Lecture Explores Monastic Life and the Common Good

Br. Isaiah of the Holy Face from the Holy Hill monastery gave the second lecture in the Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy's Order and Influence Series

Holy Hill Basilica, Photo by Dave Hoefler

On March 9, Brother Isaiah of the Holy Face gave a talk on contemplative and monastic life and its significance to the world. Today, fewer people are entering monastic life than ever before. Each year, fewer people become monks or nuns, and these communities struggle to uphold their traditions. In his talk, Brother Isiah presented an argument based on the works of Saint John of the Cross about whether the tradition of monastic contemplation contributes to the good of the broader social community.

Brother Isaiah began by giving a brief history of attitudes towards contemplative orders, such as the Carmelites, and discussing how several leaders throughout history, including Napoleon, had them disbanded or even persecuted for seemingly providing no benefit to society.

He then asked a simple question: Who does more good, someone who interacts with the world through their daily life, or someone who sits in a monastery praying to God? For many people, these contemplative orders that don’t do charity, education or any material works do little to no good for the common society. However, Brother Isaiah argued that what the people in contemplative orders do is of supreme value to the common good.

He argued that the common good is something that helps society thrive, such as education and truth-telling. He then pointed out that if there is a common good, not only do people “have a right to common good” but they also have a “duty to defend and uphold the common good.”

Brother Isaiah then offered a simple thought experiment to explain why it is those very people in the contemplative orders who do the most to uphold the common good. He gave an example of four women. One woman upholds the good by working at a law firm to help defend the innocent, a second woman stays at home to raise good children, a third who is a teacher helping to educate children but is also dishonest, and a nun who is a good person and spends her days cloistered with her fellow sisters. Brother Isaiah asked which of these women does the most for the common good.

The first two women uphold the good in their lives. The third woman does too, but she is imperfect in her path. Many people may find it difficult to see what the nun does to help those around her, but Brother Isaiah argues that the good she does is “loving God,” devoting her entire life to love and most importantly, “meriting grace for souls.”

Brother Isaiah then uses examples of near-death experiences to illustrate the idea of a good and loving light at the end. He discusses how many people who experience these events describe it as the best thing there is. That loving light is God who is the creator and source of all goodness. The nun, in a broad sense of the common good, is “helping people get to the point where they are inundated with loving life for all eternity.”

He then uses the example of the life review, which many experience during near-death experiences, where people see their life flash before their eyes. He explained how the life review is a measure of all our actions, and this might occur at the end of our lives.

He continued by saying that “love is the measure of all of our actions.” The nun puts herself under constant review of all her actions, not just in near-death situations. She puts herself in front of that loving light and believes she has faith. She engages in contemplation, lifting her mind and heart to God.

Brother Isiah used the analogy of a wheel with the loving light — God — at its center and the heart of all things good. He describes the wheel with spokes leading out to all different peoples and actions. The three other women engage in relative works or things that will temporarily help others and lead them closer to goodness, but that will ultimately come to an end.

The good work the nun does is from the heart and genuine. This is seen through prayer and contemplation, and the nun becomes a heart of goodness and love by “pumping grace into the whole body of humanity.” The act the nun performs of loving God continues eternally, and this is the most supreme act of good someone can do in their life.

The verse Mark 12:30-31 in the Bible says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” The nun who spends her life loving God enacts the greatest good and can love her community and neighbors. Therefore, prayer and contemplation are the most important things we can do.

Brother Isaiah concluded his talk by discussing the story of Jesus visiting Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42 of the Bible, which serves as the basis for these thoughts by Saint John of the Cross. In the Bible story, Jesus visits a village and is invited to the home of sisters Martha and Mary. While Martha was busy preparing material goods for her guests, Mary stayed by Jesus and listened to him teach. Martha became upset and asked Jesus to send Mary to help her. Jesus simply responded that Mary had chosen the better path to listen to the Lord’s teachings. As followers of Jesus, everyone is called to do supreme good and carry out the greatest act of love for God.