In
our times many people and especially young people desire to see their
ideas and the content of their faith embodied. To have people who live
their faith and the hope in Christ with all its consequences is a great
contribution to our society which, today, has an horizontal
orientation. A contemporary Orthodox hierarch, referring to the three
monastic vows of celibacy, poverty and obedience, quite aptly points
out: "the evangelical exhortations of purity dedicated to God, poverty
and obedience are based upon the word and example of our Lord and are
recommended by the Apostles and the Fathers, as well as by the teachers
and pastors of the Church, and are a divine gift which the Church
received from the Lord, and which she preserves through His Grace".
Specifically,
monks are not part of the Church's hierarchic structure: they do
however belong to her life and participate in her sanctity. The monk is
not separated from communion with his brothers nor is he indifferent to
the world and its problems.
The
true monk does not live inwardly, separated from the world, nor has he
abandoned his responsibility for the world. He lives for the entire
world with which he feels deeply united. His vocation and his charisma
is to be a prophet and a preacher of the coming Kingdom, a living icon
and proof of the future life.
In
the life of the world the monk constitutes the indicator, the finger
pointing towards heaven and reveals to the world another reality, the
reality of heaven.
He
deeply believes in the new creation "in Christ"; by his life he
proclaims the superiority of the Kingdom of heaven vis-a-vis this life,
and by his actions confesses: " I look forward to the resurrection of
the dead and to the life of the future age".
This
contribution is great, especially in today's world where everything is
orientated towards the earth and runs the risk of being condemned unto
death.
