Interesting - I think it's amazing that they are doing what they are doing. And interestingly enough, it's not something they are alone in.
One can be a monk in various ways without necessarily living in a monastery - I've known others who used to be monks in Orthodox monasteries for a significant amount of time before choosing to leave and later become married. They never forgot their experiences nor did the impact of it become forgotten - for when it comes to the spirituality of the monks. it is a living expression that is not limited to one place.
What's interesting to consider is that within Celtic culture, there were many cases where the monks were married. That may be shocking to others - but it should always be kept in mind that Celtic monasticism was radically different than what occurred within the Roman Empire. For much of Ireland was influenced
by the monks of the Eastern desert, particularly the writings of John Cassian. When this form or expression of the faith returned to Ireland, it blended in with other local cultural understandings and ways of doing things, just as it has whereever it is taken. Additionally, the Celtic notion of "monastery" was worlds different than the typical medieval monastery which existed in Europe. It was a village model, rather than one where there were huge buildings of stone - and due to the makeup of the orders being more extensive (as they went beyond the model of Bishop, priest and deacon), there was room for more categories. Because the entire village was essentially a "monastery" for the Irish, it was a community endeavor - and as another noted best,
"It was precisely because the monastic communities were like loving families that they had such a long-lasting and complete influence on the Irish people as a whole. ..These schools were the seedbeds of saints and scholars: literally thousands of young men and women received their formation in these communities. Some of them would stay and enter fully into monastic life, while others would return to their homes, marry, and raise their children in accordance with the profound Christian way of life that they had assimilated in the monastery" - the I
rish Orthodox Church is rather fascinating when seeing its history.
But with that said, the asceticism that is developed within the monastery life is something that married men and married women both can walk in - with monasticism being walked out in that sense while also walking out their marriage. As, "those who live in the world, even though married, ought to resemble the monks in everything else." In the Desert (as it concerns the Desert Fathers and Mothers),
the life of renunciation and simplicity was the message for all Christians, whether married and caring for families or single. And St. John of Chrysostom did note once that
When Christ orders us to follow the narrow path, he addresses himself to all...the monastic and the lay person must attain the same heights...those who live in the world, even though married, ought to resemble the monks in everything else."
For a good review:
As said there (from a brief excerpt):
1) We need to distinguish asceticism from monasticism. Many converts, awash in the wonderful spiritual literature of the Orthodox tradition, like thePhilokalia, the Ladder of Divine Ascent or Unseen Warfare, receive the impression that only monastics are called to be ascetics. Nothing could be further from the truth. All Christians are called to the ascetic life. In Matthew 16, Jesus gives us the fundamental law of Christian discipleship: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it"(Mt.16:24-25). The essence of the ascetic life is precisely denying oneself for Christ's sake and taking up one's cross to follow Him. There is no other way to follow Christ; it is ascetic through and through and all Christians, monastic, clergy and laity have the same path.
To show the universal nature of Orthodox ascesis and its intimate union with noetic prayer, let us look at the ringing declaration of St. Simeon of Thessalonica about praying with the Name of Jesus Christ (Little Russian Philokalia, Vol.4, p.146):
Let every pious man continually repeat this Name as a Prayer in his mind and with his tongue. Let him always constrain himself to do this while standing, traveling, sitting, resting, speaking, and doing all things. Then he shall find great peace and joy, as those who have occupied themselves with it know from experience. This activity is both for those in worldly life and for those monks who are in the midst of turmoil. Each one must strive to occupy himself with this Prayer, even if to a limited extent only. All, clergy, monks and laymen, must have this Prayer as a guide, practicing it according to their ability.
The monks are dedicated, and have an indispensable obligation to do this...The clergy must be diligent in this Prayer as though it were apostolic work and Divine preaching ...Let those who are in the world work at this as a sealing of themselves, a sign of their faith, a protector, sanctification, and expeller of every temptation...let everyone devote time, according to his ability, and have a certain amount of this Prayer as an obligation.(Italics added).
Following this, it does not seem necessary to cite the multitude of possible patristic sources which would confirm our point in order to conclude that the Christian way of ascesis, the way of the cross, is not automatically monasticism, which is but one of its forms, though the preeminent one. Ascesis is required of all Orthodox Christians.
2) We need also to distinguish between the institution of monasticism and the 'monastic ideal'. According to St. Theophan the Recluse, the institution of monasticism consists of the monastic ranks (novice, ryassaphore, full tonsure, great Schema), the monastic rule (the major points of which are fasting, obedience, prayer) and the monastic forms (cenobitic, eremetic, sketic). This is the 'external image' of monasticism. But the 'internal image' of monasticism, its essence, according to St. Theophan, is "a perpetual labor of conquering passions and uprooting them in order that one may preserve oneself before the face of God in a pure and immaculate state". Clearly single and married non-monastics do not live according to monasticism's external order, but who would dare to say that non-monastic Christians do not also have the responsibility to labor perpetually to conquer passions in order to preserve themselves before God in a pure and immaculate state? As Theophan himself says, "There are lay women in light-colored dresses who are nuns in spirit and there are monastics in black mantles who are laywomen at heart" (Kindling the Divine Spark). From this perspective, lay people, according to St. Theophan the Recluse, need not feel themselves excluded from any spiritual possibility simply on the basis of their life amid the cares of the world.
