The Monastery

There are always surprises waiting at Christ in the Desert Monastery. There is, of course, a degree of asceticism to the monastic life, but these monks are not afraid to use modern innovations within the reason and limits of the Benedictine Rule; their website, maintained by the monks, makes that clear. Even more surprising, the first time I went, I was there for the last week of the filming of a reality TV show. TLC's series The Monastery chronicled the lives of 5 men as they spent 40 days living and working with the monks of Christ in the Desert. Certainly some of the brothers had reservations, not only about having television cameras in their cloisters but also about the guests themselves—there was at least one incident where some of the men removed a skylight to pilfer beer from the monks' pantry. Then, too, they may have started with 5 men, but by the time I got there, there were only four. You can see the show's website here.

A place like Christ in the Desert, both in terms of its location and its rhythm of life, can seem at first to have been dropped down from heaven. One of the blessings I've experienced in being able to return there multiple times is that I've become somewhat familiar with a few of the brothers and have learned that they really are human—something they insist upon frequently, but which really must be witnessed first-hand. There's something of a surprising joy in observing the discipline of these men who wake up every day for 4 a.m. Vigils alongside the seemingly more "normal" aspects of their life. They play soccer, watch movies and, we're told, sometimes go into town together to sing karaoke. Their days are spent largely in quiet or even silence, but even they need the company and friendship not only of their fellow brothers but also of the guests and visitors who come to the monastery. Our last night there this year, we were told that they were having anticipated Vigils at 8 p.m. that evening in place of the usual 4 a.m. prayer, and we later learned that the reason for this was that they were having a going away party for a visiting priest, who was returning to Mexico the next day.

There's something comforting in seeing the human side of the seemingly divine monastic life. To me, it says that it doesn't take supernatural powers to be a devoted Christian. I saw a monk fall asleep during Vigils one morning; and I beat myself up for dozing off before my evening prayer is finished? One of the other students on the trip this year remarked that monastic life seems so radical, but, in the context of the Christian faith, it really isn't all that crazy—it's just, she said, a bunch of guys living together. Even Protestants living in intentional community, as with several hospitality houses with which I am familiar in my area, are not so different from these Catholic monks. Their vocation may look ostensibly disparate to what I perceive my calling to be, but the truth is that we as Christians are all called to community, with the understanding that any earthly community will be imperfect—it just has to be faithful.