DD 251-255..999 (Tony) Making a heart for God : a week inside a Catholic monastery by Dianne Aprile (APR 255.125)

Foreword by Patrick Hart.
For this selection, I didn't choose a book that seemed to be the most intellectual, most politically correct, or most biblically sound book. This time around, I went for a subject that interested me and that I had little knowledge about. "Making a Heart for God", is a look at a week-long retreat at a Trappist Monastery in Kentucky. First of all, I didn't know anyone could actually stay at one of these places and not have to become a monk. In fact, you don't even have to be Catholic! I was amazed at how monasteries were turning into vacation destinations for anyone who can grab a reservation. You don't even have to be male to stay either.
The book is written out as a schedule of participants weekly activities (or lack thereof). As the itinerary is laid out, stops are made chronicling the monastery's history and doctrines are examined. The visitors and monks read, pray (alot!), worship, work and make money for the order to stay solvent, and they relax. The big surprise was how secular all of this could be, while still trying to pursue Heaven.
See, when I was little, every Sunday, the TV was filled with 2 things, Sports or Gospel Programming. You were lucky to get to see the Sports. Gospel Programming was soooooo boring. The people sang like they were in an opera, the Preacher droned, on and on, and the Kids segment was seemingly written for kids... in comas. This was Pat Boone and Jerry Falwell's dream come true. How my grandparents and great-grandparents could watch this once per week, much less, for the entire day was beyond me.
Thankfully, my church doesn't follow this formula.
And to my surprise, neither do the monks in this book.
They sell fruitcakes and fudge made with Kentucky Bourbon. They read Stephen King, Thrillers, and sneak around a daily sports page. They wear T-shirts, jeans, and flip-flops. They even invite monks of other religions to visit and teach them about their ways of life.
This is not my wife's grandma's Catholic monastery.
Much of this change is due to the arrival of the Internet. Especially the selling of fudge part. But also, people got bored with church. The world is now at everyone's fingertips. And with that came ADHD, ADD, and another kind of attention problem. Folks born 40 years ago just don't have the attention span to sit through 10 hours straight of John Wesleyan/ Southern Baptist style church. I know I don't.
Church's now have to entertain while educating. They have to be fast paced, relevant, and less preachy and more inspiring towards life change. The most important change that church must undertake is to accept anyone who enters it's doors. Welcome the sinner, whether they are gay, atheist, satanist, Mormon, black ,red, yellow, white, divorced , single, or infertile. By that acceptance, then you'll get the lifestyle change. Reject them for who the are and you lose them forever.
The Trappists are so desperate for members, they'll welcome anyone. However, the life change that comes isn't a acceptance of Christ as Saviour, but acclimating the person toward getting up at 3:30am to pray, and to wait a year to take vows.
They welcome the sinner, warts and all, but they don't apply first aid to a hurting heart. There is too much emphasis on ceremony and tradition. And for this reason, I couldn't be a part of this society. No matter how peaceful the monastery was. No matter how much praying, and church time the monk participated in. If someone doesn't get the chance to worship in their own way, it's religion, not a lifestyle. And I for one, having sit through hours upon hours of religion as a child, am not willing to take a step backwards.
So, I guess the life of a monk just isn't for me.