| |
This Sunday, May 15, 2022, Pope Francis will canonize 10 people, one of whom is Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916). Two years ago, Pope Francis recommended Charles as an example of someone who lived as a "brother of all" (Fratelli tutti, No. 287). Charles' way of life as a disciple of Christ could certainly be a good model for those of us working at Catholic Charities as we serve our brothers and sisters. Charles came to Christ after a long search for fulfillment among the created things of this world. He spent his youth and early adulthood pursuing entertainment and satisfying appetites, but these pursuits left him empty. His search changed when, as a French military officer in Morocco, he was impressed by the Muslims' practice of their faith. Memories of his own faith reemerged and he began a search for God. Charles began practicing Catholicism again and with the help of a spiritual director entered religious life. He had a special attraction to the hidden life of Jesus in Nazareth, where Jesus lived an ordinary life. Charles was ordained a priest at 43, and after some years in a Trappist monastery he located himself in the Saharan Desert in Tamanrasset in southern Algeria. He wanted to be the presence of Christ among people who did not have the Eucharist.  Blessed Charles de Foucauld, who was born in France in 1858, is pictured in an undated photo. He is among 10 new saints to be proclaimed by Pope Francis at a May 15 Vatican canonization ceremony. (CNS photo/courtesy of I.Media) |
His presence was, by no means, passive. Though he had no patience for crass proselytism, he did mean to evangelize by his service. He taught the local people, the Tuaregs, about farming, irrigation, knitting, and other activities. He compiled a French/Tuareg dictionary and learned their culture. He also provided emergency resources to the Tuaregs, and he shared with them stories from the Bible. Really, he set up what Pope Saint John Paul II calls a center of service to life (an apt description of a Catholic Charities agency; Evangelium vitae, No. 87). Many people nowadays, who call themselves little brothers and sisters of Jesus, imitate Charles' way of living. They serve their brothers and sisters with whom they live, in the immediate neighborhood or local community, tending to people's needs, both physical and spiritual. Like Charles, they intend to bring the presence of Christ to all their encounters. It's a beautiful way to live this life and to witness to eternal life. (If you would like to learn more about Charles, here are two excellent biographies: Charles de Foucauld, by Jean-Jacques Antier and The Sands of Tamanrasset, by Marion Mill Preminger.) Prayer of Abandonment by Blessed Charles de Foucauld My Father, I abandon myself to you. Make of me what you will. Whatever you make of me, I thank you. I am ready for everything I accept everything. Provided that your will be done in me, In all your creatures, I desire nothing else, Lord. I put my soul in your hands, I give it to you, Lord, With all the love in my heart, Because I love you, And because it is for me a need of love To give myself, To put myself in your hands unreservedly, With infinite trust. For you are my Father. |
|
