One
young conductor of my acquaintance would argue that the life of art
comes from the artist's soul. He says that as a musician engrosses
himself in practice and begins to prize musical ability above all else,
his soul starts to die. "What people don't realize is that when they
behave in that way, their souls die: and then their music doesn't have a
soul either."* Psalm 22:30 says, "No man hath quickened his own soul."
We know that it is the Holy Spirit that gives our souls life, and that
regular intentional communion with God keeps our souls from starving.
But consider for a moment the monastic lifestyle. Since their earliest
foundations, monasteries have had a single goal: the pursuit of personal
and cultural holiness through complete dedication of their lives to
Christ. And yet monks had a plethora of activities and duties, seemingly
unrelated to religious pursuits, such as agriculture, medicine, making
and brewing wine and beer, preservation of ancient texts through
painstaking copying, animal husbandry, etc.
The monks did not view these activities as a distraction from their relationship with Christ, or an unhappy necessity to support their way of life. Rather, they recognized that they were just as important to the Christian life as the hours of prayer and meditation. Even the extreme ascetic monks who lived alone in the desert, devoting themselves to prayer, recognized the value of integrating other activities into your schedule, and spent many hours weaving baskets to sell.
Additionally, here at Hill Abbey, we nunks and muns spend purposeful time doing varied activities apart from our academic studies. We cook and clean, enjoy entertainment together, and spend time out of doors exercising our bodies.
"Art, as a representative of the whole, must have an understanding of the whole." ** I believe, just as the person focused on self becomes incurvatus in se, resulting in, among other things, an unpleasant personality, the person focused too much on one pursuit, such as the playing of a musical instrument, is unable to maximize their performance. When once one becomes focused on the music, he has missed the point. This whole world and all its varied activities and sciences is a sacrifice of praise. Nothing is unconnected because everything has its root and being in God-everything was made for the end of glorifying its Maker. No one aspect of creation holds the exact likeness of God, so by diverse studies we can learn about God in many different ways, and also learn about our favorite subject more deeply. For instance, the study of philosophy and history complements religious studies and gives the student a better understanding of his religion. Just like a human being, art should be pointing outward, to a greater truth.
*Michael Duryea
**Chloe' Richardson
The monks did not view these activities as a distraction from their relationship with Christ, or an unhappy necessity to support their way of life. Rather, they recognized that they were just as important to the Christian life as the hours of prayer and meditation. Even the extreme ascetic monks who lived alone in the desert, devoting themselves to prayer, recognized the value of integrating other activities into your schedule, and spent many hours weaving baskets to sell.
Additionally, here at Hill Abbey, we nunks and muns spend purposeful time doing varied activities apart from our academic studies. We cook and clean, enjoy entertainment together, and spend time out of doors exercising our bodies.
"Art, as a representative of the whole, must have an understanding of the whole." ** I believe, just as the person focused on self becomes incurvatus in se, resulting in, among other things, an unpleasant personality, the person focused too much on one pursuit, such as the playing of a musical instrument, is unable to maximize their performance. When once one becomes focused on the music, he has missed the point. This whole world and all its varied activities and sciences is a sacrifice of praise. Nothing is unconnected because everything has its root and being in God-everything was made for the end of glorifying its Maker. No one aspect of creation holds the exact likeness of God, so by diverse studies we can learn about God in many different ways, and also learn about our favorite subject more deeply. For instance, the study of philosophy and history complements religious studies and gives the student a better understanding of his religion. Just like a human being, art should be pointing outward, to a greater truth.
*Michael Duryea
**Chloe' Richardson
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