It is the interpersonal life of the people living together as they make their journey to God. Yet on the average, monks tend to dive into work rather than into interpersonal relationships. Work or rules. In recent years we have become more conscious of being monastic. Monastic life is not just another religious community which does ministry within the Church and society.
Monastic life is different.
Its origin is not grounded in ministerial works, but in the seeking of God through the Word and the community. American Benedictines have reclaimed the word monastic and now are rediscovering its meaning and enfleshing it in the present. Yet one of the problems up to now has been that some members of a community have difficulty with the concept or even the word monastic. Others like the term, but not its import. This has caused tension in some communities, while in others it has resulted in mutual tolerance.