Seeking God And His Kingdom.docx

The Monastic Habit Right at the beginning of monasticism down there in the deserts of Egypt, there was no distinctive garb of the desert fathers (the title given to the first monks because of their expertise in the labyrinthine way to God). Later, they simply assumed a distinctive garment reminiscent of the vesture of Elijah (2 Kgs. 1:8) and john the Baptist (Mt. 3:4). Much later still, it was the custom to receive the monastic garb from the spiritual Father, the abba, to whos direction the monk submitted during the period of apprenticeship. St. Benedict wore the monastic garb at the beginning of his eremitical life at the cave of Subiaco. He received it from the monk Romanus. It was called the “habitus sanctae conversationis” – the habit of holy conversion/stability. In cenobitic monasteries, wheremonks lived in connunity, the Abbot would confer the habit after the period of probation of the candidate.

The Monastic Garb The first element of the monastic garb is the meleta, made of the skin of an animal, held in place with a leather cincture. Later, the melota was replaced by a tunic. A mantle called pallium was adopted by the monks. A scapular was added – a strap worn over the shoulders to protect the tunic during work. A cuculla, a hood, was won to cover the head.

Symbolic Meaning The monastic garb belongs to the realm of mystagogy. Mystagogy ia a process of proceeding from the visible to the invisible, from the sign to the thing signified. It moves from didactic instruction to experience (encounter or communion), that is to say, from the understanding of the meaning of the sign to an experience of the reality pointed to by the sign. Then , experience leads to transformation. People and their lives begin to change.

Melota. The original melota has three meanings which are interconnected: first, the prophetic character of the monastic life in the tradition of Elijah and John the Baptist, belonging to the charismatic order and not to the hierarchical-clerical order; second, the sin of Adam and Eve, which postulated the need for clothing and the consequent conversion, which such sin necessitated, and third, the poor quality of the melota is symbolic of poverty, renunciation, and asceticism. Tunic. It is the garment of the soldier of Christ. St. Paul calls the Christian a “soldier of Christ” (2 Tim. 2:3). As such, he puts on the armor of God, the breastplate of justice, the shield of the Spirit, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, as he wages the spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:11-17; 1 Thess. 5:8; Rom. 13:12, 2 Cor. 6:7, 10: 4-6). Cassian decribes the monks as one enlisted in the army of Christ, who engages himself in a spiritual battle and arms himself with weapons of prayer, fasting, and vigils. The monk’s asceticism is conceived as a combat against demons and vices. In the rule of Benedict, the military terminology is extended to the sense of service. The enemy is

one’s self-will. Service of Christ consist in obedience to the Rule and to the Abbot. Pallium. This is a mantle or cloak worn over the shoulders. Originally, it was worn by philosophers. Monks adopted it because it was believed that the monastic life was a true “philosophy”, a love-forwisdom way of life. Scapular. It stands for the asceticism of work, particularly manual work. It also symbolizes the bearing of the cross, which demands the ascetical program of crucifixion and mortification of the monk’s passions. It entails patience, that is to say, to suffer and share in the passion of Chirst, to bear patiently wrongs done to oneself (Prol. 4:30), to hold fast to patience even in the midst of difficulties, contradictions, and even injustice (RB, 7:35), persevering in the monastery until death (Prol. 50). Cincture. The cincture, which originally was a leather belt, stands for chastity of the body. Chastity is an overflow of the monastic purity of heart. It is kept and maintained by mortification, the tightening of one’s belt, so to speak.

Cuculla (Hood). Cuculla symbolizes the new life of grace. The cuculla is compared to the baptismal robe. It not only covers the head but it also serves to control one’s direction, to make straight one’s path, and to ward off cross roads off-tangency. Hence, it fosters one-minded, one hearted, and one-handed direction of the monk’s life.

Essentials To put the monastic habbit with its varied components means four essentials: 1. To strip oneself of the secular clothing. It means laying aside the monk’s whole previous way of life and fleeing the sinful world with all its allurements. Cassian says this signifies not only the loss “of all his former possessions, but also that he has abandoned all worldly pride, and become subject to the destitution and poverty of Christ.” 2. To put on “ the new man, who has been created according to God in justice and holiness of truth”(Eph. 4:24).

3. To proclaim his intention to live for God alone, to devote himself exclusively to God, and to consecrate his life to prayer. 4. To give testimony and witness to the truth that the new life will be one of harsh combat against the flesh and the demons before he can ascend the heights of contemplation and union with God.

Investiture Rites The following rites are the rites of investiture – the putting on of the monastic garb. They take place after the homily or during the Liturgy of the Hours after the intercessory prayers of the Morning Prayers or Evening Prayers. It is presided over by the Abbot of the community. The rites should be kept as simple but as solemn as possible.

Abbot: Candidates:

What are you seeking? God and His kingdom.

Abbot: Thanks be to God. Before I hand to you the signs of such seeking, first divest

yourself of your secular clothing, the sign of your laying aside your whole previous way of life and your fleeing the sinful world with all its allurements.

Here is the TUNIC, the garment of the soldier of Christ. Wear it in your spiritual warfare against the demons and vices, as you engage yourself unto the service of your king, Christ the Lord. (Candidates put on the tunic).

Here is the CINCTURE which stands for the chastity of your body, the overflow of the monastic purity of heart, which is kept by mortification, the tightening of your belt, so to speak. (Candidates gird themselves).

Here is the SCAPULAR. It stands for man hard work, which is an essential component f the monastic life, it also means the cross which demands the crucifixion and death of your ego

and your passions as you share in the passion and death of Christ. The HOOD symbolizes, too, your undistracted direction to God and his kingdom all along the way till death.

Candidates:

Lord Jesus Christ, with the monastic garb I wear from today on, I proclaim my intention to live for God alone and his kingdom, to devote myself exclusively to God, and to consecrate my life to prayer. May I give testimony and witness to the truth that the new life will be one of harsh combat against the flesh and the demons before I can ascend the heights of contemplation and union with God. Amen.

MONASTIC IDENTITY To understand what a monk is or better still who a monk is, we have to go back to the first desert dwellers, known in history as the desert fathers. But to understand the desert fathers and their life-style, we have to go back to the second century of Christianity, as well as to the subsequent centuries.

The Age of Martyrdom The second century was the age of martyrdom. It was aptly describe as red martyrdom because of the persecutions in the early Church. The often quoted saying “the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians” characterizes this age. The believers in Christ paid very highly for their faith in Christ, in terms of their blood and life.