I spent half my April vacation working as a monk.
Which immediately brings to mind two questions - "why would you do something like that on vacation?" Well I'm me, you're you, and saying that God makes everyone different is another way of saying he pre programmed us to think the other is weird. I hope you enjoy my account of the experience, and don't worry, I don't think its for everyone.
"Wait, you said 'working' as a monk - but I thought monks don't work, they mostly pray, right?" Exactly. To quote David Wilcox, "it's hard work. but its good work, if you can get it."
I traveled to the mountains of Meteora, Greece, where there are six small Greek Orthodox monasteries which have been precariously perched on top of pillared cliffs for over 800 years.
Until a few decades ago, the only access was to gain permission to be hauled up in a net by rope and pulley for a visit. For the sake of solitude and safety (during Greece's occupation by the Ottoman empire, which saw brutal repression, these monasteries nurtured and hid Greek patriots of their rebellion). But some time ago they cut stairs and tunnels into the cliffs, opening up to the eyes of curious visitors and spiritual pilgrims. One of the locations was featured in the James Bond film, For Your Eyes Only.
The Meteora Monasteries don't allow overnight guests, so I rented a room in the village of Kastraki, nestled at the foot of the mountains. Each morning I began my prayer routine on the balcony of that room, overlooking the range.
Then I hiked to a different monastery to pray and worship for the day. I fasted for lunch, to keep my body reminded and tuned like a tuning fork toward my primary hunger and purpose each day. The fasting was only a true challenge on the day my hike was a strenuous 2 hours each way.
Upon arrival each day, I would first light a candle at the prayer station on my way into the sanctuary of that particular community, praying for anyone I just met along the trail, for the monks or nuns of that place, and for Lake Forest Church.
I would then find as unobtrusive of a seating place as possible (most sanctuaries are micro, and there are tourists walking through in bursts most of the day),
pull out my prayer guide and Bible, and begin to pray and worship. During times of silence scheduled for my prayer order, I would often walk around and gaze at the beautiful paintings and icons depicting various persons or moments in God's story, a joyful way to keep my mind on Christ and God's Word.
At times I had each sanctuary to myself, and when I reached a hymn or the chanting of a Psalm at those times I could sing aloud, enjoying the acoustics that made it sound like I was part of a choir rather than alone. Glorious. The monk in charge of the church that day always got a kick out of this odd Protestant making music in their sacred place.
When each monastery closed to guests at the end of the day (some 5, some 6, others 7pm), I would hike back to the village, enjoy Greek cuisine at an outdoor café on the town square (always including an appetizer of baked feta), then read and pray my final prayers in my room before bed.
So what did I actually DO in order to pray all day? I did what's known as Praying the Hours, or Praying the Office(s). The classic monastic pattern of life is to have a service, or 'office' of prayer at eight different set times each day, including once in the middle of the night (rather than schedule that one by alarm clock, I let my 50 year old prostate wake me). Did you know that the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches today officially recommend that all of their members pray three of these prayer offices daily? Early morning, mid-day, and evening. Kind of kicks tail over evangelicals recommendation of a single daily quiet time.
What does each 'office' or prayer look like? The majority of it is praying or chanting scripture back to the Lord as prayer (again, for a long time I thought evangelicals had the corner on the 'praying scripture' market). The order can vary a bit, but the guide that I chose (see sidebar on my books) began with a two line refrain to sing, that was different for each of the eight offices. Second would be a couple of short scriptures that function as a call to enter the Lord's presence. Third would be to sing the refrain again. Fourth would be to chant a number of Psalms (this section determines how long or short a time you spend in each office; in a week a monastic community chants all the way through the book of Psalms, which I managed to almost squeeze into my days; yes I learned their manner of chanting). Fifth is a hymn with all its verses. Sixth is a New Testament reading. Seventh, sing the refrain again. Eighth, silence. Ninth, my own prayers. Tenth, sing the refrain. Eleventh, chant short phrases from the Psalms.
Each of these daily prayer services can last as short as fifteen minutes. But when prayed as one's job, like a monk, they each take between thirty and sixty minutes. Do that eight times a day, and you see why I called it 'working as a monk' - that's your main job that day, its a lot of time.
And that's exactly how monks (at their best) have seen it for centuries. That YOU have a calling or vocation in life, I have a calling to a certain job in life. But THEIR primary calling or work, is to pray. And they call it an 'office' for a reason. That word is used in the sense of a public servant - a person is elected or appointed to the 'office' of town clerk, for instance. Their job is to serve the public and the town by fulfilling that 'office,' or job. Some monastic communities build in a high level of physical work (like Mother Teresa caring for the dying poor), but most if not all live their lives oriented around the eight daily offices as their primary 'job.'
Monks experience a desire, a calling, to serve God by rendering the praise due to Him alone, all day every day, as their work. Its that simple. I never understood that before. I used to judge them for their reclusiveness and inactivity. No longer. Their solitude is not their aim, its an aid, to help them do their primary work as well as possible. They are not in defensive retreat from the world, instead they daily hold the world and its pain close to their heart and lift it up to God's heart in prayer, as their unique and powerful form of service to humanity (if you believe in the power of prayer). This is my description of the monastic calling at its best (I wince when people judge pastors by the worst of us, and so encourage Protestants to judge monks by the best of them).
THAT is what I set out to do for those four and a half days. Render back to God what is due to Him alone - unceasing prayer, honor and praise. As an act of service, not supplication. As a gift to my Lord, not an experience of mine (though the location certainly resulted in an overflow of joy and beauty). As a response of love, from the beloved to the divine Lover, who first loved and continuously loves me and the world.
Here's the most unique thing that happened to me during my days of Praying the Hours. Because I 'put on' this ancient, tried-and-true way of serving God in prayer, I had to 'put off' my more habitual approach to prayer/reading scripture/worshipping/going to church. By praying 95% scripture and hymns, particularly the Psalms...And by praying as a gift back to God, with the sole intent of giving Him joy by rendering His due...
One result was that I had zero of the anxiety or self-questions that I often bring to prayer, worship and church: 'did I experience God today?' 'did I learn something from God's Word or get something out of it' 'do I feel closer to God' 'did I hear the Lord correctly about the issue I'm seeking direction on' 'did I pray for the right items in my life and other peoples lives today' 'did I get the new vision or direction that God wants me to have for my life and the church?'
All of those questions and more are what I unthinkingly use to evaluate my prayers and times in God's Word, alone and with the church. And they are not wrong. But they are particularly Protestant and evangelical as a habit, and they are not healthy as my primary focus in prayer, reading and worship. Because if these are my 'go to' unexamined attitudes in prayer, they result in self and human focus in prayer, rather than on the Triune God. This is a critique Catholics and Orthodox often make of us, and it rings true as a weakness; its also a point that the best of our Presbyterian heritage seeks to correct, teaching us to render worship back to God primarily because it is our highest work or duty to glorify Him.
I noticed my lack of anxiety or questing early on, and enjoyed the peacefulness of this type of prayer, which I labored at solely as gift to God. I didn't have any need to 'do it right,' or 'find the right words.' Nor did I care at all about 'getting something out of it.' It was prayer as objective gift, almost like a wrapped birthday present, that is handed to the Lord by the simple act of doing it in the manner and form that I received from others.
I learned that its good and right for you and I to sometimes view prayer as an objective act of gifting ourselves to God, rather than as primarily a subjective thing to be evaluated for its quality. Of course, solely viewing prayer as an objective practice can lead to rote repetition and eventual deadness, just like solely viewing prayer as a subjective experience to be evaluated leads to either a shallow me-focus, or a frustrated quest for ever-better emotional highs from my experience of prayer.
I also noticed a sense of quiet satisfaction. Do you know how you feel when you've simply done your job for the day, and now its time to go home? You don't necessarily leave the office and say 'wow, what an experience I just had' or 'wow, that changed my life' or 'man, I just learned and grew a ton.' On most good work days you turn out the light and leave with a sense of, 'I did a good job today, I did the mundane, maybe a biggie or two, and served the purpose I was hired for.' That is satisfying, peaceful. 'Good work if you can get it.'
I guess that's what this type of prayer 'felt like' for me, and it is mostly a new one that I hope to carry into my morning devotions, my 'arrow prayers' throughout the day, evening prayers, and times of worship with my friends at Lake Forest Church. I hope it sounds something like this:
"This is my service unto you, O God, because you are worthy to be praised, to be adored, and I have spent this time in prayer/Bible/worship/church primarily as an act of serving you and rendering back what is only due to You. I do so because of your great glory, goodness and love, and in gratitude for your famous acts of salvation culminating in Jesus Christ, Your Son. I thank you for any overflow of gift back into my life from this time and receive it as bonus, not my wage or my due. Amen."
