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| Source: saintherman.org |
On Saturday, December 13, we commemorated Blessed Fr. Herman of Alaska ((+1837). He was glorified as a saint of the Church on August 9, 1970. In his book The Winter Pascha, Fr. Thomas Hopko dedicated a chapter by way of reflection on St. Herman's grace-filled life. However, as the paragraph below makes abundantly clear, this was a life lived out in obscurity, but now manifest to the world by the grace of God. In the words of Fr. Hopko:
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By American standards, St. Herman of Alaska, like the Lord Jesus Himself, was a miserable failure. He made no name for himself. He was not in the public eye. He wielded no power. He owned no property. He has few possessions, if any at all. He had no worldly prestige. He played no role in human affairs. He partook of no carnal pleasures. He made no money. He died in obscurity among outcast people. Yet, today, more than a hundred years after his death, his icon is venerated in thousands of churches and his name is honored by millions of people whom he is still trying to teach to seek the kingdom of God and its righteousness which has been brought to the world by the King who was born in a cavern and killed on a cross. The example of this man is crucial to the celebration of Christmas - especially in America.
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I would assume that for many people reading this, St. Herman is not exactly - or not yet, at least - a well-known saint of the Church. You may just be hearing and reading about him. Many others are quite familiar with this humble saint after many years in the Church. Be that as it may, and allowing for the particular circumstances of his life (living a relatively hidden life in Alaska when that territory was still owned by the Russian Empire), St. Herman can serve today as a living example - an Icon - of "true Christianity." By this I refer to a non-aggressive Christianity in conformity to Christ's earthly life, unburdened by being overly concerned with the sins of other people, and thus wonderfully free of both hypocrisy and judgementalism.
Truly, an example to America during our celebration of Christmas.
For those who would like to read more of St. Herman's Life:
