become a monk

The Order of Corpus Christi is a covenant order within the United Church of Christ that I recently learned about. I meet with the Abbot a few weeks ago and was very pleased with what I learned about the order.

From a variety of sources I’ve come to realize that to some extent monasticism is more of a matter of the heart than officially joining an order where one could simply go through the motions devoid of true religion. Or as I read on the Prayer Foundation Knights of Prayer site which is a bit of an online monastary is that “the idea of monks is a historical Christian symbol and metaphor for both a life of prayer, and a life of dedication to the Lord.” The Knights of Prayer, a monastic order of lay monks is also describes itself as giving formal recognition to people who are already monks in their hearts. Yet the funny thing is that my friend Todd Schoonover actually came to this conclusion over a month ago in his birthday blessing to me which included the line “May the borders between secular and sacred be non-existent in your life, so that you realize you are a monk already.” As I now believe that this goal falls into my broader goal of live with no boundaries between the sacred and the secular as striving to live a complete Christian life is the true mark of a monk of the heart.

It is something that I’ve thought about before in the past from time to time and more recently over the past few days. As of now this goal is merely a remainder to continue to pray and think about it as it is not something that should be taken lightly.