This week I am going to conclude my reflections on the “locations” or types of spiritual life in the writings of Blessed Charles de Foucauld.  First I looked at “Nazareth” which is the spirituality of hiddenness and obscurity.  Last week I discussed the “Desert” which is the time of struggle and dryness in the spiritual life.  Now we turn to the aspect of the spiritual life that is most familiar to us, the “Public Life,” which includes the spirituality of living our ordinary, daily lives and work.  Please remember, in a mature, spiritual person, all three of these “locations” or types have been or will be operative; but one is likely to predominate at a particular time.

    Like the other two “locations,” the Public Life has its own dangers and graces.  The dangers of the Public Life can be seen in the temptations that Jesus face in the desert before he started his public ministry:  the temptation to fame, to live for external affirmation or popularity, and to do things our own way instead of God’s way.  The graces of the Public Life is the practice of charity and self-giving for God’s sake, and in obedience to God’s call.

    Blessed Charles understood that Nazareth provides the spiritual energy that animates the Public Life, whereas what one learns in facing the challenge of the desert becomes a wellspring of compassion and wisdom to be used in public ministry.  By Public Life and ministry, Blessed Charles did not necessarily mean some type of formal ministry.  Rather it was in taking the two great principles of Benedictine spirituality -- labora (work) and ora (prayer) -- and how we intertwine the two.  What is the attitude that we have as we clean the kitchen or do our laundry?  Do we do it mindful of God’s presence and doing it for his glory?  The key is unifying our lives, instead of compartmentalizing them.  Work and prayer should not be in two distinct boxes of one’s life.  Blessed Charles wrote in November 1897, “It is part of your vocation to preach the Gospel from the housetops, not by word, but by your life.”

    Both the public ministry of Jesus, and that of Blessed Charles de Foucauld have two important lessons for us as we intertwine work and prayer in our lives.

    First is the practice of “radical hospitality.”  This is more than just welcoming people into our homes; it is welcoming them into our hearts.  It means providing an interior space in our lives for everyone, without regard to our personal preferences.  This does not mean we approve of everybody’s behavior.  It means living radically the old Catholic maxim, “Hate the sin, love the sinner.”  Think about it, one of the major criticisms of Jesus was that he “ate with sinners.”  This “radical hospitality” was expressed by Blessed Charles in this way, “To be able to truly see others, we must close our physical eyes and open the eyes of our souls.  Let us see what they are from within, not what they appear to be.  Let us look at them in the same way as God looks at them.”  Blessed Charles recommends, “Be kind and compassionate, and do not be insensitive to any misery.  See Jesus in all people.”

    The second lesson of the Public Life is to be detached from the results of our activity.  On the surface, both Jesus and Blessed Charles de Foucauld were apparent failures in their public ministries.  Jesus was rejected by his neighbors, betrayed by one of his closest followers, and crucified.  Blessed Charles de Foucauld wanted to be a missionary in North Africa, and to attract other monks to live like he did.  In 15 years in the Sahara, he converted no one, and while a few monks came to stay with them, none of them stayed long.  Yet both demonstrated that failure in the world’s terms is often the beginning of God’s “Eastering” in us.  While Blessed Charles converted none of his Muslim neighbors, his approach to Islam has greatly influenced the Church’s dialogue with Islam in the 20th century and even today.  Long after his death, communities following his spirituality were formed; the Little Brothers and Little Sisters of the Sacred Heart in 1933, the Littles Sisters of Jesus in 1936, and the Jesus Caritas Fraternity of Priests.

    And I don’t really need to speak about how Jesus’ “failure” of the Cross lead to the triumph of Easter -- namely or redemption and salvation.

    Let us commit ourselves to do as Blessed Charles de Foucauld urged all, to “see Jesus in all people.”