The novice directors of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance in the U.S. recently met at Mepkin Abbey.
We invited Brother John Mark Falkenhain, a Benedictine monk of Saint Meinrad’s Abbey in Indiana to come and speak with us on issues important to monastic life.
Brother John Mark is a psychologist who teaches in Saint Meinrad’s seminary, is a consultant for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
He suggested we focus on obedience and authority. For folks coming from our culture, there are a number of reasons why this may not be an easy transition as they advance through the six years of preparation for solemn profession that each person called to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, must undertake.
Those called by God to the Cistercian way of living the Rule of Saint Benedict have a lengthy formation in which they prepare to profess three vows: obedience, stability and conversatio morum. At Mepkin we give a significant amount of time to read the book “Centered on Christ” by Father Augustine Roberts, OCSO, in order to open the conversation that allows the novice to understand what professing these vows will entail for him. Jesus was obedient to the Father. Jesus was obedient to Mary and Joseph.
What do we mean as we make such statements and how does Jesus’ obedience inform our obedience in living as a monk? Monastic obedience differs from military obedience, taking direction from a coach or the conductor of the orchestra, being subject to a supervisor at work or the boss in the corporate world. To be obedient in faith asks a great deal of us and calls for a kind of religious education we cannot simply assume everyone has had before they enter the monastery.
Saint Benedict is helping those who follow his rule to take up a loving obedience. This obedience is not the result of fear or domination but is freely given out of love. Brother John Mark explained that he would be offering us a developmental perspective to help us serve our communities as guides for the newcomers. So, the sessions began with the understanding that people are on a developmental trajectory. The word we use, ‘formation’, is a developmental term. He invited us to consider two questions: Is this person where they should be given their age and experience? Are they working on the developmental tasks proper to their age?
The sessions progressed in this fashion: defining obedience in relation to the will – obedience in relationship to conversion – characteristics of Benedictine obedience – a lesson from psychology: Erikson’s intimacy – asking, can obedience be unhealthy? – and dispositions to promote healthy obedience.
In the broader society definitions of obedience normally include conformity, compliance, and submission. The Prologue of the Rule of Saint Benedict opens with: “Listen carefully, my son, to the master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart. This is advice from a father who loves you; welcome it, and faithfully put it into practice.” Benedict defines obedience in relation to the will. He reminds us: ‘The second degree of humility is that a person love not his own will nor take pleasure in satisfying his desires, but model his actions on the saying of the Lord, “I have come not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” We also find the words, “Self-will has its punishment, but constraint wins a crown.”
In taking us further, Brother John Mark spoke about the “ego” and how monastic traditions call for us to tame the ego. The goal of the Christin life is conversion to Christ. The vows afford us a way to respond to the faithful love of God. We offer a ‘steadfast love’ which entails obedience to the abbot and the community, expressed in fidelity to the monastic way of life.
Benedictine obedience is loving, mutual and free. Chapter 5 of the rule tells us the first step of humility is obedience without delay. There is an immediacy to loving obedience, one does not delay. It always begins with God loving us and each of us expresses our love for God by practicing the disciplines outlined. The Hebrew” term ‘hesed’ is often translated as steadfast love and conveys the sense that this is a covenant relationship.
Monks obey one another as well as the abbot. Thus, we speak of the mutual dimension to obedience. We understand the life more from an understanding of responsibility than privilege. Obedience that is free does not entail oppression, it is not coerced by threat of harm or being deprived of another option. One needs to have developed a will of their own.
In his presentation, Brother John Mark made reference to the document on formation that can be found on the website of the USCCB. In this material those in formation are on the path to ‘self-knowledge’ and ‘self-possession’ in order to offer a ‘self-gift’. These terms are found in the catechism of the Catholic Church. This then, brought Brother John Mark to help us by drawing attention to Erik Erikson’s teaching on developmental tasks – in adolescence coming to one’s ‘identity’ and in young adulthood growing to appreciate ‘intimacy’.
Obedience is not healthy when it is not loving, mutual or free. One can grasp then that the experience of formation hopes to promote an environment in which those participating, grow in freedom (the result of self-knowledge and self-possession), love (that initial desire for the “other” and the way of life), trust (in authority and the wisdom of the way of life) and vigilance (seeking opportunities to obey and coming to an awareness of the influence of one’s own will).
As you can see, Brother John Mark gave us a great deal of very helpful information and insights that will help us serve our communities as we accompany those God is inviting to undertake this way as participants in the Body of Christ.

For those interested in exploring joining our way of life, we invite you to visit our page Becoming a Trappist