The Modern Monk

Friend of mine has just posted the pic below on Facebook. Taken in an unnamed Australian supermarket (although my Aussie readers can probably make out the chain from the price cards on the table), it shows the epitome of commercialisation…

Yes, what you see there are Easter Buns or Hot Cross Buns displayed on Jan 5, 2012!! As Megan said in her post, “…Jesus isn’t even two weeks old yet!”

Another commenter on Megan’s post said they saw Easter Eggs out on the 27th of Dec!! This is quite blatantly the supermarkets piggy-backing the next big season.

Has Jesus become a commodity to be consumed a few times a year. And here’s a thought – I wonder if we in the church are partly to blame for this? Think about how we treat our faith and how we outwork it; and how it’s all about feeling good and enjoying it and the trappings of the occasion.

But here’s the rub: what will we do? Will we buy them or ignore them? Will we make a statement to the managers of these places? After all, they aren’t stupid – they aren’t going to put stuff out that they think won’t sell. There must be some thought back there (maybe) that makes them think this is okay.

So – what would your next step be?!

Cheers & Peace,

Br Mark G
~ aka The Modern Monk

So, a couple of days ago I reflected with you on how my resolutions for 2011 went. Now, it’s time to set some new goals and challenges for 2012. Before I do, I should probably make you aware of my new circumstances; which will add some understanding to the resolutions.

At the end of August this year, I commenced as Head of Spiritual Life at a school on Queensland’s Gold Coast. Known as one of Australia’s premier coastal tourist spots with some of the country’s most amazing beaches and beautiful mountainous hinterland areas (don’t hate me!) the Gold Coast also has its fair share of issues: a reputation for high crime rate; a very plastic and fake environment; and a diverse socio-economic make up from the ridiculously wealthy to the significantly poor to name but three.

The school I work in is an interesting place. An unashamedly Christian school that has embraced a culture that is intentionally (and truly) multi-denominational with a full Christian staff and a student body that is about 40% Christian, 60% not Christian, Emmanuel College seeks to engage students with a Christianity that embraces faith with a link to Scripture, reason and tradition and moves them to action in a vibrant and very real and life changing way.

It is in this environment that I have executive responsibility for anything that touches Christian faith – which in our school is basically everything! Which means I have a grave responsibility to represent a way of life and faith that can be lived a way that truly embraces what Jesus says and permeates every avenue of our lives. Kind of what St. Benedict was all about.

So it is in this new city and in this place of work that I engage as a Christian who seeks to follow the path of Jesus illuminated by light from the Rule of St. Benedict. And with that in mind, I resolve to place the following as goals to attain in The Modern Monk Project in 2012…

1. I will be starting the year, from January 1, with 3 days of Silence and Fasting.

Yes, what began as what I thought would be a nice way to start the year (and it was) has become something I intend to do every year. I can’t imagine starting a year any other way… 

As it was in 2011, the silence shall include technology. Thankfully, I am a bit more clued up on the use of some technology that will allow my daily Twitter and Facebook posts reflecting on the readings for the day to continue during that three day period – and how you can have this post appear on my website on January 1!

2. I will continue to develop my engagement with the church calendar and holy days throughout the year; and celebrate them with meaning.

Beyond just realizing “Wow, today is Holy Innocents – what the Dickens is that?!” I will be seeking to embrace the days and look for ways to engage in their meaning by intentionally celebrating them either alone, or with those around me (see Resolution 6). This will include getting to know the Saints better (modern and traditional).

3. To observe Lent with a limited fast in the first 26 days; and a complete fast in the last 14 days.

40 Days is probably a bit of a stretch. I might just be saying that, or I might actually believe – to be honest I can’t tell! But wisdom tells me that moderation is the key to success. So, if I do a traditional “Monks Fast” (a light meal at the start and the end of the day, staying away from certain foods) for the first two-thirds of Lent, and fully fasting the last third, I think I can achieve that and calm the nerves of the well-meaning people around me who have shown some concern…(!)

4. To seek simplicity in my life by scaling back.

This is kind of like the resolution from last year regarding my environment. What I want to do here is make myself unencumbered from the “stuff” that clutters my life. And in doing so, I am sure I will bless others and find contentment with what I have. I also intend the simplicity to engage my work by keeping me focused on the important stuff and not the peripherals which will only cause me to lose focus on what is needed.

5. To develop my links to Benedictine Spirituality.

In late 2011, I made contact with the Anglican Benedictine community at Camperdown in Victoria – the same place I hoped to visit in 2011. This year, I intend to do at least one stretch of time with the Monks and to speak to the Abbott and Director of Oblates regarding a formal connection to the community. I hope in future this will become two visits.

I also intend to spend the first part of 2012 in Lectio Divina on the Rule, and will be reflecting on it in regards to both my work and my home (see below).

6. To seek ways to bring the Rule into my household and my place of work.

This year, I’ve come to realise that God has placed me in a position where at work I can develop a rule of life that allows me to live this on campus; and share it with the staff and student community too. Further to my comment in Resolution 5, I am hoping to seek the wisdom of the rule as a way of life for the school community in which I spend my day. I also realise that my own household is a community in which the Rule has a place, and I hope to be able to share its wisdom with my wife and children as we live together this year.

7. To share what I am learning through the blog and be committed to this work as a ministry.

Simple enough – I need to do what I said last year: A regular update, an essay from time to time, reviews and our very own retreats and resources to help people engage as a modern monastic. I am also blessed to be joined by my long term friend and fellow Modern Monastic, Br Mark B, who will also share on the blog. Mark lives in Canberra with his wife, Katie, who is a musician and teacher; and their 3 children. Mark has one of the most amazing New Testament minds I know – and his reflections on the Scriptures as we move through the year will certainly enhance what The Modern Monk Project is about.

So there you have it. Let’s see how we go this year. What resolutions do you have in place for 2012? Drop me a line at themodernmonk@gmail.com if you’d like someone to pray with you throughout the year.

Cheers and Peace for a blessed and radical 2012 for you and your family,

Br Mark G

~aka The Modern Monk.

As I prepare for my coming 3 days of silence and fasting, I note that like last year I want something inside me to change. I have just read a quote that’s made me realise I want to seek to Occupy the Gospel in 2012. What’s that?! Take it away, Jim Wallis (Sojourners)…

“Occupy the Gospel.

What would it mean if Christians fully occupied the Gospel?

To me, it means that Christians would lead the way to welcome the stranger among us and advocate on behalf of those living in fear of war; to ensure that everyone has enough to eat and a safe place to sleep at night.”

How about you?!

Annual resolutions blog post hits this blog tomorrow morning! Till then, please remember to pray for me over the next three days; and Happy New Year!

Cheers & Peace,

Br Mark G
~ aka The Modern Monk

At this time of year, there’s always an element that comes out with the “Don’t do Christmas – it’s an evil pagan festival dressed up in Christian clothing…” campaign. That would be true: if it were that.

What I mean is, Christmas, as celebrated in the Christian liturgical calendar and in the Christian Church, is it’s own festival that has (and had, as we will see) it’s own set of symbols and songs and worship. The problem is that over the years, particularly since Coca-Cola placed that first image of Santa in a Coke commercial and the commercialisation of Christmas began, at least 184 of these have been lost & left by the wayside as God became relegated to myth by people who obviously knew better.

Okay, so not really 184, but if we were to count the number of things about Christmas that have been distorted or lost over the years, there would be at least 184 of them. Like the meaning of the candy cane, the symbolism in the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus and most of all, the true depiction of St. Nicholas. And in that last one alone gives wonderful meaning to both gifting and, as I discovered the other day, what the Christmas stocking thing is all about.

Just after we were married, my wife made her and me these beautiful Christmas stockings. As our two children were born, their stockings were made too. Over the past 18 years, these stockings have become central to one of our own family traditions at Christmas when it comes to gifting. But imagine my surprise when, as a social justice Christian and modern monastic, I discover the lost symbolism of these things we fill and hang every year; and the message they bring to our household, especially our two children – Miss 11 and Master 9.

Back to St. Nicholas for a moment. The original story of St. Nick was not about a fat guy with a toy factory on the NorthPole, but about a Bishop from Asia Minor known for his love for children, and his generosity to those in need, often given in secret.

One of these stories tells of a poor father who was unable to provide a dowry for his daughters. At the time that meant that they could not marry, and so were destined to be sold into slavery. As legend has it, Nicholas secretly placed bags of gold in the girl’s shoes and stockings, hung by the fire to dry. So those Christmas stockings you hang at Christmas are symbols of liberating the poor from the bondage of slavery.

Wow! Now, every time I see those stockings, I think about what we have done, especially for our sponsor child in the Philippines, Wisuna, and how much more we could do for others like her both overseas and closer to home; and, yes, how we can turn that thinking into action and do it!!

If this is one of the outcomes from hanging up stockings, then bring ‘em on!! Not to mention how much more real meaning could come back to our Christmas celebrations, songs and worship if we were to redeem more of these!!

And so, to you and all yours, a Happy, Safe, and Holy Christmas from me and all mine!

PS Check back from Dec 26 for The Annual Modern Monk New Year Resolutions List!

God bless.

Cheers & Peace,

Br Mark G
~ aka The Modern Monk

He went on: ”What does a consumer ethic do? It makes you aware all the time of the things you don’t have instead of thanking God for all the things you do have.
”If in a consumer society, through all the advertising and subtly seductive approaches to it, you’ve got an iPhone but you haven’t got a fourth generation one, the consumer society is in fact the most efficient mechanism ever devised for the creation and distribution of unhappiness.”

To which The Modern Monks say, “Amen”!

Cheers and Peace,

Br Mark G
~aka The Modern Monk

This morning I got a Facebook post from my friend Matt. In that he shared a link to an article on the CNN Religion and Belief  blog by US pastor Jonnie Moore. You can read the complete post at http://tinyurl.com/facebookchurchblog In his article, Moore talks about how his church, being building-less on the day of the post, has decided to meet on Facebook. His reasoning is as follows: 

“What is Facebook, after all? It’s a community. What is church, after all? It’s a community. For us, doing church on Facebook isn’t innovative. It’s intuitive.”

Just 'cos we're all on Facebook, does that really make us community?

But based on something I was reading last night, I’m not so sure Facebook, in and of itself is community. And even more so, I’m not even sure that how we seem to be doing church in the 21st Century is community either; as I shall now show…

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I have always laughed at the Western calendar. It is a weird see-saw of clear definition that we try and make fluid and adaptable; the latter with little success!

As an example of the latter, take Easter. It tends to freak people out somewhat because it is not determined by a date set by man but rather by the moon. And the moon, having no respect for our need for clear definition, happily places Easter any Sunday within a 6 week period! And while this may not freak you out, there have been some governments who have threatened (having been lobbied heavily, especially by the retail and tourist industries) to set a permanent date for an Easter public holiday. How’s that for insecurity!

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Over the weekend just past, I once again ran my anti-consumerism challenge whilst on the road. During one of my reflection times, I wrote the following. I know I was going to post on ‘Work’ next, but I felt that the time was right to publish this now. I hope it strikes a chord with some of my fellow sojourners… MG

On the Fourth of July, American writer Margaret Fuller published an article in the New York Daily Tribune. In this article, she shared her dismay at, among other things, the American pursuit for wealth and the problems that this characteristic had created. She encouraged her readers to reject what all others were doing and go after “the narrow, thorny path where Integrity leads.”
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