"What is monastic spirituality?" with Br. Ambrose Stewart, OSB

Seek Things Above

Monastic spirituality can be a guide for life and following Christ not just for monks, but also for Christians living in the world. This is the first of four lectures on monastic spirituality in the winter/spring 2024 Christian in the World lecture series. In this first lecture from January 27, 2024, Br. Ambrose Stewart, OSB, a monk of Mount Angel Abbey, focuses on the Desert Fathers – those 3rd and 4th century monks who first fled to the Egyptian desert in search of God.
The first half of the lecture considers the life of Saint Antony, “the father of all monks,” and the collected Sayings of the Desert Fathers. In the second half, we look at Saint Pachomius, the father of cenobitic (communal) monasticism, along with Saint John Cassian, whose Institutes and Conferences synthesized the wisdom of the Egyptian desert and transmitted it to the Latin West.
The unifying theme in all of this is Scripture. The desire to radically embody Scripture in their lives consumed these early monks. This desire is just as relevant for Christians in the World today as it was for the 4th century desert-dwellers.
The Christian in the World lecture series, sponsored by Mount Angel Institute, is an integrated program of study, prayer and discussion for Catholics who want to live their faith more deeply. The program seeks to help participants gain a more profound understanding of the Scriptures and the Church, and to support lay people in exploring how to live their baptismal vocation in everyday life.
For more information about Christian in the World, visit https://www.mountangelabbey.org/join-us/christian-in-the-world/.