July 2003 Christian Spirituality      Continued from previous issue By George A Lane SJ

Continue from ...... Introduction Protest and Renunciation in the East Underlying the whole Eastern monastic movement is a captivating enthusiasm. The monks of the East were utterly convinced that theirs was a magnificent vocation. They did not condemn others, but looked upon them as hopelessly caught in the turmoil of the world. They had made a great discovery, found the only way to profound union with God. This enthusiasm come out in St Anthanasius' life of St Anthony the Hermit. Anthony had lived forty years in the desert, and when people went out to visit him: This is only one of the many passages which bear witness to the enthusiasm the Eastern monks conveyed to their contemporaries. What were the conditions which made this type of response to the Gospel intelligible or even necessary? The background of the early Church and the history of the decline of the Roman Empire is important to know in order to fully understand Eastern monasticism. In its earliest days the Church was looked upon as a Jewish sect and was treated accordingly with tolerance. But as the Christians became more numerous, toleration diminished and persecution began. Martyrdom then became the pinnacle of Christian renunciation. It was a way in which a man could say, "I am renouncing myself, taking up my cross, and literally following Christ."

- To Be Continued -