From a Monastic of the Orthodox Church in America
Enter eagerly into the treasure-house that lies within you, and so you will see the treasure-house of heaven; for the two are the same, and there is but one single entry to them both. — Saint Isaac the Syrian
1995
Today on April 7th, the commemoration of the repose of Saint Tikhon of Moscow, the faithful of the Orthodox Church in America congratulate His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, on the liturgical anniversary of his monastic tonsure. We extend to him the greeting given to every newly-tonsured monastic: “May you be saved in the angelic life!”
What is this “angelic life”? The life of every monastic rests upon the four pillars of chastity, poverty, obedience, and stability. These are the ascetic disciplines undertaken by the monk that redirect his love of self and the world to love of God and neighbor. These are the pillars of his inner treasure house; the floor is repentance, and the walls are made of the stones of prayer. Repentance, prayer, and ascetic labors lead monastics to the “life of the angels.”
But are monastics “angelic people” set apart from the rest of the faithful? While monastics function as icons of the angelic life within the Church, we are fundamentally sinners seeking contrite and humble hearts. The aim of monastic life is sublime, but the road towards that goal is rough and rocky: we monastics struggle to love our brothers or sisters in Christ, struggle to submit to our abbot or abbess, and struggle to confront our own passions. Sins abound within the monastery, and monastics, for the most part, are ordinary people; we have simply chosen the monastery as the setting in which to pursue our salvation.
We must all choose the arena in which to pursue our salvation. Each of the faithful should ask at some point in our formative years: “Will I best learn to give my heart to God in the monastic life, or in family life?” Those who chose monastic life do so, not because we are innately holier than the faithful in the world, but because we feel that the monastery, with its rule of prayer and ascetic discipline, provides the tools we need for transformation in Christ. What about you? Is your own heart calling you to the monastery? Or are you called to support someone for whom the monastery is the gate of salvation?
Once we begin asking ourselves these questions, the most important thing we can do is to visit the monasteries; visit the monasteries; visit the monasteries! When monastic pilgrimage becomes a normal part of life in the Church, young people will naturally consider the monastic path, without pressure or anxiety. Every time you make a monastic pilgrimage, you enrich your own spiritual life and also support those with a monastic vocation. If you have a monastery near your home, God has truly blessed you; if you must travel a great distance, God will grant you great grace for the effort you make.
God calls us all to Himself: He desires to make each of our hearts a treasure-house in which He dwells, as in heaven, whether we live in the world or in the monastery. Truly beautiful is the way He has intertwined these two forms of the one Christian life: the faithful send loved ones to the monasteries, and the monasteries support the faithful with prayer. As we remember the anniversary of Metropolitan Tikhon’s monastic tonsure, we give thanks to God for his loving service to the Church. His example reminds us that while only a few monastics will become bishops, every monastic serves the Body of Christ. At the same time, we monastics give humble thanks for the support the faithful give to us. Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us support one another! Come to the monasteries and enter into the waters of prayer for whatever amount of time God grants us to be together. Perhaps you will unknowingly strengthen someone on their monastic path. Perhaps your heart will call you to stay and pursue your salvation in this place.
A word from the Chancery of the Orthodox Church in America: parishes and faithful should consider supporting our monastic communities financially, but also in prayer and service. Additionally, as the author mentions, parishes and faithful should work together with local monasteries in order to organize pilgrimages and retreats for adults and youth at these communities.