Necessity

“We have solemnly renounced the world and therefore, whilst we continue in it, we should behave like strangers and pilgrims.” (Saint Cyprian).

Saint Charbel (Photograph)

There are great Saints who lived very simple lives.

Saint Charbel was not a learned man.  He was not well known during his lifetime.  He did not live among groups of people and was not known outside his own country – or even outside his own region in the Mountains of Lebanon (during his lifetime).

This Saint lived very simply.  He received permission to live as a hermit – alone in the mountains in Lebanon.  He slept in a cold cave on a wooden plant with a wooden log as his pillow.  He ate bread, potato and green herbs that he grew in his own garden.  He abstained from meat and fish and sugar.  He worse a simple robe and sandals – in the winter snow and the summer heat.  He grew his beard and his hair.  He did all of these things because he could see a future – in eternity – that was so satisfying to him that he was willing to focus everything that he had on reaching that eternal state…

There is one photograph of Saint Charbel.  It shows his face with his eyes closed.  This is because the photograph was taken of him AFTER his dead body was exhumed from his grave after the monks noticed a bright light illuminating his grave and saw this as a sign to investigate the manner of his death.  During his life Saint Charbel did not pose of photographs.

Saint Cyprian said, “We have solemnly renounced the world and therefore, whilst we continue in it, we should behave like strangers and pilgrims.”

And I have been thinking about this in light of my own life.  Clearly, I was not called to the life of a hermit.  Firstly, I am not holy enough to be able to live a life of prayer in the way that would be required of me.  I am far too easily distracted with a variety of other things that get in my way.  My mind buzzes like a flea from one thought to another and I barely have time to stop and reflect on the God who I am addressing in prayer.  Now, this is a limitation of my discipline.  And because I am undisciplined I am unable to apply myself to prayer in the way that God is asking me to.

Sister Faustina Maria Pia wrote in “Jesus I trust in You”, “Looking at the crucifix in my room one Friday afternoon, a new courage came over me to finally stand in the truth of my profound need for God. Instead of feeling like a failure in His eyes, I was met with the realisation that God wanted far more than to provide for my necessities. In these moments immediately prior to the inspirations to write the Litany of Trust, I had an experience which is impossible to capture in words. It was as if Jesus were gently lifting my chin to look at Him. It was as if He were saying ‘I don't want you to give your ‘yes’ to a set of circumstances but to Me.’”

And I have been thinking about that today, because it seems to me that I simply need to trust that God has more than my necessities at heart – He has the whole of my future – eternal as it is – and He holds onto what I want (all the little distractions) just so that I can receive what He created me to receive – even when I cannot even imagine it there…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.