As the Byzantine Catholic Church in the United States begins a time of prayer for vocations, we share our thoughts in response to a question we recently received from a young Byzantine priest, in case it would be helpful to other parish priests or even parishioners or those discerning.
Q: Is there anything that you’ve found especially helpful that a parish priest can do to nurture monastic vocations?
A: This is a good question! Here are several thoughts:
1. Pray and seek holiness yourself. Pray the liturgical prayers of the Church and make time each day for private prayer. Those whom the Lord is calling to a life of prayer are aided by seeing it modeled in others. They will especially look up to their parish priest. But more importantly, the transformation that comes about in you through prayer affects everyone around you, even if you're not aware of it. Be with the Lord and let Him love you, because this is why He made you. When you are living as He made you to be, that is what is most important in every matter!
2. Offer plenty of opportunities for prayer at the parish, including services such as Vespers and Matins which round out the liturgical life and provide opportunities for discovering a thirst for liturgical prayer which is an important component of the daily monastic rhythm. Don't be discouraged if few people (or none) join you. Just keep doing it.
3. Work on making your parish a place where the Christian life is lived to the full. This begins with the Liturgy, and flows out from there. Try to live the Byzantine Tradition authentically, reverently, joyfully and richly. It is so attractive; let it be that. But to be truly attractive, it cannot be comprised of empty actions and rituals; it must be fueled by love.
4. Teach your people about praying with Scripture and contemplative prayer, and encourage them to spend time each day in private prayer. In order to teach it, you have to know it; so make sure you know it first! (You don't have to be an expert, just a doer of it!) Time in silence and stillness, in relationship with the Lord, greatly helps a person to hear His quiet, beckoning voice. Also, without a profound relationship with the Lord, a person cannot persevere in a monastic vocation, for only love can compel a person to make such a gift of self in response to an even greater love (God's). You may also want to consider keeping your church open for quiet prayer at certain times if you are able.
6. Take note of who is frequently attending services at your parish, and ask the Lord if He is calling you to invite any of the single people to consider monastic life. Several (if not all) nuns in our monastery were invited by their parish priest or other priests, and this invitation had a profound effect on us. If you do suggest the idea and someone is open to it, accompany this person in the discernment journey if he or she desires your help: pray for the person, offer to help research monasteries for visiting (byzantinecatholicvocation.com can help), and offer other spiritual support as needed. Here are some online resources we recommend for getting a little view into the monastic life:
- The film: Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer
- The short film: From the Little Mountain: Reflections on Orthodox Christian Monasticism
- Short films produced by our monastery on our YouTube channel, such as Be Poor With Me: Reflections on Poverty, Receive the Gift: Reflections on Chastity, and Be it Done Unto Me: Reflections on Obedience.
7. Remember that monastic life is an option for men as well as women. Men are often immediately encouraged to pray about the priesthood, but it is important to remember that a man could also be called to be a monk (whether a priest-monk or a monk who is not a priest).
