Charles de Foucauld

His name was Charles although his friends in military school nicknamed him “Fats” on account of his huge appetite and lazy demeanor. Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916) said of that time in his life, “I sleep long. I eat a lot.  I think little.”  A military instructor wrote of him, “He has a good upbringing and a good name, but he is light-headed and thinks only of amusement.”  He was often disciplined for misconduct and graduated last in his class.  He was sent on a dangerous mission to Morocco where his contact with strong Muslim believers challenged his agnostic worldview.  He resigned from the military, settled in Paris and started attending church.  He began praying, “My God, if you exist, allow me to know you.”  A cousin directed him to a parish priest who led him to faith and instructed him in the way of Jesus.  He adopted the name, Charles of Jesus, and served as a monk and priest in the Catholic Church.  He felt drawn to people who lived in the desert.  Since no priest signed up for such hardship duty, Charles volunteered.  The Tuareg people are a nomadic ethnic tribe living near the Sahara Desert in Northern Algeria.  Charles invested ten years learning their language and culture. He showed respect for their Muslim beliefs while at the same time living a fully saturated, Christ-centered life.  He created a Tuareg-French Dictionary and translated the gospels into the native Tuareg dialect.  He received any who came to see him–slaves, the poor, the sick, soldiers, travelers and all who were curious.  He noted in his journal that after ten years there was not a single convert and then added, “It takes prayer, work and patience.”  He baptized two people in a dozen years until he was martyred by a rival tribal group.  He sought to conduct his life in such a way that people would ask. “If such is his servant, what must his Master be like?”
Today’s prayer expresses Charles’ willingness to go anywhere and do anything in Christ’s service. His prayer challenges us to do likewise: