“Our entire existence, our whole being must shout the Gospel from the rooftops. Our entire person must breathe Jesus, all our actions. Our whole life must cry out that we belong to Jesus, reflect a Gospel way of living. Our whole being must be a living proclamation, a reflection of Jesus.”
St Charles de Foucauld
Saint Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916) was a French Catholic priest, hermit, and missionary known for his profound spiritual journey and commitment to serving the marginalized. After a period of a restless and adventurous youth, he experienced a profound conversion and dedicated his life to imitating the life of Jesus in the most humble and austere manner.
Charles de Foucauld’s spirituality led him to live as a hermit in the Sahara Desert, adopting a life of prayer, simplicity, and solidarity with the local Tuareg people. He believed in the importance of living among the people he aimed to evangelize, embracing their language and culture. He also established a small community in Tamanrasset, Algeria, focused on providing support and care for the impoverished and marginalized.
His life was tragically cut short when he was assassinated in 1916. However, his writings, including his spiritual reflections and journals, left a lasting impact on many and contributed to his eventual canonization.
On December 13, 2020, Pope Francis canonized Charles de Foucauld, recognizing his exemplary life of holiness, devotion, and selfless service. Charles de Foucauld’s canonization serves as an inspiration to those who seek to follow the path of Christ through a life of humility, prayer, and solidarity with the marginalized.
His legacy continues to influence those dedicated to serving the poor and living out the Gospel message in their lives.
Every Christian must be an apostle, this is not a counsel, it is a commandment. My apostolate must be an apostolate of goodness. On seeing me people should say to themselves, since this man is so good, his religion must be good. And if I am asked why I am so gentle and good I must reply, because I am the servant of the One whose goodness is still greater. If only you knew how good my Master Jesus is!
Saint Charles de Foucauld
A Culture of Encounter – Charles de Foucauld
In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis speaks about a “culture of encounter”. It is an expression, which he has often used. I was struck by the Pope’s mention of Charles de Foucauld at the end of that encyclical. He cited him as someone who tried to express this culture of encounter by his life. He wrote,
“Blessed Charles directed his ideal of total surrender to God towards identification with the poor, abandoned in the depths of the African desert. In that setting, he expressed his desire to feel himself a brother to every human being, and asked a friend to “pray to God that I will truly be the brother of all”. He wanted to be, in the end, “the universal brother”. Yet only by identifying with the least did he come at last to be the brother of all. May God inspire that dream in each one of us”. Pope Francis