Monks and More Monks

Here's a plethora of monkish stories that I've used before and like very much - enjoy! :-)

Two Monks
There was once two monks travelling together, a young novice and an elder Master. As they came to the edge of a huge river, they noticed a young woman at the edge of the river who could not cross over. Without hesitation, the older monk lifted her up on his shoulders and carried her across the raging river. When they came to the other edge of the river he put her down and the two monks went on their way. After a few hours of travelling in silence, the young monk couldn’t contain himself any longer. “Why did you pick up that woman?”, he asked the older monk. “You know that our rules strictly forbid us from touching women. And here I thought you were one of the wisest and holiest persons at the monastery!” The older monk replied, “I carried the woman and set her down at the edge of the river. You, my dear friend, are still carrying her around in your heart.”


Two Other Monks
A young monk was pondering the mysteries of life one day, and he thought of a question he couldn’t answer. He ran to his Master and asked, “Master, why is it that some people are faith-filled and not others?” So the Master said, “Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time there was a dog chasing a rabbit. As he chased and chased he barked and barked, making quite a commotion. After a while, his barking attracted other dogs, and soon other dogs, until there were dozens of dogs chasing this one rabbit. Mind you, the other dogs didn’t know what they were doing – they had only been attracted by the barking of the first dog. So these dogs chased the rabbit up hills and down streets, through villages and streams. And one by one the dogs started getting tired, until there was only the first dog, alone again, chasing the rabbit.
The young monk stood silent for a respectful amount of time, then said, “I don’t get it!”
The Master answered, “The other dogs had no idea why they were running. Only the first dog knew they were chasing a rabbit. Similarly, we must get a glimpse of God before we can dedicate our lives to God and others. Without that first vision – that first taste – we too tire easily, because we do not know what we are striving for.”


Many Monks
There was once a famous monastery where people from all over the world came to study. One day, the eldest monk asked a question of the gathered students. “How can one tell when the night is over and the light is starting to shine forth?”
“Is it when you can look at a distance and tell the difference between your house and your neighbor’s house?”, answered one pupil. “No,” replied the Master, “that is not the answer.”
“Well, is it when you can look at a distance and tell the difference between your dog and a neighbor’s dog?”, answered another student. “No,” replied the Master, “that is not the answer either.”
“Then it must be when you look at a distance and can tell the difference between and apple and an orange hanging on two adjoining trees,” replied a third disciple. “No,” replied the Master, “you have still not grasped the answer.”
“Then tell us, please,” they all pleaded.
“When you can look at another persons face – any person – and see your brother or your sister, then and only then is the light coming that will banish the darkness.”

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

Nudity & The Gospel

So I've been away (mea culpa), and I've done a bit of reading on nudity and Church teaching (not a lot, but a little), and as far as I can tell there's no official Church teaching on the subject (and by official I mean something that's come out of a Pope or Church council or is embedded in the Catechism of the Catholic Church).

I have found that there appears to be an active presence of committed Christians, both Catholic and non, who are also participants in the nude lifestyle, either on a full or part-time basis. On those web sites that were pro-nudity (for want of a better word) I found many references to the sacramentality of the body, the goodness of the body, the original creation of the body in the buff, etc. On sites that were anti-nudity (again, for want of a better word) I found arguments ranging from our fallen nature (as good as nudity is we have a hard time separating nudity from lust) to more practical concerns (where do I keep my keys and wallet?).

I remember reading an article where a reporter did a story on nude resorts. She said that once she got over the shock of having to go semi-nude, it seemed like the most normal thing in the world to see other people walking around naked. She mentioned that everyone seemed well adjusted and at ease with each other, and no one was staring or acting inappropriately. She was especially impressed with teens, who, for lack of designer clothing and other fashion accroutments (is this a word?), did not have the high levels of fashion-consciousness and accompanying social jousting that seems so prevalent in much of society. With everyone wearing basically the same thing (nothing), there was no way to flaunt social or economic status.

(Which, incidentally, is one of the reasons most Catholic schools and many private and public schools mandate school uniforms - it's a way of leveling the playing field between the economically viable and the economically challenged.) :-)

In short? I don't know. The Catholic church teaches that for something to be morally sinful you have to look at the action itself, the intentions behind the action, and the circumstances surrounding the action. Here there is no lewdness or lust, just a desire to live in a natural a state as possible (intent is clear); they are not walking around naked in public places where it is illegal (circumstances are clear); they are living nude as God may have originally intended us to be, which can be problematic for many people as in our culture nudity is usually equated with sexual actions & sexual intercourse (action itself is murky).

So again, I'm not sure where I would put this on a moral continuum . . . . certainly not as a mortal (serious) sin, but maybe not fully clear either.

Any comments or thoughts would be appreciated! :-)

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

Nudism

What do you think about nudism / what does your church/denomination teach about nudism? I'm curious. :-)

I'll do some research on the Catholic church and let you know what we teach, as well as my own thoughts on the subject.

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo