Fr. Paul Mark  answers the question, “What kind of person becomes a monk?” In an exchange with a journalist in 1997, Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, when asked, “How many ways are there to God?”, responded, “As many as there are people.” Salt of the Earth: The Church at the End of the Millennium (Peter Seewald, p. 32). So, what kind of person becomes a monk? As many kinds as there are people.

Saint Benedict in the Rule for Monks gives the criteria for one seeking to enter the monastery. He asks, “Does the person seek God, is he eager for the Work of God, is he eager for obedience and for trials?” Let us look at each of these.

Does the person seek God? What is my motivation for coming to the monastery? Am I seeking truth or running away, thinking the monastery is a refuge from life’s challenges? But more importantly, it is God who seeks me first and does so personally in Jesus Christ. I cannot seek God without first being sought and found by the Lord.

Is the person eager for the Work of God? The immediate reference is to the liturgical prayer of the monastery, the chanting of the Divine Office seven times a day and the sacramental life of the Church. But in its broader sense the “work of God” is the work that God does to save me. And my “work” is to accept and participate in this divine saving activity.

Is the person eager for obedience? The word obedience is rooted in the Latin verb audire, to hear. To hear implies listening. Hearing is the role of the disciple of Christ from the Old Testament prayer, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.” The student (monk) is silent so to listen to the teacher (Christ).

Is the person eager for trials? Am I ready to see life’s challenges in a way different from the world’s perspective? The monk is called to put aside ego and self-interest, to be detached, and surrender to the Holy Spirit.

So, what kind of person becomes a monk? Now you tell me.