The monastic ideal…
As inspiration.
“Oh! if I had the wings of a dove to fly away and be at rest…” - Antiphon from the Office of St. Bruno.
Reprinted here is an excerpt from the Statutes of the Carthusian Order concerning their practice of penance. I think monastic life is one of the most edifying examples of penance, inspiring the ordinary Christian to follow suit in accord with one’s particular state in life. Oftentimes our attraction to a particular religious order, and/or aspects of the religious life, are God’s call to the soul to enter more deeply into prayer, as well as penance and a life of greater detachment.
Carthusian Penance
“For our penance we take part in the redemptive role of Christ. He saved mankind, captive and burdened by sin, especially through his prayer to the Father, and by his death; by forcing ourselves to be associated with this most profound aspect of the redemption, and in spite of our apparent lack of outside activity, we exercise this apostolate in the most immediate way.” (Statutes 34.4) “We should practice mortification of the flesh not merely out of obedience to the Statutes, but primarily to be freed from the tendencies of our lower nature and enabled to follow the Lord more readily and cheerfully.”
Carthusian Statutes: Book 1 - Chapter 7; Thus, from the monk’s entrance into the Charterhouse until the grave, does he give himself to a life of penance. Penance undertaken not only for himself, but united with the sufferings of Christ; for the Church and all of mankind.
The penances which a Carthusian readily embraces is not a means unto itself but rather, a means by which he tends to his spiritual perfection.The Carthusian’s penitential observances of:
Enclosure, Withdrawal from the World, Silence, Vigils, Fasts, Perpetual Abstinence, Broken Sleep, Community Life, Self Denial, are an integral part of the Carthusian vocation and a path by which he strives for union with God.
The hairshirt:
Perhaps, of curiosity to those unfamiliar with Carthusian custom, is the survival of the ancient practice of the wearing of the hair shirt. This instrument of penance, evoking the anchorites of ancient Egypt, presents to the modern mind an enigma.
The Hair Shirt is worn by the Fathers, under the tunic next to the skin. It resembles a small scapular with bands that suspends it over the shoulders and tabs at the bottom to keep it in place. By uniting himself to the suffering Christ, the Carthusian atones for the sins of the world.
Source: The Carthusian Statutes (Reprinted here from an earlier post.)
