The Convent
But the workshop in which we should carefully realize all this is the realm of the monastery and constancy in the community. (RB 4, 78)
There are currently 25 monks living in the community of the Maria Laach monastery under the leadership of the Prior-Administrator.
Community life of the monks
The monastery is a place where God is in the foreground. It is a “house of God” in which everyone should live together in fraternal community and strive for unity despite all differences in disposition and talent. Everyone should recognize the light of God in their brother and help each other to bear the burdens of everyday life. All egomaniacal behavior, all rivalry and resentment should be avoided. The brothers do not only live outwardly in a house that is God’s property (RB 31, 10). As a community, they are the “church of the living God”, in whose constant presence they believe, especially in worship. (RB 19, 1). Christ lives in their midst and determines their entire behavior with his word and call.
A particular value of Benedictine monasticism lies in their lifelong anchoring in the community of monks, which they have entered after years of testing and to which they have committed themselves. This “Stabilitas in congregatione” is probably more than a firm yes to the brothers and a constantly cultivated domesticity. It is an inner commitment of the heart to the community for the good of all and in the service of God. At a time when traditional bonds between people are loosening more easily than in the past, the monk’s image of life may have a high and valid topicality, especially in our present day.
Our vows unite us before God as brothers
This is expressed:
- in our standing together before God in prayer
- in the lived proclamation of the gospel
- in our willingness to serve one another, especially the elderly and the sick
- in our responsibility for the new brothers who come to us and in our efforts to show young people the value of our life
- in the will to give priority to the common accomplishments of our lives over individual interests
- in the commitment of all in our daily work and in earning a living
- in in-depth conversations about the foundations of our lives and questions about our community life
- in our willingness to forgive and reconcile when we are guilty of something against each other.
