Lecture 29: monastic Reform
life was ordered to “the four last things”: death, judgment,
heaven, or hell.o A freely chosen modicum of deprivation and discipline during
mortal existence seemed a small price to pay when compared
to the cost of eternal misery caused by luxury and vice and far
better than passing through an afterlife “purgatory.”o A life dedicated to God in such an explicit fashion prepared
the monk for the only thing that really mattered: participation
in eternal life in heaven. There was, for the medieval mind,
nothing irrational in choosing sacrifice in this life in order to
gain everlasting bliss in God’s presence.• Less explicit but no less real were the obvious material benefits that
the monastic life made available, even to members of the nobility.
o The cloister offered safety, security, and an orderly way of life
rather than the chaos and struggle of secular existence. Diet
in the monastery was better and more consistent, sleep more
regular, days more meaningful, and therefore, health much
improved. For women in nunneries, lack of sexual activity
meant that the terrors of childbirth, infant mortality, and rapid
aging were avoided.o For women and men alike, life within the cloister gave access
to beauty through architecture, music, and the liturgy; the
chance to practice the crafts of calligraphy and bookmaking,
weaving, pottery, and gardening; the possibility of a genuine
education; and the chance to hold positions of authority.• Precisely because of its great popularity during these centuries, the
institution of monasticism also required constant reform.
o Greater numbers in communities inevitably meant that some
members were more dedicated to the implicit benefits of the
life than to the explicit ideals. For some monks in every age, a
comfortable pallet for sleep and meals on a regular basis trump
any religious motivation.