At the heart of our monastic life lies the Gospel proclaimed by Jesus 2,000 years ago. Its concrete form is set out in the Rule of Saint Benedict, written 1,500 years ago. As 21st-century monks, we see ourselves as humble heirs to a tradition stretching back more than a millennium.
Being a monk in the 21st century means taking on the challenge of embodying, in the present day, the ideal of monastic life as described in the Rule of Saint Benedict. We frequently ask ourselves this question: ‘What must change in the way we live, and what must remain unchanged, so that we may be truly faithful to the Rule of Saint Benedict? Among the innovations of our age, what can we accept into the monastery, and what must we leave at the door?’
We ask ourselves this question in the face of new technologies. We know that technology is never bad in itself, but that it can be used for good or for ill. With the internet, a monk could travel the whole world whilst remaining physically within the monastery. But would he thereby have respected the enclosure that Saint Benedict intended for his disciples?
In practical terms, a number of departments, such as the cellar (that is, the monastery’s store) or the publishing house, have access to the internet. Monks who need it for their work may also use the internet. Used in obedience and with discernment, the internet proves to be a wonderful tool, which ultimately protects the enclosure: how many tasks that once required us to leave the monastery can now be carried out within the enclosure.