Monastic spirituality in the 21st Century Essay

In the twenty-first Century, it could be said that cloistral spirituality in an outdated opinion. In the contemporary world we live in like a shot, it has become increasingly difficult to live obedient to the church servicees teaching. virtually people would argue that thither should be no existing set of moral codes, and that the church should non draw such high authority. This contrasts to the Celtic Monks belief that Nothing must be refused in their loyalty to be Christs true discipleit will not be pleasing to the Lord. In society today, people dont see a need for a moral code. They even up their own subjective decisions about what is right and wrong from them, and dont accept religious or government law. Grove argues People do not see the Church as having a real relevance in their public lives, and therefore do not recognise its authority in everyday matters.Some sociologists have said that it is this belief that has led to religious organizations watering down their beliefs to accommodate legion(predicate) beliefs, in the hope that this would make their religion more popular. However, in actual fact this can much lead to the religious organization becoming less popular, as they may lose the devoted members, who arent looking for a watered down religion. pontiff Benedict said that relativismdoes not recognise anything as being certainits highest goals are ones own ego and desire. Relativism is the belief that concepts such as right and wrong, goodness and badness, or truth and falsehood are not definite and that they alter in different cultures and situations.It could be described as the cherry picking for faith. An example of this would be ignoring the rule of no contraception, for promiscuous reasons. An other common example would be the issue of energize before marriage. The Celtic monks had a immense sense of Divine Will that had to be obeyed. Saint Columbanus reminded us of this by saying by strict obedience shall the monk show his l ove of perfection. Many of these traits, that the monks found so admirable, have been garbled in todays society. Monks believed that community was better than the individual, and that when we do something, it should be for the stake of the community, rather than for the sake of the individual themselves.The monks saw obedience as responding to Gods call. We can see a huge lack of obedience to God by looking at the large decline in vocations in recent years. In 2008, in Dublin, only three people were ordained into the priesthood. There are many reasons for this, a main possibility being the recent scandal the Church has been involved in in recent years. In 1968, 95% of Catholics went to mass. By 2004 this amount had dropped to a mere 50% (BBC Newsline). These figures support the flock that as Christians, we no longer feel compelled to be obedient to God. This can relate back to what Pope Benedict described as The Culture of Relativism.Another debated issue is the importance of ch astity and sexuality in our society today. Saint Columbanus said a monks chastity is indeed judged by his thoughts. He said that they were not only judged by sexual relations, but by the purity of the mind, and the sexual desires that they experienced. This persuasion contrasts greatly to the view of society today. In our modern society, people are often sexually objectified. An estimated fair(a) of 75% of prime television shows include content of a sexual nature, and in soap operas it is estimated that extra-marital sex is referred to two out of three times every hour. This is because the television companys know that in todays society, sex sells. It is no longer thought of as a big deal, and there has been a massive add-on in sexual promiscuity.This has led to a big increase in sexually transmitted diseases, which are becoming increasingly difficult to control. It also meant a big increase in the amount of unwanted pregnancies. Unlike monastic living which promoted the selfless giving of ones self to the community, we have adopted a hedonistic, narcissistic attitude. We have become our own lust. Michael Maher points out that the standards in Celtic monasteries are severe, particularly in the area of sexual morality. For many today, the idea of chastity is an outdated concept and is problematic for the future of the priesthood in the Catholic Church. This would lead me to believe that in regard to this aspect of monastic life, monastic spirituality could very easily be perceived as outdated in the 21st Century.Brigid of Kildare had a preferential option for the poor. She vowed to the king of Leinster, If I had all your wealth, I would take it and give it external to the poor, So Brigids monastery in Kildare, became known as the City of the poor. Aidan of Lindesfarm also expressed solidarity to the poor, when he gave away the kings endowment fund of a horse to the first beggar he met saying Surely this son of a maria is not more important to you than that son of man. However, the Church didnt always share the same view. Leondardo Boff argues that the Church became an abstract speculation removed from the original spirit of the Gospel message, and out of touch with real life.The Church has been criticised for siding with the vested interest, and in its history has even been involved in colonisation and the removal of land from the peasan see, in its commitment to obeying the laws of the land. Richard Woods reminds us that justice and chastity were the main hinges of Celtic social action. This is another way, in that it could be said that monastic spirituality is an outdated concept in the 21st Century. Views that should be had today have slowly died off, and have left places worse off.However, Bishop Casadaliga reminds us that as long as there are poor people in the world, and as long as there is a God who cares for the poor, there will be a need for a theology of Liberation. The spirit of Liberation theological system is very much e vident in Celtic Monasticism in many ways, from the care of the poor and the sinner, to the accept of the stranger. Hospitality was always extremely generous in the monasteries, and any stranger who came was very well looked after. In 2004, 19% of asylum seekers were allowed to find refuge in Britain, while 78% were turned away. The Celtic monks in their openness to all, especially the weakest turned no one away. This shows another way that Monastic Spirituality could be considered an outdated concept in 21st Century life.In conclusion, it would appear that Monastic Spirituality is in fact an outdated concept in 21st Century living, with our lackadaisical views on chastity and sexuality, and our narcissistic views on poverty, it seems that Monastic Spirituality has been lost, and I believe it would be in the Catholic Churches interest to try and retrieve some of this monastic spirit.