A man of God
I am currently reading The Apple and the Arrow, the Legend of William Tell to my son. Mary and Conrad Buff tell the famous story from the late 13th century in this Newbery Honor Book, copyrighted 1951.
There’s something I found noteworthy near the beginning of chapter 2. William Tell and his son, Walter, are on their way to the Alpine valley town of Aldorf to find out whether Gessler, the evil bailiff, knows of Tell and his comrades’ plan to revolt. They pass a hillside cave in which resides Brother Klaus, a monk. Says Walter to his father, “...it must be lonely for Brother Klaus to live all by himself in that dark place and just pray all of the time.”
Tell answers, “Perhaps it would be for you, son, but Klaus seems happy. When any one of the mountain folk is ill or without bread, Klaus comes to comfort him. When a woman loses her husband or a mother her child, Klaus is there to pray for her. All men, Walter, do not like to do the same thing. Some like to hunt, others to fight, and still others to till the soil. Klaus is a man of God, and I’m sure he is happy even if he lives alone in that dark cave yonder.” (pp. 26-27)
Not that fighters, hunters, and farmers can’t be men of God, but I ask: who, and where, are the Brother Klauses (or Sister Klaras) of today?
There’s something I found noteworthy near the beginning of chapter 2. William Tell and his son, Walter, are on their way to the Alpine valley town of Aldorf to find out whether Gessler, the evil bailiff, knows of Tell and his comrades’ plan to revolt. They pass a hillside cave in which resides Brother Klaus, a monk. Says Walter to his father, “...it must be lonely for Brother Klaus to live all by himself in that dark place and just pray all of the time.”
Tell answers, “Perhaps it would be for you, son, but Klaus seems happy. When any one of the mountain folk is ill or without bread, Klaus comes to comfort him. When a woman loses her husband or a mother her child, Klaus is there to pray for her. All men, Walter, do not like to do the same thing. Some like to hunt, others to fight, and still others to till the soil. Klaus is a man of God, and I’m sure he is happy even if he lives alone in that dark cave yonder.” (pp. 26-27)
Not that fighters, hunters, and farmers can’t be men of God, but I ask: who, and where, are the Brother Klauses (or Sister Klaras) of today?
posted by Bonnie at
11:00 PM
1 Comments:
Bonnie,
That's a wonderful story. I didn't realize how good it was. The modern monk? I don't know if there are any. I do know there are a few of us who will pray for others needs, and mourn with others. My mother is one, there are others as well. I hope that the love of God in us will cause all of us to minister on behalf of the people.
Be Blessed,
Pete
By
pete porter, at 11:18 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home