A Layman in the Desert: Monastic Wisdom for Life in the World

by Daniel G. Opperwall

Orthodox Christians today have no lack of resources on monastic spirituality. And yet startlingly little has been done to critically engage the monastic tradition and adapt its ancient wisdom for the Orthodox faithful living in today s complex society. A Layman in the Desert aims to bridge this crucial gap.

Working with the Conferences of St John Cassian, Opperwall constructs a kind of relationship handbook that shows us how the desert saints of old can help us build healthy, Christ-centered relationships with our spouses, children, friends, and coworkers.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christianity, Spirituality

201 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Ted · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though the premise of the book is promising - a need for Orthodoxy to translate its heavily monastic tradition into what lay parishioners should be doing as Orthodox Christians - the book ends up just upholding the monastic tradition as the norm and trying to get the laity to in some way to follow monastic wisdom. So I was disappointed in the book. Instead of simply accepting the monastic effort to literally follow certain NT prescriptions, we need to focus on other Gospel principles and offer the laity guidelines in Christian living. For example, monasticism is all about self denial - they deny themselves marriage, family, jobs, careers, homes, etc. So then they focus on fasting and sexual abstinence as that is all they have left. We need to help people who have embraced the sacrament of marriage and the sexual life, family and the blessings of God's creation learn to use these gifts in a godly manner. Emphasize charity more than abstinence - forgiveness, mercy, love, concern for others. In the monastic literature for example they are often uncomfortable with the Matthew 25 judgment parable. If all one has to do to be blessed by Christ is charitably minister to the poor, monastics ask, why torture yourself with fasting and abstinence? It makes no sense to them, but Matthew 25 is essential for the lay Christian, and we need to follow the Gospel commandments literally in those things and not get swept away with monastic interpretations of these lessons.

[Nicole Roccas · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Dr. Opperwall poignantly interprets St. John Cassian's _Conferences_ for the needs and lifestyle of a modern lay person. The seed of Opperwall's inspiration, as he describes in his introduction, stems from a conversation he once had with a friend and fellow Orthodox believer who ultimately became disillusioned by his seeming inability to live the fullness of Orthodox spirituality outside the folds of monasticism. In this conversation, we encounter a grief-filled question that boils down to something all believers can relate to: how do we live simple, devoted, meaningful Christian lives in a complicated milieu of social connections, economic realities, and societal influences?

In many ways, _A Layman in the Desert_ functions as a response to that pressing and universal question, offering insight from St John's work. The chapters progress from a more wideranging interpretation of the connection between the Christian life and monasticism (Chapter 1) to focus on specific areas of life lay people engage with on a daily basis: Society (Chapter 2), Marriage and Family (Chapter 3), Property and Work (Chapter 4), and Beholding the Kingdom (Chapter 5).

I enjoyed this book for several reasons. First, I think learning how to read monastic theology in non-monastic contexts is incredibly valuable and helpful, yet also difficult and at times confusing. It takes someone like Opperwall who is willing to sit and pray and live and think alongside a text in order to glean its insight. Moreover, the _Conferences_ was a great choice for a study like this--like St John's other writings, it speaks poignantly to a variety of life circumstances and spiritual struggles.

My favourite portion of the book was actually the preface, in which Opperwall struggles with a kind of latent gnosticism in Orthodoxy that tacitly praises monastic life over lay existence. This preface alone offers a kind of corrective to this attitude--to be a member of the laity is just as much a unique calling as that which the monk or nun receives. Worldly life is "not merely a kind of default existence that anyone who is not specially called to monasticism or ordination simply ends up leading" (15). The various responsibilities and obligations of worldly life comprise the crosses and struggles that lead us to salvation--they are not the things to avoid so we can get down to the warm and fuzzy business of being a Christian. Although none of these ideas were necessarily new to me, Opperwall's articulate writing speaks with encouragement to anyone who has every grown discouraged by the seeming purposelessness of non-monastic life in the Church.

There were a few small sections I wish would have featured more elaboration. For example, the discussion of radical examples in regards to marriage and sex--for me at least--seemed a bit muddled or at least did not fully assuage the anti-marriage sense one sometimes senses in reading monastic texts. St John's "disclaimer" in regards to the story of Theonas (p. 125) sounded pretty half-hearted to me! :) This is something Opperwall acknowledges, but I felt like the discussion could have been taken further to really grapple with this very real undercurrent in monastic theology. What are we to do with texts that implicitly--if not explicitly--encourage monastic lifestyles at the expense of family stability, or praise celibacy over marriage? This is where the disillusionment really sets in for some folks. At a certain point, it becomes impossible to convincingly interpret these elements out of certain texts and we really have to ask ourselves what the original author's intentions / audience were, and how such statements fit into broader Orthodox concepts of anthropology.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed _Layman in the Desert_ and look forward to reading more of Dr. Opperwall's work! It is well worth reading for anyone who has faced the disillusionment Opperwall notes in his introduction, as well as anyone struggling with that perennial question of how to live meaningfully in a dissipated and dissipating world.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-organized and instructional. This book leads the Christian of the modern day towards the goal of purity of heart with the guidance of the Desert Fathers. Their pious and devout lives in no way make our task seem insurmountable. The author explains that we have our own struggles in this world today, but the practice of Christianity and the tools we need (the Eucharist, prayer, fasting, charity, love) have always been the same. The book is well-written and encouraging.

[Katherine Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very well worth reading. He addresses a layman's application of St. John Cassian's discussion of the virtues and passions. Whereas St. John's audience was monastic, Mr. Opperwall makes application of St. John's work to those of us who live in the world. I found these discussions to be readable and very helpful. Highly recommended!!

[Greg Streech · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent examination of the words/conferences of the Desert Fathers brought forth into modern context. For example, the Desert Fathers did not contend with nightly news or the notion of wealth beyond subsistence farming. Opperwall helps bring their instructions to work under modern realities. An excellent read.