[hawktheslayer]

Interesting to see this on the front page! I spent a year in a monetary mostly cloistered. While I'm glad now for the life I ultimately chose of having a family, I often draw from the experience, especially the discernment process (the Ignatius Exercises) and the meditation/contemplation practice.

[christophilus]

I spent some time discerning as a Trappist, and now have a family. I’ve found the lack of silence to be the biggest challenge. How is your prayer life as a parent?

[galaxyLogic]

Trappists make great beer right? It is strong beer and gets your head messed up. I've often wondered how such good religious folks would become producers of alcoholic drinks. I assume they didn't drink themselves, doesn't go well with meditation I assume. So are they more like thinking "Let the sinners drink this since they want, and it will pay for the rent of our meditation chambers?"

[Thorentis]

There is no issue with alcohol in Catholicism. Indeed, some during the middle ages would live off beer alone during Lent, when they would abstain from food entirely. It is simply a question of moderation. There are many medevial images of monks drinking.

"In Catholicsm, the Pint, the Pipe, and the Cross can all fit together." ~ GK Chesterton.

[KineticLensman]

> Indeed, some during the middle ages would live off beer alone during Lent

In the middle ages, 'small beer' [0] was a low-alcohol drink which because of the brewing process was often safer than bacteria-contaminated water from some natural sources such as wells and streams

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_beer

[Stratoscope]

Indeed, when I was a kid, I learned that when the parish priest stopped by our home, we always offered him a shot of whiskey.

[christophilus]

Yep. My favorite drinking buddy is a priest. We also smoke cigars and pipes on occasion around the firepit.

[dmurray]

"There's no issue with alcohol" is the wrong way to put it.

Consumption of alcohol is mandatory at certain times (as part of Mass) and forbidden at other times (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, but traditionally every Friday and all of Lent).

[Thorentis]

The Catholic Church actually teaches that Jesus is present in both the wine and bread, so only one must be consumed. At least in the Roman Rite it is never compulsory to receive the wine, and prior to the 1960s only the priest would receive the wine while the lay people would receive bread only.

[dmurray]

Yes I just meant that some consumption of alcohol (by the priest) is a compulsory part of the rite. At least here, the wine isn't generally offered to the laity, though you can get it if you ask nicely.

Also I thought I was going to be corrected on the other part of my claim. Apparently abstaining from alcohol on fast days isn't centralized Catholic doctrine and bishops/archbishops have some discretion on what they tell their congregations to abstain from.

[zokula]

I know in many Eastern Orthodox churches and some ethnic Catholic chruches have bars on the premises so after church you can go get some beer or a few shots, or to go shot-for-shot with the local Bishop.

[notagoodidea]

Let's make things straight :) "Trappist" is a appellation for beers made by Trappist monasteries in Belgium, Netherlands and a few around the world. They are not specially strong and they may be consumed by the monks. In fact, like for the wine where a lot of monastery produced and developed the basis for modern wine production, it as a bit similar in Belgium for the beers. Take Orval for example, one of the most famous and it have 6.2% alcohol level. A draft pils beer in Belgium is expected to be around 5%-5.5%. And a few monasteries produced and keep producing beers in Belgium without being Trappist labeled like the Dominicans in Liege with their Sanctus Dominicus.

Besides the rules to give the Trappist label were :

* The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by the monks themselves or under their supervision.

* The brewery must be of secondary importance within the monastery and it should witness to the business practices proper to a monastic way of life.

* The brewery is not intended to be a profit-making venture. The income covers the living expenses of the monks and the maintenance of the buildings and grounds. Whatever remains is donated to charity for social work and to help persons in need.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trappist_beer

[vmilner]

This UK one is excellent:

http://www.mountsaintbernard.org/tynt-meadow-ale

[christophilus]

Catholics have no problem with drinking, so yes. The monks who brew also drink.

[pdw]

They follow St Benedict's rule, the rule that OP linked to, but they understand "wine" to refer to alcoholic drinks in general.

[spoonjim]

There is no general religious proscription against alcohol. Only Muslims and Mormons come to mind.

[Ichthypresbyter]

There are some Protestant denominations who don't drink alcohol, including many Baptist and Presbyterian groups as well as the Seventh-Day Adventists and the Salvation Army.

While some Methodists now drink alcohol, they historically didn't and still won't allow it in their church buildings (I used to play in an amateur orchestra who had to serve non-alcoholic interval refreshments when we hired a Methodist church for our concert).

The majority of Christians worldwide, though, belong to denominations with no proscription against alcohol.

[simonebrunozzi]

I'm the poster. I've read the Rule of St. Benedict in Italian, a few years back (I'm from Italy, and specifically from Umbria, the region where St. Benedict was from [0].

Yesterday I saw this on Project Gutenberg and I felt inspired to share it here. I woke up and saw it on the front page, which is always an interesting little thing that kind of makes my day.

I would be really interested in hearing more about your experience in the monastery, if you're willing to share.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_of_Nursia

[h2odragon]

Say on; first hand experience in this is rare. What did you discover you missed most on returning to "the real world"? was a year enough time?

[hawktheslayer]

Ironically I missed the structure that came from the vow of obedience that felt at times like I gave up all my individual freedom. I learned this gave me focus on the thing at hand, whether it was praying, meditating, cooking or cleaning. I still miss the sheer simplicity of that life.

[jkepler]

Amazing how form and freedom aren't antithetical, but are actually part and parcel of true liberty.

[geerlingguy]

It's a strange paradox, but one that I've found time and again; 'liberty' to do anything anytime can be much more restrictive than 'freedom' to choose one thing and then move on.

[Thorentis]

It is very saddening to see "modern" and "progressive" thinkers promote the idea of choice and freedom, while condemning those that choose particular lifestyles (monks, housewives, etc). Some of the happiest people in the world are the ones that choose a simple yet rewarding lifestyle. The unhappy ones, as I have invariably found, are those that are never happy with the choices of others.

[morsch]

I don't condemn housewives, I think it's important that care work is recognised as, well, work. I'd say that calling it a simple yet rewarding lifestyle makes it sound a lot less difficult than it is, it comes off as dismissive. Having gotten a taste of both worlds, I can tell you working as a software developer is a lot more simple and, at times, more rewarding.

Many people are in a situation where they can't make the choice to exclusively do care work, due to financial constraints, and much of the care work is done by women who also work for money alongside of it. So in a way, being wealthy enough to have one person concentrate on maintaining the house is lucky. At the same time, it's a risky choice, because it leads to financial dependency on the partner, and marriages tend to end.

[darkwater]

A little problem with "housewives" here: many of them didn't choose anything, nor had a voice in choosing their lives. The same applied to monks centuries ago, if you weren't the first born, your destiny would be joining a monk life. But at least that stopped a while ago, while housewives by "force" are still a reality today in many situations.

[bregma]

I have never met a modern or progressive thinker who would condemn someone's lifestyle choice: I have only ever heard that as a criticism levelled by reactionaries who have only been exposed to an echo chamber. It is those people who seem to be most unhappy with the choices of others.

[JackFr]

https://youtu.be/GqmsQeSzMdw

Liberties constrain, constraints liberate.

The things we can lear from programming language theory!

[Robin_Message]

I like one of the Bene Gesserrit maxims in Frank Herbert's Dune series:

Seek freedom and be a slave to your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty.

[elcritch]

I've visited a couple of Greek monasteries for a few days each over the years. Even that short time as a layman was very refreshing. Even "mundane" acts were contemplative.

[50]

> I still miss the sheer simplicity of that life.

Reminds me of this part of a Thomas Merton audio piece that I just listened to which you might enjoy (~22:50 to ~35:01): https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1370&v=Zr3V-BnENmA&feature=y...

[trhway]

sounds similar to military.

[afpx]

I would love to hear about your experiences. Do you have a blog?