Monasticism and the Order of the Church

Monasticism has always been this beacon for the church. The authentic life of the church is preserved in the monasteries when other Christians have been overcome by the spirit of the world. So there is a saying in the church and it's reflected in St. John the latter that the angels are light to monks and the monks are light to the world. Father Theodore Zissis says that St. John Chrysostom repeatedly admonishes the faithful to visit monasteries so they might see for themselves the application of Christianity's ascetic principles.