Silence of the Monks

There is an order of Christian (likely Catholic) monks that have taken a vow of silence. Their goal? To get closer to God.

On the surface, this seems like an excellent idea: get away from the world, concentrate on prayer and scripture, limit worldly temptations and influences...yes, many "benefits." But I wonder, is this really what God has asked of us? After all, our Teacher did not live in complete solitude from man. In fact, He made His home among men. And if we are to be like Him, shouldn't we imitate His life as well?

Jesus has called us to be light in this dark world. I don't know how we can be light if we hide ourselves up in mountains. How can the world see Christ if we've vowed to not preach Him? Faith comes from hearing. How can the world hear the Gospel if we refuse to commune with lost souls?

A vow of silence not only inhibits the preaching of the Gospel, but also in the sanctification of our own souls. God is wise and has created a brethren...a family of believers for us. I have been richly blessed by my brothers and sisters in Christ, sharing in their sorrows, they in mine, sharing in public worship, prayer, fellowship....the benefits of being a part of Christ's living, breathing church is amazing. Like my friend once said,

"Ever see a film of lions in Africa hunting? What they do is try to find the "outlyer", the one who is outside the herd. If they can find a wildebeast, for instance, all by itself, they have a sure meal. Why? The animals they hunt weren't designed to be alone, so when they are, they are weaker and vulnerable. Oh! How odd! God says the same thing about us. "It is not good for man to be alone."Christians were designed to be "herd animals". We aren't called "the finger of Christ" - we are called "the Body of Christ". That's because we're designed to work as a group. That means that we receive the most when we are in a group. That also means that we are most able to exercise our gifts when we are in a group. All believers are called on to be ministers."

Amen to that!