The monk, departing from this world, attempts to save this world. For one, he beckons the world to follow him and thereby also to be saved. But moreover, he departs from the world to become closer to God, free of worldly distractions. Therefore he departs so that he may pray. Being without distraction, the power of his prayer is increased. With fervent prayer he prays for the world. For even when he prays for mercy upon himself, he also prays for mercy upon the world. This is because he loves the world. He departs the world out of love for the world, not hatred of it.
St. Paisios, the Elder of Mt. Athos, said the following:
Of course, when their unit is in danger, some mindless soldiers also share the irrational demand … that the radio operator should leave the radio aside and grab his rifle, as if by adding one more gun to the two hundred others he will salvage the situation. While the radio operator clamours to make contact, yelling "calling headquarters, come in, come in" etc., the others think that he calls pointlessly into the wind. However, astute radio operators pay no attention, even if they are reviled. They struggle until they make contact and then ask for immediate help from Headquarters and the air forces arrive, as well as the armed forces, the navy etc. Thus, in this way, and not with their meagre rifles, the unit is saved. The same applies to monks who advance with divine power, with their prayer, and not with their negligible individual powers. It is especially the case in our age, when evil is so widespread, that we are in need of God's intervention. (Epistles)
Notably, St. Paisios (as a layman named Arsenios) served as a radio operator in the civil war in Greece. He would later become a "spiritual radio operator" as a monk. As radio operators communicate through radio waves, which are like waves of light, so do monks communicate with God through the divine energies, which are light. The heart, dwelling in prayer, is the radio by which the monk listens and speaks to God.
The Orthodox Christian, even if he is not a monk or she is not a nun, also departs from this world in a sense. He lives in this world, though he is not of it: "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (John 15:19)
He or she begins to live the eternal life even in this life, taking refuge not in worldly things, but in the Church and Her sacred mysteries. He does not allow the ways of the world to drag him out to sea. He aims to be free from sin in a society that celebrates sin. He does not care for wealth or possessions, nor for sensual pleasure. He does not fear pain nor death. His feet may be on earth but his head is in heaven. And so he is caught up in prayer, not moved easily by the distractions of daily life. So we must live also.
Some indignant persons may accuse him of idleness or of fantasy or detachment. They may say he gives not enough care to the work they think needs to be done, nor to the things of this life. In the same way, they accuse the monks and nuns. But recall how Martha was troubled that her sister Mary was not helping serve the guests, while Mary was sitting at Christ's feet in contemplation of His word. Jesus then said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)
And so those "mindless soldiers" who call for the radio operator to take up his gun and leave his post are like Martha, but the radio operator is like Mary. And while there is a right time for service in the manner of Martha, Christ says of Mary that she "has chosen the better portion." For this reason the monk departs for the contemplative life, setting an example for all Christians, even those in the world, to follow.
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