The Contemplative Life: Research Essentials Vol. 2

"The criterion of a monk is to seek Christ as hermits." The truth is, as a cloistered individual you are confronted with yourself and God, in a face-to-face encounter, which does not diminish, but envelopes your entire scope of thought reason and vision. In our daily encounters, there is nothing beyond these two. On hearing that they live lives of prayer and self-sacrifice, the laity are inclined to ask why, and for whom The answer is that they do so for the good of souls that greatly need both prayer and self-sacrifice. As a cloistered member, you continually are confronted with the strengths and weakness of yourself and those around you. Honesty, integrity, humility, and love are essential, since you have nowhere else to go. You cannot escape, where shall we go We must confront, address, and deal fairly and honestly with what is presented before us.