New Monasticism with Jonathan

5:24 PM EDT Thursday. We are now slightly more than halfway through Eastertide 2026, and I must confess the season has so far not proceeded quite as I originally envisioned . I finished my first reading of The Story of Monasticism by Greg Peters, but I have not written any further articles about this pivotal book. Nor have I relabeled a large batch of posts on this blog or assiduously attended to my office work from 3-4 PM every day. With God's grace, let's see if I can improve on this moving forward. I am more than half-inclined to compile a basic chronology of monasticism, but that will have to wait until the fall of 2026. As it stands right now, I am about to begin a 120-day deep dive into the Rule of Benedict.  If and when I do turn my attention to constructing said chronology, I will want to revisit  The Monks of Qumran by Edmund F. Sutcliffe  - and with it the question of an implicit Essene influence on the development of Christian monasticism. On the other side of...

4:45 PM Friday.  Surprise Greetings, Duffy in Vermont! You probably weren't expecting to hear from me again quite so soon, and I am writing to you this time from a different blog than usual. This blog is New Monasticism with Jonathan , not Jesus with Jonathan . I'm writing you because I have been looking back over my Lent blog posts, and it looks to me like I had a fairly significant spiritual healing this time around the liturgical calendar, almost like the growth spurt of a sprout or seedling. Before I get any farther into what might seem like self-congratulation, let me quickly say that I believe this growth spurt happened because I received just the right encouragement from my support network, including my faith-based contacts. In particular, I think my intensive collaboration with you - first from Advent to Epiphany, and then from Quinquagesima to Easter - has been a pivotal stimulus.   It's clear, looking back on our liturgical year 2026 collaboration with some East...

It's 4:22 PM EDT on Easter Monday in Albany as I begin to write this entry. I've just completed my Eastertide plan for the 3 PM to 5:30 PM "Watch of the Steward" that is my dedicated Sunday-Friday horarium block for labor on this specific blog, New Monasticism with Jonathan .  Every day from Easter Monday through Pentecost Friday, less Saturdays for the Sabbath, I have earmarked the hour from 3-4 PM each day for the following tasks: Medical Records Family Support Financial Upkeep Digital Inbox Zero Paper Inbox Zero After this, I have scheduled from 4-5:30 PM each day until Friday, 1 May 2026, to wrap up my initial blog series on The Story of Monasticism by Greg Peters. Then, from Saturday, 2 May 2026 until Monday, 31 August 2026, I will study the Rule of Saint Benedict every single day (including on the Sabbath) during this same 4-5:30 PM time slot. To the extent that time allows between now and the start of my Saint Benedict marathon, I will relabel the old posts on...

I. The Apostolic Template: Communal Life as a Holy Mark In our ongoing study of Greg Peters’ The Story of Monasticism , we have already explored the "Set of the Soul" (contemplation) as the foundational DNA of the monastic calling. However, Peters argues that contemplation does not exist in a vacuum; it is historically and theologically bolstered by three additional marks: Communal Life, Vows, and Hourly Prayer . While we will turn our attention to the specific structures of Vows and the rhythmic discipline of the Horarium in future articles, today we focus on a radically inclusive communal life. This is not merely a social arrangement, but a distinct relational marker of the Holy Spirit—an outward sign that the superorganism of the Church has moved from individual survival to a shared, prophetic existence. This communal impulse, as we shall see, ultimately provides the blueprint for a global vision of solidarity. The template for this life is found in the high-definition sna...