I like reading the works of the Desert and Early Church fathers. Chrystostom’s “Poverty and Wealth” seemed very relevant to today’s social-political issues. I am a bit surprised that I started reading “Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works.” Sure, he is well renowned for his translation work and wisdom. But, I guess I was a bit biased about reading him as he was ROCOR and his discussions of “toll houses” really aren’t major when it comes to Orthodox doctrine. But, glancing through a bit of his biography, I confess that I admire the man. Eugene Rose was a promising student and scholar in late the late 1950’s. By 1960, it seemed he’d have a great career as an academic and dated a lovely lady. Not only did he convert to Russian Orthodoxy, Rose completely walked away from the world to become a monk. While the counter culture movement grew, Seraphim offered a counter to the counter culture and modern Protestantism. I can’t help but to wonder if he foresaw the coming train wreck that was the sexual revolution.

I was also struck by what Abbess Ariadna said about Orthodoxy in a sermon she preached in memorial of St. John Maximovich, “… Accept entirely and wholeheartedly what the Church hands down to us … and not to choose for ones self what is important and what is dispensable.” Here is the challenge for me as an African –American who wants to introduce more of my people to the Orthodox Church. As a product of the black church, I know and love the value of the spirituality I was raised in. I still remember Dianah Gresham and Lillian Washington leading the hymn, “Wade In The Water,” on Baptism Sunday and the prayers of one of the old deacons at St. John’s Baptist Church. Nearly everyone came out to the one Sunday a month Communion Service if they didn’t come to church any other Sunday. While Byzantine chant, liturgical prayer, and other cultural elements in Orthodox Churches are wonderful to participate in, I think there are things about the church experience I grew up in that are just as unique.

Then again, one of the reasons I left the black church is because it is not the same as the church that it used to be. For decades, the Baptist conventions and seminaries have been encouraging churches and ministers to be non-traditional, innovative, and relevant. In the midst of this push, the Baptist Articles of Faith were removed from the denomination’s hymnals. Thus, no one has the doctrine readily available. My father’s father reverently prepared the communion and my mother’s mother made the communion wine. Now they are moving to these pre-sealed cups of some purple stuff that might be grape juice and a mini rice wafer thing or some other unleavened bread that Christ and His disciples did not use during the Last Supper. And as far as music is concerned, the old Negro Spirituals have been relegated to Black History Month and the favorite contemporary Gospel hit that everyone is singing now will be replaced in five years or less.

Indeed, I saw the church striving to become more and more Pentecostal where true worship was becoming defined by how many people “got happy” and “shouted” during a song or (most importantly) the sermon. When I discovered the presence of African saints and the spirituality they practiced in Eastern Christianity, I felt that we need to move away from worship based on what was current and popular to that which is older and more authentic. What that sort of black church would look like, I wasn’t quite sure. But, I was willing to continue to look toward Orthodoxy for Christian inspiration. It was made clear to me that others in my former church family weren’t willing to go that direction. Thus, I decided to go alone. I hope soon to work more closely with Fr. Moses Berry, Dr. Albert Rabeteau, Mother Catherine Weston, and others who have been black and Orthodox longer than I have and with Fr. Alexi, Heiromonk Seraphim Damascne, and some of our bishops to better see what in African American Christianity can be seen as a part of Orthodox practice. Just as Sts. Herman and Innocent found the best of Native American spirituality and brought it and many Alaskans to the faith in the 18th and 19th centuries, the same can and must be done with us. But, I am getting off of the subject.

Holy Cross is a self sustaining monastery where they monks raise much of their own food in their gardens. They also have Nubian goats to produce milk that is used for making soaps and lotions, in which they have a very good soap maker. They also make incense there as well. I was impressed with the outdoor chapel. Many Orthodox Christians east of the Mississippi come to Holy Cross for pilgrimages and holy days. I have seen videos of people under large tents erected for such occasions. Thankfully, their gift shop is online. I do intend to shop there this season. I am very inspired by the library. I have turned what was once a spare junk room into something of a man-cave. When I am done with it, it will be the only Orthodox library in the town of West Point.

Dining with monks is an experience not to be missed! Firstly, if you brought your wife and daughter with you, they can’t eat at the same table in the same room with you. They eat in a separate section for women (men catch it too at women’s monasteries). If you are not accustomed to prayer before or after a meal (I used to pray after a meal when I over-ate), you will be quickly introduced to the practice. Dinner-time conversation about last night’s game or the latest movie is null and void. While everyone is eating, no one is talking except the monk who is reading the scriptures or stories about a saint. And while he is reading, you had better be eating. Because when he stops, the abbot and priest will make announcements of who needs prayer and what needs to be done around the monastery. Then it’s the after meal prayer and time to go. There is no lounging around the table and savoring the wonderful meal you are taking your time on.

Monks themselves are terrific people to meet. They are patient with newcomers and willing to share their stories of how they came to the faith. I met a former Southern Baptist Hieromonk from Texas. I also met Bishop George of the ROCOR Diocese. Like many of the monks, he is a former Protestant. Also, he lives at the monastery. His house is larger than that of the others. But, it is far from one of the multi-million dollar homes that modern day television evangelist own. The fact that he is here at Holy Cross when he is not on the road tending to his parishes or engaged in some other duties somewhere shows that he is a very humble man. I think it was Kippling who said that a man is one who can “dine with kings and never lose the common touch.” No doubt, he and other bishops like my Sayedna Thomas do meet with bankers, philanthropist, and politicians of all stripes. Yet, in Orthodoxy, the highest of bishops is a humble monk and priest at heart.

For my Protestant friends who declare themselves to be “prayer warriors,” I recommend you spend time with these black cassock wearing, long beard growing, icon venerating, incense burning, Jesus Prayer praying while they are working, standing in prayer vigils for hours at a time monks and nuns to learn how those of the ancient faith fight the good fight. And even then, modern monks and nuns of today will tell you that the saints of old are far greater than they are. I don’t doubt anyone’s sincerity when it comes to spending time with God for themselves or interceding on behalf of others. But, to give up pursuing a gainful career and a Christian marriage and family life to devote one’s entire being to repentance and being in the constant presence of God is beyond what most of us are willing to do for the sake of the Gospel. The monks and nuns keep the traditions of simple living, honest work, and celibacy. This is the way of John the Baptist who prepared the way of the One who was greater than himself. (I do recommend that before going to a nightly service at a monastery that you attend a couple of Divine Liturgies at a Church that has no pews, or if your church does have them, opt to stand until the priest motions you to be seated)

So, now I have returned with a deeper appreciation of monasticism and its role in the body of Christ. Would I ever become a monk? If I were a widower, I’d certainly see if God has called me to such a lifestyle. Until then, I guess it is right that I have entitled this blog, “The Modern Monastic Order of Saint Simon of Cyrene,” and that I have written about “Monasticism for the Rest of Us.”