Once the official Roman pogroms ended for the Christians, they went from “wet” martyrdom to the ascetic, self-denying idea of “dry” martyrdom, that of living a solitary life as a hermit, or joining a monastic order, to go away from the world and sacrifice their lives for Christ in that way.
In the modern, material world, this life is seen as unmaintainable, and as an abberation, a freak choice, instead of a valid option for living. As we urbanize and pack ourselves closer in, it should be even more of a valid option than before.
I think of the people who do try to run the straight and narrow, but the draw of temptation is too much. Everyone has their own personal kryptonite, in varying degrees. Locally, there’s been two priest sex scandals (funny how when the husband bangs the babysitter, it’s on page B-45, but when it’s a Catholic priest, it’s above the fold on the front page in the newspaper box). If they were in a monastery, maybe the temptation for them would be gone, or at least their ability to act upon it would be reduced. Same for gambling, or high living, or drugs.
I’m not judging, for I don’t know how heavy is someone else’s burden, especially since I don’t share that fault myself. I just think there should be a valid other option for those who choose to self-remove, and live their lives in a community, and not have that live marginalized.
Filed under: religion
