Withdrawal and Return: Reflections on Monastic Retreat from the World

Among the central paradoxes of monasticism in the Western tradition hasbeen the ongoing tension between the desire for marginality and freedomfrom the world and the sense of responsibility to take a prophetic stancebefore the church and society. Aspects of this paradox of withdrawal andreturn, flight and commitment, are investigated here through an examinationof three paradigmatic monastics: Antony the First Hermit, Hildegard ofBingen, and Thomas Merton. The ideal monastic, in Jean Leclercq's terms, issomeone who is both free of the world and also free for the world.