“What an idiot!” -Napoleon Dynamite
St. Basil of Moscow
The glorious Cathedral in Moscow’s Red Square is dedicated to a saint of the Orthodox Church who is among those known as a “Fool for Christ”. It is an ascetic tradition in the Christian Church now pretty much lost to antiquity. Blessed Basil lived in Moscow and went about practically naked even in the winter. He was homeless and rather eccentric. He rebuked the Czar, Ivan the Terrible - for what I cannot remember. But he told him what he thought of him. The saint was not punished and the Czar accepted the rebuke.
There are examples of simple people rebuking the powerful even in the Bible, was it Simei who rebuked King David? I believe there was a simpleton who even rebuked St. Francis. St. Benedict Joseph Labre was never known to have rebuked anyone, although his very life, like that of the classic fool for Christ became a rebuke for the elite of his day.
I wonder if the saints were aware of what they were doing or simply spoke frankly in their honesty, albeit simple-mindedness? Certainly it was the Holy Spirit speaking through them however. I am intrigued by their lives. The Orthodox calendar has many fools, Xenia of St. Petersburg is one of the most recent examples. She was a homeless woman living in the 19th century. Search the internet for the stories of the lives of some of these saints. I wonder if they are not in our midst today among the homeless poor? I wonder sometimes about people I meet who have apparent mental problems, I wonder if they may not be saints. Or some of the ‘different’ people I see at St. Agnes Church - for sure I think they must be saints.
I want to be a saint but I know I’m far from it. I know I’m a fool as well - not for Christ however. Scripture says the “fool lifts up his head in laughter” as well as many other things the fool does - like saying the wrong thing to the wrong people at the wrong time. I do that all of the time, I lack discretion and prudence. Perhaps that is why I like the fools for Christ - they offer some hope for me. They were outsiders and so am I. Pray for me all of you holy fools that I may be worthy of the promises of Christ.
