Journey Back to Eden.pdf - St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church Chicago

136 MARCHOf Building Bonds and Breaking BondageMARCH 12, THURSDAYAfter the day at Deir Mari Mina, Mr. Tewfik drove me backalong the desert highway to the Monastery of St. Bishoi where themonks were very happy to welcome me back after my absence of acouple of weeks. They always seem warmer to me with each visitthan before, because, as one monk explained, now I am free to remainin some other place or some other monastery. I have come toknow Egypt well enough to circulate as I like and, had I desired toleave St. Bishoi Monastery, I could have done so. At first I was notso free; it was the place where I had been instructed to stay. But,since I have come back, it must be because I want to. The monksare welcoming me back because they feel that I desire to spend mytime with them. All true.Monastic VocationsMARCH 18, WEDNESDAYI have been discussing with a number of the younger monkshere the effects of their vocation on their natural families. Thegeneral impression is that the family is weakened by their monasticvocation because it fundamentally entails a renunciation of thebonds of family life. They leave their father and their mother; theyleave their home, their brothers and sisters. They leave their lineage,as well as the aunts and uncles and grandparents who are almostalways living nearby. In doing so, it is regarded as an assaulton their family and it causes great grief. Moreover, in choosing tobe celibate, they are renouncing the possibility of a future marriage.There may even be a particular woman preselected by theirparents whom they are choosing not to marry (or with whom theyare choosing not to pursue a relationship which could possibly leadto marriage). Their filial bonds, paternal bonds, sibling bonds, andmarital bonds are all seemingly undermined by their vocation.But several of the monks told me that these roles are actuallyundermined all the time by the utterly selfish manner in whichthey are often assumed in the secular world. People very often