Fools For Christ.

Fools For Christ

It is easy to forget that our ways are not God’s ways, that there is usually a stark difference between what is popular and what is holy. Over the years, God has given us some pretty unusual people to make that point clear through the example of their own lives.  They are known in the Orthodox Church as “Fools for Christ” who, though perfectly sane, acted and spoke in ways that made them appear crazy in the eyes of many and went against the grain of their societies, such as: going about half naked no matter the weather, being homeless, speaking in riddles, and appearing to be clairvoyant. Through their unique witness, they called their neighbors to the life of a Kingdom not of this world.

If that seems strange, remember how St. Paul said that the cross of Christ is foolishness according to conventional human ways of thinking. (1 Cor. 1:18)  Recall how absurd it seemed to the Jews and the Gentiles to claim that the Son of God was born of a Virgin Mother, died on a cross, rose from the tomb, and ascended into heaven.  We often forget that even the most basic teachings of our faith seemed at first like nonsense to most people.

Even some of the Old Testament Prophets fit this same mold: Isaiah walked naked and barefoot (Isaiah 20:2-3), Ezekiel lay before a stone and ate bread while sitting on dung (Ezekiel 4:9-15), and Hosea married a harlot (Hosea 3).

John the Baptist also seemed “crazy” to many as a he dressed in camel skins, lived in the wilderness, subsided upon locust and honey, and forever called for the people to repent and make ready for the Messiah.

Fr. John