{"id":1063,"date":"2012-02-22T18:06:29","date_gmt":"2012-02-22T18:06:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/experts.patheos.com\/expert\/paulpeterjesep\/?p=1063"},"modified":"2012-02-22T18:06:29","modified_gmt":"2012-02-22T18:06:29","slug":"great-lent-walking-with-fools-for-christ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwithwisdom\/2012\/02\/great-lent-walking-with-fools-for-christ\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Lent – Walking with Fools for Christ"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Pysanky<\/a>The Eastern Orthodox Church does not celebrate Ash Wednesday.\u00a0 Preparation for Pascha (Easter) formally begins on \u201cClean\u201d Monday, February 27th<\/sup>.\u00a0 It marks the start of Great Lent or the Great Fast in the Orthodox calendar.\u00a0 During every Great Lent there is hope that the days leading up to Pascha are restorative and transformative.\u00a0 This year several Eastern Orthodox saints are walking with me known prior to their canonization as \u201cFools for Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several Holy Fools have tugged at my soul for weeks.\u00a0 During Great Lent I plan to get better acquainted with several of them:\u00a0 St. Basil of Moscow, Venerable Isidore of Rostiv, Blessed Paisius of Kyiv, St. Xenia of St. Petersburg, St. Andrew of Constantinople, and Blessed Pelagia Ivanovna of Diveyevo, among others.<\/p>\n

Holy Fools were called to lives that tested the powerful, challenged the self-righteous, nurtured faith among those in want, and called into question the external behavior that had more to do with routine than service to God.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
St. Basil of Moscow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

St. Basil of Moscow (1468?-1552?) stole to feed the poor and highlight the stinginess of the wealthy.\u00a0 He sometimes walked naked weighed down with heavy chains to draw attention to Ivan the Terrible\u2019s ruthlessness.<\/p>\n

Venerable Isidore of Rostiv, (d. 1474) gave up a life of wealth to pursue ceaseless prayer, sleeping little while living in squalor.\u00a0 If the Holy Fool wasn\u2019t praying then he wandered the streets drawing attention when he rested in manure or garbage.\u00a0 He prayed for those that mocked or rejected him while mentoring the spiritually hungry in his shabby hut that provided minimal shelter from the wind, rain, snow, and cold.<\/p>\n

Blessed Pelagia Ivanovna of Diveyevo (1809-1884) spent her early years enduring the abuse from a husband and other family members who were unable to manage her odd, unruly behavior.\u00a0 She prayed unceasingly.\u00a0 She endured beatings, imprisonment, and even being shackled in chains.\u00a0 Eventually, she was abandoned.\u00a0 Winter nights were spent sleeping outside a church.<\/p>\n

Approximately four years after being abandoned a nun brought her to a monastery.\u00a0 In some cases she received love and a great deal of patience in other cases verbal and even physical abuse.\u00a0 She had a habit of bringing dirt and rocks to the cells of many nuns.\u00a0 After spending a day walking the city she would return to the monastery covered in dirt and mud requiring someone clean her.<\/p>\n

In all the cases and others not cited Holy Fools developed and used during their lives spiritual gifts that included healing, prophecy, clairvoyance, and<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
St. Isidore of Rostiv<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

serving as a spiritual father or mother to those with the humility to look beyond their odd behavior and dirty, smelly, bodies.\u00a0 After their deaths miracles were attributed to them.<\/p>\n

They are a reminder to see the face of Christ in everyone.\u00a0 Their conduct nurtured Christian love and patience, a better understanding that wealth, social class, or church ritual could be superficial, unimportant, and frequently an obstacle to draw nearer to God.<\/p>\n

Today, these Holy Fools still invite us to ask ourselves:\u00a0 \u201cWhat kind of Christian am I?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cWhat self-arrogance have I confused with piety or humility?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cHave I forgotten that despite my education, my accomplishments, and professional pedigree that God does not love me more<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Blessed Pelagia Ivanovna of Diveyevo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

than Venerable Isidore who rested in manure?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cWhat makes me think I\u2019m spiritually grounded after reflecting on the lives of Holy Fools?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cDo I really love God or have I deluded myself into thinking that I love God?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cDo I give of my time or money to those in need because it\u2019s the right thing to do or am I expecting a reward from God?\u201d<\/p>\n

Non-Christians and especially Christians during their Lenten reflection may find the film \u201cOstrov<\/a>\u201d or \u201cThe Island<\/a>\u201d of much interest.\u00a0 It\u2019s a Russian film with English subtitles available on Netflix.\u00a0 It\u2019s about an Orthodox monk who lives a life of repentance while challenging those, including fellow monks, over their worldly attachments, superficial worship, and exhibitions of false humility.<\/p>\n

We often make New Year\u2019s Resolutions \u2013 lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier, earn or finish a degree, be more responsive to a significant other, etc.\u00a0 This special time of prayerful reflection and meditation is an opportunity to nurture and conceive Spiritual Resolutions as we prepare for the transformative feast of Pascha.\u00a0 God\u2019s Holy Fools invite us to love more, judge less, and to grow spiritually.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.\u00a0 We are fools for Christ\u2019s sake (1 Cor. 4:9 \u2013 10).\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Eastern Orthodox Church does not celebrate Ash Wednesday.\u00a0 Preparation for Pascha (Easter) formally begins on \u201cClean\u201d Monday, February 27th.\u00a0 It marks the start of Great Lent or the Great Fast in the Orthodox calendar.\u00a0 During every Great Lent there is hope that the days leading up to Pascha are restorative and transformative.\u00a0 This year […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":969,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5,51,54],"class_list":["post-1063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-ash-wednesday","tag-fools-for-christ","tag-great-lent"],"yoast_head":"\nGreat Lent - Walking with Fools for Christ<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Eastern Orthodox Church does not celebrate Ash Wednesday.\u00a0 Preparation for Pascha (Easter) formally begins on \u201cClean\u201d Monday, February 27th.\u00a0 It marks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwithwisdom\/2012\/02\/great-lent-walking-with-fools-for-christ\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Great Lent - 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