 |
|
“And He (Jesus) said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers
of men.” — Matthew 4:19
(NAS)
Click here to enlarge
These young men are slaves to the fishing industry on Lake Volta in
Ghana, West Africa. Some children are as young as 3 years old. They work 14-hour
days paddling fishing canoes and casting nets. Many of the children have
ringworm and parasites. They do not know their last name or age. Rescuing and
providing for abandoned, enslaved children in that country is the goal of
Johnbull and Stacy Omorefe of Sioux Falls, S.D., through their City of Refuge
Ministries.
|
Christ changes woman who was on drugs and married to a drug dealer.
|
Growing Ministry: Living Stones News – Good News for the Midwest
Volunteer delivery positions: LSN needs delivery persons for West Duluth
and South Superior, If you have an hour or two a month and would like to help
get the LSN newspaper out, we invite you join the LSN family.
Advertising salespersons wanted: Want to earn extra cash each month? Come
sell advertising for growing Christian newspaper ministry — South Dakota,
Minnesota or Wisconsin. Paid commissions.
Volunteer managers for Resources Directory: LSN needs volunteers in the
Duluth, Minn., Grand Rapids, Minn., Chequamegon Bay, Wis., and Sioux Falls,
S.D., areas to manage online Christian resources that help people, such as
books, support groups and links to major ministries.
Contact Corinne Scott at (218) 728-4945, (605) 336-6870 or e-mail
Corinne for more
information.
|
| |
By Leslie Wilson
In Nothing, Everything!
"For this is the will of God, that you should be consecrated (separated and set
apart for pure and holy living) . . ." 1 Thessalonians 4:3 (Amplified Bible). As
followers of Christ, we are all called to lead a consecrated life. Among
Catholics, in particular, there is a special type of follower who may be your
neighbor or, perhaps, a hermit you’ve heard about who lives in seclusion. Many
profess vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Prayer, frequent and fervent,
is the focal point of their lives. Besides the well-known religious orders,
these individuals may be part of a smaller group of brothers or sisters, perhaps
living in a house down the street. They may be living and working much like
anyone. Or they may be leading a contemplative life in seclusion. Some wear
habits but nowadays many opt for ordinary clothes. Some are active in their
community, often through social work, education, or health care. Others spend
much of their time in prayer, in devotion to God, and in manual labor.
I’ve been privileged to count one such woman as a dear friend. She is a
Franciscan sister. Respecting her chosen path of humility, I’ll call her Mary.
Beneath the blue denim covering her white hair, are bright eyes that twinkle
when she gets excited about something in God’s world or when she laughs over His
way of dealing with us wayward children. Her no-frills, joy-filled life of Godly
simplicity inspired me to research this piece. Following a national article on a
local hermit which appeared in the June 20 edition of Newsweek, I wanted to
share a Christian perspective on this way of life with you.
From an icon written by "Mary" of the Holy Mountain of God, a
professed hermit in the Diocese of ....The original work is that of
the 16th century Greek painter, Theophan the Cretan. While leading a
quiet contemplative life in solitude, Mary’s prayers and artwork
touch the world. Her icons are carefully, prayerfully painted using
ancient techniques and materials of acrylic gouache on birch with
finishing touches of pure gold. While patterned after existing icons
of antiquity, Mary’s personal touches bring special life and meaning
to each piece.
"The icon is an encounter with the holy," she writes in a short
essay titled, "Windows to Heaven". "What the Gospel says to us in
words, the icon announces to us in colors and makes it present to us
in image . . . The grace and truth of God is not limited to the
intellect; it can enter the soul through the eyes and the heart as
well. The iconographer enters into a period of prayer and fasting, a
time of preparation before beginning work on an icon; for divine
inspiration is necessary in order to produce something that will be
inspirational. They are the servants of God and the whole process is
considered prayer."
Each commissioned icon is a long and sometimes exhausting work. "I
especially have difficulty keeping my hand steady at the end, when
the delicate gold leaf detail must be applied. It takes a lot of
prayer to get it just right!" |
From the time we met through a mutual friend, Mary and I have enjoyed each
other’s company, sharing an occasional pleasant afternoon together, usually at
my cottage since hers is a place of solitude. We discuss typical topics:
gardening and birds, housework and bills, daily living in this world and beyond
. . . and bone yards. My husband and I have an ample bone yard, well endowed
over the years with gems like leftover lumber, fencing, and pipes. We happily
picked over pipes one day so she could build a pole for her bird feeder. In the
beginning, there were a few basic differences I needed to learn, like when to
call (she does have a telephone and radio but no television). I once called in
the evening, not realizing she retired for the night around 6:30. After a night
divided in half by midnight prayers, she rises around 4:30 a.m.
Mary has whittled away much of the busyness and stuff of life – stuff which most
Americans feel are essential, stuff which often steals precious time, energy,
and peace. However, even living frugally costs money. Not being part of a
religious community, she must provide for most of her own needs, largely through
payment for her artwork and donations like eggs, venison, or firewood from a
friend. Mary makes several trips a year to La Crosse, Wis. Here she gets prints
and cards made from her original icon paintings. Down there, she often stays
with a farm family where she’ll pitch in and help in exchange for a room. She
also enjoys a time of spiritual freshening and fellowship at the convent of the
Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. Sometimes she attends seminars to
learn more about the ancient art of iconography, which she so skillfully works
to keep alive. She traveled to Europe several years ago to help post-communist
Romanian and Hungarian Christians rediscover their ancient spiritual roots.
In describing her personality that helped lead her to this austere lifestyle,
Mary said, "I’m either a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’, nothing in between." She laughed
again. "I’m a survivor."
Her long life before becoming a hermit was filled with family, career, and
wealth. Tragedy and tough times helped mold her into the kind of person who
could give away nearly all her possessions, comfortable lifestyle, and regular
family visits to follow a path of godly service, solitude, and poverty. She
would be the first to tell you, it’s been a life filled with the overflowing
wealth of God’s grace and blessings.
"When I had everything, I had nothing," she said. "Now that I have nothing, I
have everything!"
At age 55, after the sudden death of her beloved second husband, she became a
Franciscan lay volunteer. While ministering in Africa she enjoyed the
companionship of a dear woman, servant to a bishop, who carried a jug of water
every day to her home. It was the only water Mary had those days. This woman
gave her a special feast near the end of her stay. Though quite poor, the
servant purchased a fish considered to be a delicacy. She saved the best part
for her American friend: the eyeballs. With much prayer and fast thinking, Mary
praised the lady for all she had done and, in turn, offered the eyeballs back to
her in appreciation.
I once asked what made her decide to become a hermit.
"Hermits` have been around since the beginning of time," she said. "After
Africa, I spent some time living in a one-room cabin high on a mountain of
Pennsylvania. I studied iconography there and learned from my instructor that we
didn’t sign our work, since it was God who was really responsible. But we could
write on the back, ‘Through the undeserving hands of . . .’ and then write our
name," she said. "I decided to sign mine Mary of the Mountain. But now it’s Mary
of the Holy Mountain of God because my only goal in life is to ascend to the top
of the holy mountain as the Lord will let me."
In answer to my question Mary said, "It was around that time that I met a hermit
at a retreat who told me about being an independent hermit in the Catholic
Church under Canon 603.
This law states: "the [Catholic] church recognizes the eremetic or anchoritic
life by which the Christian faithful devote their life to the praise of God and
salvation of the world through a stricter separation from the world, the silence
of solitude and assiduous prayer and penance." They submit a plan for their new
life and profess vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to their local bishop.
Thus a hermit is born.
Mary’s eyes sparkled as she joked, "I said to the Lord, ‘Is that what I am?’ and
He laughed." She broke into laughter herself. So this petite, 50-something lady
became a "Franciscan of the Third Order." Though not directly connected to any
particular community or order, she has taken solemn vows and is directly under
the leadership of the bishop of her diocese.
A traveler who finds the way to her hermitage is welcomed to visit, to ask for
prayer, to refresh the spirit in the chapel room. Here, in this sun-bright niche
devoted to God, is a beautiful altar from a church, donated by a Franciscan
friend. It was reverently trimmed to fit the small sanctuary. Flowers from God’s
beautiful world often grace the chapel. Here, for a small donation, one can take
home an icon wall plaque mounted on birch or some note cards, helping to sustain
one simple life given to God. If she’ll let you. I’ve tried to purchase her
prints but she smiled and said, "Oh, no. These are a gift!"
Occasionally, people – not understanding her chosen path – have been distant,
rude, or even cruel. Her contact with others may be less than most, but Mary
enjoys a friendly conversation and a welcoming hug as much as anyone. There have
been places and times where hermits were commonplace, a welcomed presence,
lovingly supported and appreciated for their unique contribution to the
spiritual fabric of a community. In recent years hermits have increased in
number. Millionaire-turned-monk Jay Gould became a Franciscan brother serving
God and the poor in Denver, Colo.
"Every hermit is different," Mary said. "God just calls us in different ways and
into different service."
There are religious communities which are open to all Christians, sharing in a
common life of prayer, service, study, and tithes often guided by the
time-honored pillars of poverty, chastity, and obedience. While non-Catholics,
by and large, do not have similar religious groups, there are an infinite number
of ways believers are encouraged to live a life committed to Christ right where
they are. Led by God, many of Jesus’ followers become founders of ministries.
Some offer their properties as retreat centers and camps for a never-ending flow
of Christ-centered praise and service. Others share their homes as havens – full
time or occasionally – to extend love of Christ to others in need of a place to
stay awhile or to call home. The possibilities are as endless as the God-given
inspiration in each of us.
Whether we like the idea or not, following Jesus means we are not only saved but
are called to live a life separated from the world, consecrated to God alone.
Each path is different, uniquely ours as God leads us. It was Jesus "Who
delivered and saved us and called us with a calling in itself holy and leading
to holiness (to a life of consecration); not because of anything of merit that
we have done, but because of and to further His own purpose and grace (unmerited
favor) which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." Timothy 1:9
(Amplified Bible) We surely don’t deserve it – many of us can’t even imagine it
– but we are called to a consecrated life, each and every one of us.
At a time when many of us feel our life is winding down, this spunky woman is
carving a new world of praise to God. Betsy Childs, in an essay titled, "The
Consecrated Life," tells us, "Neither do we ever reach a point when it is too
late to consecrate our lives . . . The rest of the day lies before you. Whether
you view it as mundane or harrowing, it is raw material waiting to be offered
up. Will you pause for a moment, and consecrate it to God?"1
1 Childs, Betsy, "The Consecrated Life", © 2005 Ravi Zacharias International
Ministries. All Rights Reserved.
|
| |
|
Associated Topics
 |
|
|
Sorry, Comments are not available for this article. |
|
|
|
