Daily Life: Gardening and Foraging

 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. - Genesis 1:29

The greatest of virtues is prayer; the foundation of prayer is fasting. – St Ignatius Brianchaninov, Collected Works Vol I: "On Fasting"

 An integral part of monastic life, as in any Christian life, is fasting.  As monastics, who seek to live the paradisical life, our diet mostly consists of vegetable food, which has always been the best kind of food for both body and soul. Every year we cultivate a little garden, which, in spite of the short growing season here in the mountains, usually provides us with at least a modest amount of our own home-grown vegetables.  

Invitation to Silence

From a Monastic Life Today

Tranquility is one of the first impressions which strikes those visiting a monastery.  With the exception of feastdays or when larger groups of visitors come, who may be sources of chatter, in general, the quiet is surely a hallmark. Yet this quiet should not be oppressive, even if even if perhaps one might see an older monastic reprimand someone for an unseemly burst of laughter or careless talk.  On the contrary, a monastery, while maintaining a sober atmosphere, is actually a should be a cheerful place, even if it is spiritual battleground.  Displays of emotion and talk are kept in moderation for one’s own good and the good of one’s neighbor, as everyone’s main job is prayer and the battle with the passions. Reining in one’s tongue is a huge help in both of these jobs, and what is even better, it opens up an entire new world which no one who leads a careless life full of babble and distraction will ever experience.

A Monastic Life Today: Vigil

The kingdom of heaven is taken by force - Matt 11:12

The alarm rings at 1:15. Making the sign of the cross, the canonarch heaves a sigh as she gets up, brushing away sleep and trying to ignore the aching of muscles from a hard day of work the previous day. She rings the bell through the corridors, opening the door of each room in an effort to raise the other tired sisters out of their beds. Outside it is a beautiful night with a clear sky scattered with

A Monastic Life Today

Introduction 

"... Abba John said that a hermit saw in a rapture three monks standing on the edge of the sea and a voice came to them from the other side saying, ‘Take wings of fire and come to me.’