"There is nothing wrong with microwaves or mobile phones -- they save time," Egyptian monk Ruwais el-Anthony, who has lived at the monastery for more than 30 years, said through a bushy white beard. "But God will ask you what you have done with the time that was saved."
The monastery, about 155 km (100 miles) southeast of Cairo, is now attracting so many prospective monks that it plans to turn everyone down for now, in part to ensure that only the most dedicated actually join.
Only about five new monks a year are accepted, out of dozens who express interest,
Ruwais says."Not having a job, not finding a wife, escaping family problems -- these are not reasons we accept," he says. "We put our novices under the microscope for three years, to make sure they are obedient."
2 comments:
very pleasant piece on monasticism, thanks
monk
our interdenominational yahoo listof 400 members for monastic subjects, spirituality, vocations, contemplation etc at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/monasterion
No one says that religious life is over ... and it's certainly far from over in the rest of the world outside the West! :)
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