Monasticism with a modern touch
St. Anthony’s Monastery in Egypt is considered by many to be the world’s oldest active Christian monastery. For over 1500 years, the monks have been living in this isolated area in the Sinai peninsula since the days St. Anthony abandoned society to settle in the desert seeking a total spiritual connection with God.
Now that connection involves God’s children, mostly European tourists and pilgrims who flock to this place to witness the early Christian way of life. The monks, at least some, actually use mobile phones, send e-mails and maintain a website.
“There is nothing wrong with microwaves or mobile phones — they save time,” Egyptian monk Ruwais el-Anthony, who has lived at the monastery for more than 30 years, said through a bushy white beard. “But God will ask you what you have done with the time that was saved.”
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