Exilic, Monastic Questing

After the betrayal and annihilation of the Jedi (Episode III – Revenge of the Sith), Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda each enter a kind of exile, a kind of retreat.

This is not admittance of defeat or even a military retreat (tho' some would argue the point). Rather, it is a move much like that which Jesus makes when confronted by the hungry mob that brings Him the woman caught in adultery (Jn 8, 1-11). Obi-Wan and Yoda know the way the wind is blowing and duck, momentarily, out of its force. To try to match the power of the crowd is not only succumbing to mimesis' doubling rivalry; it can be catastrophic.

So, for the time the two Jedi remove themselves from the arena of satanic power. So did Saint Anthony, the founder of Christian monasticism, and other Desert Fathers. So do many still today.

What does a kind of exilic monasticism look like for the one devoted to Our Lord in Marian chivalry? I am convinced that the "meek shall inherit the earth" (Mtt 5,5), even the meek who from time to time must practice legitimate defense.

This will be an area of great concern here at Chronicles of Atlantis. I invite any reader to join in this prayerful Quest with me.