"The sisters and brothers whom the Lord has called to the life of contemplation (Mt. 6.31) with a daily renewed joy, should manifest their special dedication to God and celebrate the Father's love for the world. It was He who created and redeemed us, and by His mercy alone shall save us". (TOR Rule 9)
A monastery is not an escape from the fragility of human nature - but a way of discovering and transforming it.
If we want our life to be full of joy - in the midst of a society in which people look for "fruits" wihout first having "roots" - monastic communities show us, by their very nature, the roots of our existence to which we need to be attentive.
The Rule and the rules are not heavy burdens but sweet stimuli for change - they are lessons of the school of love.
A monastery is a place of mutual help and interaction in which people learn to relate to themselves, to love others, to meet and to relate to individuals instead of a clique, to live in tenderness, to communicate, to forgive, to grow in liberty, and to pray together.
The monastery is a place of cheerful liberty, a vehicle of abundant grace, a sign of peace, and a symbol of the beauty of holiness.
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