Fools for Christ

The import of this homily is timeless yet also timely. It is timeless because, recurrently, over the centuries, “Christians felt that they were on the brink of death, fools for the sake of Christ… they lived a life that the people of the world could not understand, and that is why the world considered them the offscouring, the scum of society.” Yet the homily is also timely because, during this so-called time of crisis, in the climate of confusion, insecurity, and disillusionment, its admonitions can resurrect our values, give us a sense of security and hope, generate enthusiasm in our soul “that does not advocate anything, other than our sacrificing everything just to be with God.” …

It is not easy, nor is it accepted, in this day and age for someone to live as a fool for Christ. However, “all of us are ‘fools for Christ’ – to a greater or lesser degree – as the apostle Paul had said (cf 1Cor 4:10). Which Christian, living in the world, does not differ from those who do not believe?” Both the homily and the lifestyle of the saintly fools for Christ are a loud wake-up call to the lethargy of the day, an escape from worldly dignity and the passions, a readjust¬ment of the arrangements that provide for a life of indolence, and a “push and shove,” or a hopeful point de depart, for the people living around us.
Reading the homily for the first time, the reader will probably want to read it again a second or third time. Maybe for others it will be a source of delight, a booklet of daily comfort, or a dear companion as one braves the waves, the abuses, and the false dreams of life. We wish this to be true from the depths of our soul.

From the Prologue of The Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Simonos Petras Archimandrite Elisaios