Community life
“Oh how good it is, when brothers dwell in unity!”
(Psalm 133, 1)
"The witness given by contemplatives is particularly significant. For them, fraternal life has broader and deeper dimensions, which flow from the fundamental requirement of this special vocation, namely, that of seeking God alone in silence and prayer. Their constant attention to God makes their attention to the other members of the community more delicate and respectful, and contemplation becomes a force that frees them from all forms of selfishness. Fraternal life in common, in a monastery, is called to be a living sign of the mystery of the Church: the greater the mystery of grace, the richer the fruit of salvation" (Fraternal Life in Community, CIVCSVA).
Community life is always lived with great intensity in our houses, to reflect the great commandment of the law of God "to love God above all things and your neighbor as yourself" (cf. Mk 12:31). The exterior and interior silence which is lived throughout the day is only "broken" at times of recreation.
It is in moments of recreation that the virtue of eutrapelia should shine; for according to St. Thomas of Aquinas, rest, recreation and respite "must be weighed by reason. Since every habit that works in conformity with reason is virtue, it follows that there can also be virtue in play, which the Philosopher calls eutrapelia. The man who has the grace to turn words and deeds into a motive for solace is called eutrapelic, a word that comes from the word good turn.”
This virtue will manifest the spiritual and supernatural joy of the one who has contemplated the passionate mystery of the Incarnate Word.
The recreations of the contemplatives will be, then, rest for the soul at the same time that an occasion to practice virtues, to gain merits and to strengthen community life.