I read a short story the other day about a remote monastery that hosted pilgrims visiting the holy shrine cared for by the monks. They also accepted visitors who needed time away, those who might be discerning a call to monastic life, and general tourists drawn to the beauty of the area.
One of the resident monks would get drunk every day which led to any number of issues with the pilgrims, visitors, and aspirants.
Eventually the monk died and some of the faithful expressed their relief to see this problem finally solved.
The abbot told them that, yes, he knew the old monk had died when he saw a battalion of angels coming to collect his soul. The people were amazed at this, sure that he must be mistaken; for how could this alcoholic monk be welcomed into heaven with such an escort?
The abbot explained to them: “This monk was born in a country overrun and destroyed by an invading army. They forcibly conscripted boys of a certain age while initially killing all boys under two. His parents would hide him as an infant and, in order to keep him quiet, put alcohol into his milk so he would sleep and not be found. Because of this he grew up an alcoholic.
“Later in life the man stumbled upon this monastery and told the abbot he was an alcoholic. The abbot welcomed him in and set him on a strict prayer regimen, which included praying for the strength to reduce by one the number of glasses of alcohol he drank. After a year, with struggle and repentance, he managed to reduce by one the number of drinks he had to 19 from 20.
“His struggle continued over the years, slowly reducing the number of glasses, but never reaching sobriety. His struggle finally ended the night he died. While the world saw an alcoholic monk who scandalized pilgrims, aspirants, and tourists, God saw a fighter who fought a long battle to live a life dedicated to God instead of dedicated to his passions and weaknesses.”
How often do we see people like the people in this story saw the monk – only seeing with our eyes what is visibly presented to us or with the vision of prejudice? I'm reminded of the words of the LORD when talking to Samuel about anointing David as king: “. . . for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
How many times have we misjudged a person because of outward appearances; or how many times have we scorned a person for not living up to our standards without understanding their personal struggles?
We all have hidden issues that we are working through. It may or may not be an addiction, like the monk in the story, but we all struggle. May we all learn to be less judgmental in favor of becoming more understanding and forgiving.
As time goes on, maybe we can learn to reduce our daily judgments by one.
Blessings,
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