Sunday, November 12, 2006
The Monastery: Episode 3

I haven't had a chance yet to post my review of Episode 3 of The Monastery," the TLC program that airs each Sunday night at 9 PM Central Time. Overall, I have enjoyed watching the monks in the monastery pray as it brings back memories of my time visiting a monastery. However, I have been increasingly annoyed at the rude and disrespectful manners shown by several of the men that take part in this reality series. Thankfully the most disrespectful of them all, a man that even stole a truck from the monks to go several miles away to drink on the Eve of Ash Wednesday, has left the monastery. I'm hoping that the series finally improves now.

3 comment(s):

del_button November 13, 2006 at 9:13 AM
Fr. Philip Powell, OP said...

I watched my first episode last night and I was dumbfounded by the shallowness of the monks' theology. Maybe I should say "by the theology of those who speak on camera." The abbot's drivel is nothing more than self-hel psychobabble and Br. Gabriel actually said to one of the guys that God needs us! I don't expect these guys to be academic theologians but I expected that they would at the very least know some basic theology of God. I will continue to watch in the hope that I am proved wrong.

Fr. Philip, OP
http://hancaquam.blogspot.com

del_button November 13, 2006 at 10:01 AM
Matthew said...

Fr. Philip,

I agree completely with your analysis - the psychology-based ideas are really turning these men away from the truth. And Br. Gariel's comments were also clearly out of place.

del_button November 13, 2006 at 10:33 AM
Anonymous said...

In episode four, one of the young men who has aspirations towards the priesthood calls out the abbot on his psychological drivel. Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel in this series.

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