WORDS and IMAGE Beth Doherty

Australian-born Abbot Christopher Jamison has brought faith into the mainstream in the United Kingdom through the TV show The Monastery. Visiting Australia for World Youth Day, he says the media’s fascination with faith highlights the secular world’s hunger for spirituality.

Busy-ness has become something of a disease of the modern world. For so many, taking the time out even to spend time with family and friends is often a distant second or third priority.

It is in this society that the reality TV show The Monastery found its place. A group of Benedictine monks from Worth Abbey in the UK were approached in 2004 about the possibility of a show featuring monastic life.

A few tweaks to the original proposal resulted in a television series that followed the journeys of six men as they experienced life in a Benedictine community of monks.

Fr Christopher Jamison is the Abbot of Worth Abbey. While he has become a household name in parts of the UK, he argues that it is the community that is ‘the star’ of the show.

‘The Monastery series became a tremendous affirmation of our vocation of service to the church and society.’

The Benedictine tradition to some may conjure up images of the desert fathers and mothers living secluded lives of prayer, untouched by society. To others, it may be a remote concept that hardly enters the consciousness. But Benedictines are anything but unworldly or disconnected. While they live lives which are, for the most part, secluded in a Monastery or Abbey, they are deeply touched by matters of the society and pray constantly for the needs of the world.

While the television world is largely secular, The Monastery and shows like it have realised the influence and impact of Christianity and taken this on board in their programming. The ABC and American Networks also picked up on the idea, with the depiction of the Benedictine Abbey at Jamberoo becoming a popular ABC TV series in 2007.

Fr Christopher says the show’s impact has been evident at Worth Abbey, a small community of 20 monks and two juniors (or Scholastics).

‘Worth Abbey has changed a lot. There are lots more people coming for retreat—and it has given confidence to people who were thinking about religious life.’

Fr Christopher shares something of the challenges and rewards of the lifestyle.

‘In the beginning, it’s a shock to live by someone’s rules. There are physical and psychological demands.

‘The rewards are a strong sense of being where you are; it’s a life which keeps priorities for you; you have a sense of joy in contemplating God; and the delight of being invited to live virtuously.’

Offering some insights into today’s society, Fr Christopher’s words of wisdom confirm that he and his community have their fingers on the pulse of today’s world.

‘We will never cope with climate change, because it is about greed. Greed is not natural. Lust and gluttony are natural. There is a global need to reimagine what we need’, he says.

What he means is that we are taught to want more by society, and unless we are satisfied with less, we will never be able to cope with the effects that climate change will bring.

Benedictine spirituality offers today’s world a new way. The Benedictine tradition is a way of life. It is not prescriptive, it does not have a specific technique for meditation. It is a lifestyle which can offer some benefits. It is not a system that can be reduced to a consumer product says Fr Christopher, rather it is a way of living in which prayer and meditation are essential parts.
 

Comment  on this article