In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

A Saturday in Great Lent is as appropriate a time as any for the tonsuring of a monk. As we heard, the readings are just about the same anyway. The main point about being tonsured into monastic life is the way of asceticism. That is what it is all about: putting Christ in front of everything else in life. Everything else takes second or third place, but Christ is first. That is why the monk has to remember about taking up the Cross, and following Christ. The monk is wearing the paraman which is the Cross on the chest and on the back all the time. The monk is always remembering whom he or she is following and supposed to be emulating. The monk expects (as we heard from the instruction) to get the same sort of treatment that Christ did.

N has experienced a fair amount of that already in one way or another, and it won’t stop now. What she has been given with monastic tonsure is extra Grace so that she can go the whole way with the Lord: following Christ, and putting Christ first. It is true that with monastic tonsure does come a certain Grace because it is not for nothing called “second baptism”. You really do give up yourself. That is what it’s about.

You will hear, and N also, I am sure, has heard and will hear various criticisms and comments about monks living in a parish, and not in a monastic community. However, the problem is that when you’re in Canada it’s not that easy to achieve the coenobitic ideal all at once. In Canada there are only two women’s communities, and before N even began, she was already too old to be accepted by them (even if she wanted to try them). In fact, she began this journey before they began.

So what is this about – the archdiocese having monks living by themselves here and there? In the first place, there is more than one way to live the monastic life. Although the coenobitic life may be said to be the ideal and the best way to go about it, it’s not the only way (and besides, there have always been solitaries). As we see from monastic history, there have been other ways. Monks have grown to be good examples of Christians in other environments as well. It’s just harder. In Canada we don’t have much possibility to start any communities. You have to begin somewhere. Monks began somewhere, too. It’s been like that in Russia and other places, where people simply began. It’s like what Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) said about praying: How do you begin to pray? You just start. You just pray. So it is the same in the life of repentance as a monk. How do you do it? You just begin. You take up the Cross, and you follow Christ.

A monk is not a “professional Christian”. Despite the propaganda to the contrary or the misunderstandings to the contrary that we are surrounded with in the West, monks are just human beings like everyone else. They are people that have decided to take up the Cross single-heartedly and single-mindedly. In fact, trying to wear black and stand out like a sore thumb in the midst of people is actually to their advantage. Tempted as they may be one way or another to one type of a fall or another, they are watched by their brothers and sisters and held accountable by these brothers and sisters. The fact that these spiritual siblings are looking to this person’s life of repentance for their own perseverance gives the monk the courage to persevere, and not listen to the Tempter.

The benefit of living in a parish like this one in particular is that this community is really quite honest and forthright. If N should appear to be getting confused or barking up the wrong tree somehow in the course of the future of her life, and she seems somewhat to be wandering from the beaten path, one of her brothers or sisters will question: Why are you doing this? Why are you saying this? Why are you thinking this? She’ll either have to show that she is not barking up the wrong tree or not off the beaten path, or she’ll say: Oh, I did get lost, and she’ll come back onto the path. In some respects, parish life is not so different from a monastic community except that parish people tend to be rather polite, and tend not to speak quickly or openly about things that need to be said. In this parish, people are rather forthright in my experience, so that is a good thing, and it’s a good environment for N.

Being a rasophor is in fact being a perpetual beginner and never really getting officially started. N has been a rasophor for so long I don’t remember what she looked like before. (I have known of monks being rasophors for fifty years even, but there are not many of those.) Perseverance as a rasophore certainly demonstrates a determination to follow Christ regardless of how ridiculous it may appear to others or even to oneself sometimes. That’s how it is with monastic life. You’re standing out like a sore thumb. You’re trying to follow Christ. You’re trying to be obedient. You get all confused and mixed up in one way or another, and it feels sometimes just plain ridiculous. On the other hand, that’s what the prayers are all about today. That’s what the instruction is all about, too. People will say: That’s ridiculous. However, people also said that the Saviour was ridiculous. You hear it on the news today. They are still saying that the Saviour is ridiculous. Yet He is still the Saviour. He is still the Life-giver.

N has to demonstrate, as we all do as Christians (because being a monk just means being a Christian, by the way), perseverance in love for Jesus Christ. We have to be ready to try to show Who is Jesus Christ by this sort of life of service, of suffering, of endurance, but mostly of joy. None of this happens without joy. If there is no joy, then there is definitely something out of balance. That is one barometer for all of us. If we feel joyless ourselves, we can tell we need to go to confession quite badly because something is out of focus, and it is time for a check-up. If you see a brother or a sister whose joy has disappeared, that’s the time to pray for that person, support and encourage that person because darkness has somehow come and distracted and confused him or her. This praying expresses our mutual responsibility as Christians. This is how we confess the Saviour. This is how we demonstrate that we are not ashamed of Him. We have hope, therefore, in this environment of love and joy that he will not be ashamed of us when we come to face Him at the end in the Kingdom. Rather, may we hear His voice say to us: Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into that which has been prepared for you (cf. Matthew 25:23). And there may we all together glorify our Saviour for eternity, together with the Father, and His life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

† Archdiocese of Canada - Orthodox Church in America