Monastic Life in 2020

In 2005, the BBC aired a three-part documentary series called “The Monastery,” about five ordinary men who spend six weeks living a monastic lifestyle with real Benedictine monks. I recently watched the series, and therefore felt that I should give a brief review and describe how their monasticism might be applicable to our own lives.

While living at the monastery, the men were required to adhere to the Benedictine lifestyle of silence, obedience, physical labor, and prayer. Initially, this way of life was too rigid for the newcomers, leading them to sometimes skip prayer services, sneak off to a nearby shop for cigarettes, or ignore the monastery’s instructions to be silent and reflective. As the days went by, these men became more acquainted with the structure of monastic life, yet still did not sense the meaning behind it all. Over time, however, they all experienced a transformation in their lives due to the isolation from the outside world and their group conversations which allowed for self-reflection.

Tony, for instance, developed a new sense of morals while on the retreat, began to connect with God, and decided to quit his job as a soft-porn writer. Anthoney, a man who faced parental issues growing up (and consequently created a facade to hide his feelings), finally began to open his heart to others and became more aware of his cocky attitude. After leaving the retreat, Anthoney felt more at peace with himself. Gary, a former prisoner with low self-esteem, gained confidence during this process and realized that he matters. Meanwhile, Peter, an older fellow, regained his faith in God that he had as a child, and Nick, an educated man who was constantly searching for God, began to contemplate the priesthood again.

These were amazing transformations for just six weeks time! At the beginning of the series, most of these men were wrapped up in the pleasures of the world. For example, Tony had no problem producing pornography and admitted that God did not really play a role in his life. Anthoney falls into this category as well, living a life of indulgence, money, and hyper-sexuality. Gary also had struggles with alcohol and promiscuity in his past, despite being a believer in God. My point here is that before their trip to the monastery, these men were just like you and I! Their focus was on the things that the world values.

Today’s world is one where promiscuity is applauded in music, television, and movies, and material wealth equals success. In addition, most young people see no need to attend mass or cultivate a relationship with God. Today, our God often becomes these vices. It’s easy for us to get caught up with what we can physically attain on earth, and to ignore the uncertainty of a life of faith. In my own life, I feel this way all the time. I ask myself, why even bother following the rules of religion if it doesn’t bring me happiness right now?

“The Monastery” series was powerful in my opinion because it shows how beneficial a period of self-reflection can be for a person. The world moves fast, and it’s only natural to get caught up in a cycle of sin. It’s simple to have sex outside of marriage, drink or do drugs for fun, and think of ourselves first. However, if we, like these men, took some time to ourselves to contemplate how we treat ourselves and others, we would likely change some of our ways. I’m not saying that we all need six weeks away from society, but I suggest we all try to take a little time away from the world each day to reflect on how we have been acting, and who/what really matters in our lives. Through contemplation and conversation, these men all became better humans, and I think we would reap the same benefits by following the Benedictine monastic ideals.