Start:Stop-Mother Maria Skobtsova and Homeless Jesus

Thank you for joining us for Start:Stop. This reflection will last around ten minutes and you are welcome to come and go as your schedule dictates. We begin with a bible reading which can be found on page 30 of the New Testament. 

Bible Reading – Matthew 25.31-41

‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;” 

Reflection 

This passage is taken from the final section of Matthew’s Gospel before the Passion, known by some as the “Discourse on Endtimes” - because it concerns the Last Judgement, the conduct expected of the followers of Jesus and the need for watchfulness. In this reading we are presented with the image of the blessed sheep at the right hand of the Father, who inherit the kingdom, and the goats on the left, who are sent into the eternal flames with the devil. 

In the reading we have just heard, Jesus reminds us of our freedom to choose which path we follow in life - encouraging us to follow the commandment to love our neighbour as ourselves - to minister to the poor and destitute and to remember that we are all made in the image of God and are all loved by Him. 

Seeing Jesus in others - especially those who we think are different or make us feel uncomfortable - can be difficult, even when the evidence is set in stone right before our eyes. Homeless Jesus is a life size sculpture by Timothy Schmalz. It first appeared in Toronto, and copies have since been installed around the world. The sculpture shows Jesus as a homeless person, sleeping on a park bench, his head and upper body covered by a blanket. Most people walk past the statue without seeing the only clue to his identity - the wounds on his feet.

Described by the artist as a “visual prayer,” the first sculpture in London has been installed inside the Jesuit church in Farm Street where it was blessed earlier this month, after an application to place a copy outside Methodist Central Hall was rejected by Westminster planners. 

Placing the statue inside the church may have received the approval of Maria Skobtsova - a radical chain smoking nun who set up houses of hospitality in Paris and its suburbs for the elderly, the homeless, the unemployed and the distressed. She was critical of the way much of the church seemed to turn a blind eye to those in need.

Born in Russia in 1891, Mother Maria was one of the first women to attend the Theological Academy in St Petersburg. Prior to her calling to the religious life, her radical approach to politics angered both the Red and White Army, both of whom attempted to execute her. She planned the assassination of Trotsky and was put on trial, acquitted by the judge who would later become her husband. The family left for Paris in 1923.

After the tragic death of her daughter, her marriage began to fall apart. Following her divorce, she was encouraged by her bishop to take vows and entered the monastic life – a life lived not in an enclosed community but out “in the world.” She made an unfurnished rented house in Paris her convent; an upstairs room was converted into a chapel. The door of the house was never locked – nobody who needed a place to sleep or food to eat was turned away.  

By 1934 the first house had become too small and the community moved to an area which had become home to a growing number of Russian refugees. Instead of feeding 25, 120 could now be catered for.

But Maria’s radical hospitality was about more than a desire to provide food, clothing and shelter to as many people as possible. She was driven by a constant search for the face of Christ in the stranger; revealing the divine in each of those who came to stay in the community. 

Whilst devoted to the Eucharist, Mother Maria was known to frequently skip communal prayers to go begging for food in the markets of Les Halles or spend time in the less desirable parts of the city seeking out those in need of shelter. She was highly critical of the tendency of the church to focus on individual acts of piety - to focus on the vertical beam of the cross connecting God and man - and neglect the horizontal beam - which Christ himself carried - embracing the lives of others. She saw each of us as an icon of God. Maria wrote;

“Must we all attend church services in order to “church” our life? Or hang an icon in every room?...No, the “churching of life” is the realisation of the whole world as one great church, adorned with icons - people who should be venerated, honoured and loved, because these icons are true images of God that have the holiness of the Living God within them.”

During the Second World War the house at Rue de Lourmel became home to many Jewish refugees. Fr Dmitry Klepinin, who had been appointed as Chaplain, made false baptism certificates and Mother Maria said if anyone came looking for Jews, she would show them an icon of the Mother of God. 

Fr Dimitri, Maria and her family were eventually captured by the Gestapo and were transported to concentration camps. Mother Maria was sent to the gas chamber in Ravensbrück on Holy Saturday 1945. It is said that she took the place of another woman who had been selected to die that day. Maria was canonised as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church in 2004. 

St Maria recognised an image of God in all people because she recognised in image of Christ in herself - an understanding that led to her most selfless act of all. She drew strength listening to the word of God in scripture and seeking to live a life that reflected the teachings of the Word made flesh - his son Jesus Christ. 

Even though we know that God has called each of us by name and gave us all different gifts, it is hard not to feel a bit inadequate when we hear about the lives of people like Maria Skobtsova – fearful of our ability to live as they lived. Perhaps recognising such fears, in her writings Maria reminds us that no matter how big or small our actions, what matters is that they are driven by love for our neighbour – and that we are following God’s will – not our own quest for personal sanctification.

Meditation

Let us take a few moments then, to be with God, to know that he loves us and to seek to discern his will for us today. 

Prayers

The response to “Lord you have made us in your image” is “Help us to love as you love.”

Lord, you have made us in your image;
help us to love as you love.

God of love and grace,
You have called each of us by name and made us your own.
May that truth shape how we treat ourselves.
Lord, we are weak, doubtful and fearful and continually fail to live our lives according to your will; but you Lord are our hope and strength.
Help us to make time to rest in your presence,
   to listen to your word,

   to know that you love us.
May this knowledge guide all our thoughts and actions.

Lord, you have made us in your image;
help us to love as you love.

God of love and grace,
You have called each of us by name and made us your own.
May that truth shape how we treat others.

Fill us with the power of your Spirit, so that our prayers may become works of your love.
Help us to hear your voice in all who hunger for food, who thirst for justice and who crave companionship.
Set us free from the prison of our fear so that we may obey your word, sharing the gifts you have given us with those in need.

In a moment of silence we remember the names of those written on our hearts who are in need of your love this day. 

Lord, you have made us in your image;
help us to love as you love.

As we await the day when the Son of Man will come in glory,

guide us to become a living sacrament, offering our sacrifice of thanks and praise on the hearts of those we serve,

In the image of your Son, who lived, died and rose again for us.  

Lord, you made us in your image;
help us to love as you love.

Blessing

May God the Father who created us, give us strength,
May God the Son who redeemed us, guide us to show mercy to those in need,
May God the Holy Spirit lead us in works of loving service;
and may the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

be with us and remain with us this day and always.

Amen.

Thank you for joining us for Start Stop today. The next reflection will begin in a few minutes.