Monks May Live Longer

""I consider no other labor as difficult as prayer. When we are ready to pray, our spiritual enemies interfere. They understand it is only by making it difficult for us to pray that they can harm us. Other things will meet with success if we keep at it, but laboring at prayer is a war that will continue until we die." + Abba Agathon Monks may live longer than other men, according to a German study. The Benedictine publication Missionblatter has published the findings of a demographic survey by Marc Luy of Rostock, Germany, who analyzed the age of monks in different monasteries and found that on average, monks live 4 years longer than other men. Professor Luy admitted that he still does not know why monks live longer. His hypothesis is that monks smoke less, have a regular daily routine, and do not cease working at age 65. He also believes that monks' spiritual lives help them to deal with daily stress. The researcher also found that there is no difference between the average life span of monks and consecrated women. The report of the study to hand does not say anything about the longevity of other consecrated men or priests in general.