Yesterday was the feast of Saint Martin of Tours. He is the patronal saint of our chapel and is considered a model for the parish priest even though he never, to my knowledge, had a parish per se. He lived in the 4th century in Hungary and went to church against his parent’s wishes. He then was conscripted into the army but refused to kill – not good in the army. And he gave half his gorgeous Roman red cloak to a beggar – who hagiography says was Jesus in disguise… duh …all homeless people are Jesus in disguise …that’s Jesus 101!
So anyways, Martin was just trying to be loved by, and to love, God. So he became a monk. He wanted to live a quiet life with some other people who love Jesus so he chose monastic life but was soon inundated by people who followed him to his solitude because his spirituality was authentic and so, attractive. But he escaped them.
Then he was made a Bishop (which he was not thrilled about!) and so he made a little monk’s cell by the cathedral but then too many people came to him so he found a secret bit of land outside the city only accessible by a two foot wide path. He made a hut there and lived there as a Bishop in a time when most had palaces (which he was not thrilled about!)
And there he was happy. Which he was thrilled about. I guess.
So what does this mean for us?
Find your hermitage. Find your way of giving life to your inner-monk or nun. Find time and place to be intimate with God and to see yourself. Be aware. The best Christians I know are not he wise ones or the Holy ones (whatever that means!?) or the brilliant ones or the type A’s or the Church Executives. The best ones I know, know themselves. And how do they know themselves? In their quiet-times with God each day, God takes them on a guided tour of their beauty…and their everything else. So take the tour like Martin did. (Pun intended.)
