I just started reading The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, by Maria Augusta Trapp, and in the first few pages of the book Maria is in the process of becoming a nun.
The nuns in this book are spoken of as “kindly” [keep in mind that this book was first published in the 1950s] and “loving”… as people who had a heart for others. I don’t know their hearts. Maybe they really were loving and kindly. I’m not criticizing Catholics or anybody else; I am just examining what is in my own heart and commenting on the way this looks to me.
The whole point of separating themselves from the world seems to be hypocritical. I just read that in the Abbey they learned that “the most important thing in life is to find out what God’s will is and to do it wholeheartedly.” Okay… I agree that we need to follow God’s will with our whole hearts.
Following God’s will and separating myself from the world don’t mix though. To truly follow God, I have to be in the world and not of it. I have to be reaching out to others or I’m not really following Him. Yes, I need to be set apart from living in a worldly fashion, but this is different than living in seclusion away from the world.
If I were to live hidden away from all the world, I think this would make me look awfully showy. Maybe not in the way I’d dress, but in the way I lived. I think it would look like I thought I was better than everybody else and so separated myself from them so as not to get “corrupted” by the way they live. Secluding myself from other people is no way to love others and reach out to them.
I don’t embrace ungodly living. At the same time, I cannot let the way others live stop me from befriending them and reaching out to them. I have to put Jesus in my everyday life… out in the world… interacting with others.
What kind of a follower of Christ would I be if I thought of myself as better than everybody else and separated myself from everything and everybody as a result? Why is separating ourselves from all the world as nuns do seen by so many as a godly thing to do?
“By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].” – John 13:35, Amplified Bible
“When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.” – John 15:8, Amplified Bible
What kind of fruit would I be producing if I hid myself away and didn’t actively reach out to love others?
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July 2, 2008 at 10:59 am
Anonymous
You are looking at them all wrong… Think of it in this light: because you are the light – you choose to let your light shine before men as Jesus did when He walked the earth… but those who choose to live the contemplative life secluded and hidden away are like the people on a stage in a theater production who put all the things in place between scenes in a play. They are critical – but not seen. They’re prayers help the world through their “inaction”. God who hears them in secret answers them out where YOU see it without knowing that it was their intercession that brought about a specific change. Here’s another thought on it also – if you wear a beaded necklace where the beads are all beautiful and on display – but the wire holding the beads together is hidden by the beads themselves – does it make the wire any less important? This is how one should view those who seclude themselves away from the world. They do not think of themselves as better than everyone else – quite the contrary – they believe that their place is on their faces before the Almighty sending up prayers for all of His children, causes, countries, and plans. What they do is something not meant for everyone – it is only meant for those who desire to constantly be before Him for others. I’m not sure that even I could do what they do… they take stricter vows – such as silence, poverty, chastity, obedience, and prayer. they’re life in seclusion is a very austere one and is very difficult for the average person – yet we are all called to various means of service. One is given to teach, one is given to pray, one is given to sing, etc.
I hope this helps
Sera
July 3, 2008 at 1:39 pm
tara
Thanks for commenting! 🙂 I don’t mean to sound like they aren’t important too.. just that it doesn’t make sense to me how secluding oneself from all the world is following God. There’s no criticism towards those who choose to do so; I’m more looking at my own heart and what it would say about *me* if I were to seclude my own self like that. I’m so glad you shared these thoughts though! I always like hearing someone else’s point of view.
~ Tara