Thoughts on Monastic Vows

New Direction

I have been struggling to provide content for this blog for two reasons: 1) I do not particularly care to write and 2) the series that I started is no longer compelling. Originally, I was going to explain point by point the reasons that I chose to be received into the Eastern Orthodox Church, but that is increasingly remote for me since I made that decision 1.5 years ago; that die has been cast. It is hard for me to be passionate about yesterday's battles when today has its own. So in order to for me to be motivated to write, I am going to change my direction to discuss the issues with which I am currently dealing. And to start off, I want to first address a friend's very candid question: Wouldn't taking monastic vows be scary?

Vow-Taking in the Covenant Community

In short, absolutely! I mean just look at these verses:

If you make a vow to Yahweh your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for Yahweh your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to Yahweh your God what you have promised with your mouth. (Deuteronomy 23:21-23) 

It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,”
and to reflect only after making vows. (Proverbs 20:25) 

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.
When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear. (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7) 

Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. (Matthew 5:33-37) 

But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. (James 5:12)

Based on these Scriptures, I think it would be fair to say that making a religious vow and then not keeping it would be damaging to the soul--as an understatement. Frankly, I am not particularly interested in taking monastic vows. A monastic may pass through four stages: Novice, Rassophore, Stavrophore, and Great Schema. One takes no vows upon becoming a novice, and based on this quote, it seems that I am not the only one who has hesitation about the vows:

If a novice chooses to leave during the period of the novitiate, no penalty is incurred. He may also be asked to leave at any time if his behaviour does not conform to the monastic life, or if the superior discerns that he is not called to monasticism. When the abbot or abbess deems the novice ready, he is asked if he wishes to join the monastery. Some, out of humility, will choose to remain novices all their lives. Every stage of the monastic life must be entered into voluntarily. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degrees_of_Eastern_Orthodox_monasticism#Novice)

At the same time I feel no need to judge those who take the vows. In the Old Testament, there were many examples of righteous people who took religious vows, and Moses even legislated a specific Nazirite vow for those who desired it in Numbers 6:1-21. And then in the New Testamen, despite what Jesus and James said, Paul set an example of taking a religious vow in Acts 18:18 and 21:17-26. And then there are countless examples in the history of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of those taking monastic vows, many of whom I consider saints and worthy to emulate. Furthermore, the realization that Jesus' and James' statements are not meant to be understood in an absolute way is not just an Orthodox phenomenon: In chapter 22 of the Westminster Confession, although specifically (and in my opinion illogically) excepting monastic vows, it explicitly affirms the lawfulness of taking oaths and vows.

Monastic Vows As Specific Application of Baptismal Vows

Orthodoxy is not a mystery religion like freemasonry. We do not have deep secrets and take vows of secrecy calling down curses on ourselves in case of violating those vows. Rather, our baptismal vows are public and derive straight from the Gospel. Monastic vows similarly are public and really differ only in degree and not kind from our baptismal vows. You might paraphrase it like this: monastic vows are a voluntary and public choice of the specific context and means of fulfilling the baptismal vows. Monastics take four vows: chastity in celibacy, non-possession of property, obedience to one's Superior, and stability. We will look at each one individually now and see how they relate to baptismal vows.

Chastity in celibacy.

All the baptized are called to chastity. Married people are called to live conjugal chastity; others practice chastity in celibacy. In the gospels Jesus explained how His disciples had a calling higher than that of the Old Covenant community:

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.  

It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (Matthew 5:27-32)

After explaining His standards for divorce in another place, this dialogue took place between Jesus and His disciples:

The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 

But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.” (Matthew 19:10-12)

Jesus here teaches that although He calls all to chastity, for some that is applied conjugally, and for others it is applied celibately. Here, a eunuch is one who is irrevocably celibate--whether for physical reasons or for spiritual reasons. And when people are convinced in their heart that they are one of "those to whom it is given" to be irrevocably celibate, they should receive it as such. This does not imply the need to take a vow of celibacy, but if a person feels that such a vow would provide extra motivation to remain chaste, such a person might be a candidate for a monastic vow of celibacy--just like people who choose to marry often make vows to provide extra motivation to remain conjugally chaste.

Material Poverty

All the baptized are called to poverty of spirit, which among other things implies a heart detachment from riches:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3) 

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple … So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26-27, 33) 

Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. (Matthew 19:23-24)

It is not wrong to own riches, but it is wrong for riches to own you. At the same time, for some people Jesus actually requires that the poverty of spirit to be expressed through material poverty:

And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” … Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  (Matthew 19:16, 21-22)

There are those to whom Jesus calls not only to poverty of spirit but also to material poverty. The passage hints that at least in some cases, this is true when the person is particularly vexed with the vice of greed. Regardless of the reason, if a person is convinced in his heart that he is one of those of whom Christ requires material poverty, he should embrace it. This does not imply the need to take a vow of material poverty, but if a person feels that such a vow would provide extra motivation to be remain in a state of poverty, such a person might be a candidate for a monastic vow of material poverty.

Obedience to One's Superior

All the baptized are called to follow Christ. Jesus makes this clear over and over:

And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:38) 

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24)

Among other things following Christ implies submission to authorities. We see this in the very example and teaching of Christ:

"And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them." (Luke 2:51)

The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. (Matthew 23:2-3)

We also see submission to authority as a crucial element of the apostolic deposit:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.  (Romans 13:1-7)

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. (Titus 3:1)

Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:13-17) 

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith … Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:7,17)

As you "remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God" and "consider the outcome of their way of life", you might discover someone whose outcome you would really like to have as your own and you consciously choose to "imitate their faith" as you obey and submit to them. This special relationship might be called teacher/disciple or spiritual father/child. Regardless of the name, it has occurred all over the history of the Covenant Community and even the world: Jesus had disciples, John the Forerunner and Baptist had disciples (John 11:2). Elijah had Elisha, who even addressed him as Father (2 Kings 2:12). Elisha had his "sons of the prophets" (all over 2 Kings). Paul had spiritual sons Titus and Timothy (1 Timothy 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:2, Titus 1:4).  John had Sts. Polycarp and Ignatius.

The Gospel call is to "deny oneself" and "learn obedience through suffering". This is very hard to do if you need to obey an invisible God; it can easily become abstract to the point of just doing what you want to do anyways and calling it "obedience to God". However, when we take to heart the incarnation, and how God has chosen to enter into material world as the man Jesus, and how He continues to mystically enter the material world in the Eucharist and in the Church, which is His Body, we quickly realize that we can learn obedience when we intentionally submit ourselves to another. If we find a person faith and outcome, we want to imitate, this is a very, very valuable gift. The more intentional the relationship, the more God can use it to refine you. The ideal is not remote imitation but rather formal, personal obedience. This does not imply the need to take a vow of obedience, but if a person feels that such a vow would provide extra motivation to overcome self-will, such a person might be a candidate for a monastic vow of obedience to one's Superior.

Stability

All the baptized are called to love our neighbor as ourselves. There is also a special love that we should have for others who are part of the covenant community:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35) 

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:10)

The epistles especially bring out the implications of what it means to live as a member of the covenant community:

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. (Colossians 3:12-15) 

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6)

We all say that the above sounds like a good idea, but the problem arises when someone whom we do not like starts to participate in our community. Then there is the temptation comes to leave rather than work through the issues and learn to die to self. And this is the cause of the high rate of church-hopping, peripheral church participation, and the general depreciation of church membership among professing Christians.

So for most people the way to apply our baptismal call to love our neighbors as ourselves and especially "those who are of the household of faith" is by joining a local church, being committed to charitable and humble participation, and not jumping ship when an opportunity for growth in Christlikeness presents itself. Participatory commitment to a local, concrete expression of the Body of Christ is called stability. This does not imply the need to take a vow of stability, but if a person feels that such a vow would provide extra motivation to stick it out through thick and thin and look out not only for one's own needs but also for those of others, such a person might be a candidate for a monastic vow of stability to a specific monastic community.

Conclusion

Monastic vows are definitely not to be taken lightly. Most people are not called to take them. Even those who think they are called need to pass through a lengthy probationary period to give the community, the Superior, and the individual a chance to be convinced that these vows appropriate. Scary? Definitely. For all? By no means. For some? I believe so.

"The life consecrated to God is characterized by the public profession of the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience, in a stable state of life recognized by the Church." (CCC 944)