting with the greatest patience one another’s weaknesses of body or behaviour, and earnestly competing in obedience to one another. No one is to pursue what he judges better for himself, but instead what he judges better for someone else. To their fellow-monks they show the pure love of brothers; to God, loving fear; to their abbot, unfeigned and humble love. Let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and may he bring us all together to everlasting life”.