Charles de Foucauld
Thursday, December 2, 2010 -- Week of 1 Advent, Year One
Charles de Foucauld, Hermit and Martyr in the Sahara, 1916 (fm. Dec. 1)
Channing Moore Williams, Missionary Bishop in China and Japan, 1910
To read about our daily commemorations, go to our Holy Women, Holy Men blog:
http://liturgyandmusic.wordpress.com/category/holy-women-holy-men/
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 936)
Psalms 18:1-20 (morning) 18:21-50 (evening)
Isaiah 2:12-20
1 Thessalonians :1-13
Luke 20:27-40
As I was setting up yesterday's Daily Office, I missed it that we have added Charles de Foucauld as a proposed commemoration on December 1. He is such a compelling figure that I wanted to make sure I didn't pass him by, so I've referenced him today and spent some time with him.
Brother Charles offers us a remarkable example of a deeply admirable life, but also a picture of graceful interfaith witness. In his 40's he moved to the Sahara "where his desire was to live a 'ministry of presence' among 'the furthest removed, the most abandoned.' He believed his call was to live among those who faith and culture differed from his own. To witness Christ among them was not to be eloquent preaching or missionary demands, but 'to shout the Gospel with his life.' Charles sought to live so that those who saw his life would ask, 'If such is the servant, what must the Master be like?'" (from Holy Women, Holy Men)
He lived among the Tuareg people in southern Algeria. He shared their poverty and hardship, learned their language and culture, and created a dictionary and grammar for their language. Those writings were published after his death, and are full of rich descriptions and drawings. During the days of uprising against the French colonials, he was shot and killed by passing bedouins, alone at his hermitage. His life was the inspiration for several new religious communities, including the Little Brothers of Jesus and the Little Sisters of Jesus. He is credited with reviving the desert spirituality movement of the twentieth century, and he helped inspire western scholarship about Islam. He was beatified by the Roman Catholic Church in 2005.
A quote: "The moment I realized God existed, I knew that I could not do otherwise than to live for Him Alone... Faith strips the mask from the world and renders meaningless such words as anxiety, danger and fear, so the believer goes through life calmly and peacefully, with profound joy-- like a child, hand and hand with his mother.
Here is his famous prayer of abandonment:
Father,
I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul;
I offer it to you
with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord,
and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands,
without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.
There are few better examples of interfaith witness than Brother Charles. How much more peaceful our world would be if all Christians had lived with their non-Christians neighbors in his spirit.
Charles de Foucauld, Hermit and Martyr in the Sahara, 1916 (fm. Dec. 1)
Channing Moore Williams, Missionary Bishop in China and Japan, 1910
To read about our daily commemorations, go to our Holy Women, Holy Men blog:
http://liturgyandmusic.wordpress.com/category/holy-women-holy-men/
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 936)
Psalms 18:1-20 (morning) 18:21-50 (evening)
Isaiah 2:12-20
1 Thessalonians :1-13
Luke 20:27-40
As I was setting up yesterday's Daily Office, I missed it that we have added Charles de Foucauld as a proposed commemoration on December 1. He is such a compelling figure that I wanted to make sure I didn't pass him by, so I've referenced him today and spent some time with him.
Brother Charles offers us a remarkable example of a deeply admirable life, but also a picture of graceful interfaith witness. In his 40's he moved to the Sahara "where his desire was to live a 'ministry of presence' among 'the furthest removed, the most abandoned.' He believed his call was to live among those who faith and culture differed from his own. To witness Christ among them was not to be eloquent preaching or missionary demands, but 'to shout the Gospel with his life.' Charles sought to live so that those who saw his life would ask, 'If such is the servant, what must the Master be like?'" (from Holy Women, Holy Men)
He lived among the Tuareg people in southern Algeria. He shared their poverty and hardship, learned their language and culture, and created a dictionary and grammar for their language. Those writings were published after his death, and are full of rich descriptions and drawings. During the days of uprising against the French colonials, he was shot and killed by passing bedouins, alone at his hermitage. His life was the inspiration for several new religious communities, including the Little Brothers of Jesus and the Little Sisters of Jesus. He is credited with reviving the desert spirituality movement of the twentieth century, and he helped inspire western scholarship about Islam. He was beatified by the Roman Catholic Church in 2005.
A quote: "The moment I realized God existed, I knew that I could not do otherwise than to live for Him Alone... Faith strips the mask from the world and renders meaningless such words as anxiety, danger and fear, so the believer goes through life calmly and peacefully, with profound joy-- like a child, hand and hand with his mother.
Here is his famous prayer of abandonment:
Father,
I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul;
I offer it to you
with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord,
and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands,
without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.
There are few better examples of interfaith witness than Brother Charles. How much more peaceful our world would be if all Christians had lived with their non-Christians neighbors in his spirit.
Lowell
__________________
Audio podcast: Listen to an audio podcast of the most recent Morning Reflections from today and the past week. Click the following link: -- Morning Reflection Podcasts About Morning Reflections "Morning Reflections" is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church. Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer. Evening Prayer begins on p. 117 An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at missionstclare.com -- Click for online Daily Office Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html -- Click for Divine Hours Discussion Blog: To comment on today's reflection or readings, go to http://lowellsblog.blogspot.com, or click here for Lowell's blog find today's reading, click "comment" at the bottom of the reading, and post your thoughts. |
The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love. See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org Our Rule of Life: We aspire to... worship weekly pray daily learn constantly serve joyfully live generously. Lowell Grisham, Rector St. Paul's Episcopal Church Fayetteville, Arkansas |
posted by Lowell @ 8:55 AM
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http://www.brothercharles.org/original/
North American Web site for Charles de Foucauld.
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