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Show Page 10 The Ogden Valley news Volume XX Issue XX February 1, 2013 10 Great Souls I Want to Meet in Heaven: A book review sermon was from the Book of Matthew in which Their stories are, however, intriguing since both Pole, but did accomplish some truly astonishing By Forrest Brown As I was mulling over what book to review next, a friend suggested that I read 10 Great Souls I Want to Meet in Heaven. The author, S. Michael Wilcox, presents an amazing overview of ten people that he’d like to meet in the hereafter—individuals who have tutored his soul as well as his mind through his years of study. The list includes Saint Patrick, the slave who was not Irish; Saint Francis of Assisi, the son of a wealthy Italian merchant who became a Catholic friar; Joan of Arc, a French peasant who became a national heroine; Mencius, a Chinese philosopher; Khadija and Aisha, wives and helpmeets of Mohammad; Siddgartha, who became the Buddha; Charles Darwin, the English scientist and naturalist; Sir Ernest Shackleton, who spent much of his life as a polar explorer; George MacDonald, the Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister who inspired, among many others, C.S. Lewis; and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the prominent English poet whose love for her husband Robert Browning is one of the greatest love stories of all time. The author considers the first three individuals that he wants to meet as The Saints. Saint Patrick, who lived in the fifth century A.D., wasn’t actually from Ireland, though we still celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and regard him very much as Irish. He was born near the end of the fourth century into a world of a fading Roman civilization on Britain’s west coast. His father Calpurnius was a deacon of the Christian church, and owned a small villa in the countryside. During Patrick’s sixteenth year, he was surprised by a band of slaves who took him, along with many of his father’s servants, captive across the Irish Sea. There they sold him to a man named Miliucc who put him to watching his herds in the hills of Antrim. In the cold and persistent rains of Ireland, Patrick thought on his youth, “I did not, indeed, know the true God . . . . We did not keep his precepts nor were we obedient.” Over time, profound moral and spiritual changes slowly transformed him into a different person. Devoid of scripture, consumed with homesickness, without friends or other forms of moral guidance, prayer became his only comfort in life. Through it all, hope of returning to the civilized world of his British home never left him. One night he said, “I heard a voice, while I slept, saying to me, Thou dost fast well; fasting thou shalt soon go to thy country.” After six long years he did return to England and became a cleric and eventually an ordained bishop. He later saw visions and heard voices in his head of children from Ireland. He knew then that he must return to bring Christ’s teachings to the land of his former bondage. What pierced the heart of Patrick to the core was the understanding that future Irish children must know the sweetness of the Prodigal Son, the humanity of the Good Samaritan, the majesty of the Sermon on the Mount, the inclusiveness of Paul’s description of clarity, and many other great truths contained in the Holy Scriptures. Knowing more about St. Patrick leaves little doubt why the author would want to meet him in Heaven. Next, the author examines the life of one of the greatest men of the thirteenth century, Saint Francis of Assisi, who was born in the year 1182 A.D. to a wealthy foreign cloth merchant in Assisi, Italy. Over time Francis became quite irresponsible and did not enjoy working in the family business. Events in his life, such as visions, would slowly change him. After turning away a beggar, he heard something inside of him ask, “If that poor man had asked something of you in the name of a great count or baron, certainly you would have given him what he asked for. How much more ought you to have done it for the King of Kings and the Lord of all!” Later he heard a sermon that changed his life forever. The Christ tells his followers they should go forth and proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven was upon them, that they should take no money with them not even shoes for the road. Thus, Francis was inspired to devote himself to a life of poverty and also to a life of giving. Since Jesus had exhorted his disciples to reach out into the world and preach the good news of forgiveness and love, Francis did the same. The leper no longer repulsed him. His natural cheerfulness and love of song returned and with joy he traveled into the poor villages and farmland of rural Italy. He eventually came to see that the world was a beautiful place, filled with God’s grace. As the Catholic Pope saw that Francis’s following increased, he granted him the privilege of organizing traveling friars, which he used to bless the lives of many of the misfortunate. He did not, however, consider himself a saint. Near the end of his mortal life Saint Francis of Assisi was quoted to have said, “God could not have chosen anyone less qualified, or more of a sinner, than myself. And so, for this wonderful work He intends to perform through us. He selected me – for God always chooses the weak and the absurd, and those who count for nothing.” The next Saint Wilcox examines is Joan of Arc of whom the author asks, “How does one assess Joan? There is really no one in history like her. She stands alone, unequaled, never imitated. Even Deborah in the Biblical book of Judges does not rise to the summit upon which Joan stands. She was cut out of the cloth of no previous pattern and no one since Joan has walked in her footsteps. The path she followed was hers and hers alone . . . . Let us never forget she was a young girl moving in a man’s world, even that most masculine of pursuits, war. Within weeks, she was conferring with men as equals to whom she would not have dared to speak while in the pastures of her village [of Domremy, France].” Of this incredible young woman, the author declared, “I have been fascinated by Joan since my mission to France. One cannot live in that country and not be captivated by the girl who, in countless ways, embodies so much of what is heroic and noble in the French soul, for therein Joan sits as perpetual inspiration.” Jumping to the next group, the Seers, as Michael Wilcox refers to each, are three individuals who the author considers as revelators of truth. The first is Mencius, whom many regard as the Sage of China. He was a Chinese philosopher who traveled China for 40 years to offer advice to rulers on reform. His father died when he was quite young, but his mother was more than equal to the task of raising her young son. When he was slack in his studies, “Mother Meng encouraged him with a remarkable visual lesson. She was weaving when she asked him how he was progressing. When he answered he was pretty much in the same place, she drew forth a knife and cut the threads of her loom, leaving the unfinished cloth frayed and useless. Shocked, the boy asked his mother what she had done . . . . Neglecting your study is just like my cutting the threads of the fabric. When you neglect your lessons you will escape neither servitude nor disaster. What difference is there between half a weaving and a boy half educated?” The lesson stuck and Mencius learned with great earnestness, mastering all his teachers could offer. His writings eventually helped shape Chinese thought. We learn of his heart and mind through what he wrote, which is still studied to this day. He asserted the innate goodness of the individual, believing that it was society’s influence that caused bad moral character. He also said, “A gentleman differs from other men in that he retains his heart. A gentleman retains his heart by means of benevolence.” Consequently, we can understand why Mencius is another one of the ten individuals whom the author wants to meet in the hereafter. For the next revelator, the author actually groups two individuals into one. Their names are Khadija and Aisha—both wives of the Prophet Mohammad. While most of us have heard of Mohammad, few know much about his wives. 801-745-4000 2555 WOLF CREEK DR. EDEN From the Service Deli www.valleymarketeden.com STORE HOURS: MON. - SAT. 7 AM - 10 PM SUNDAY 7 AM - 9 PM One Gallon WF 2% Milk 50c OFF with coupon Expires 2/15/13 Any Gluten-Free Product $1.00 OFF with coupon Expires 2/15/13 Sunny Roost Chicken Breast $1.00 OFF with coupon Expires 2/15/13 From the Meat Dept. Valley Market Cake $1.00Expires OFF with coupon 2/15/13 From the Bakery 1/2 OFF TV Guide Crossword Puzzle or Word Find Magazine Expires 2/15/13 of them helped formed Mohammad’s philosophy on life. Khadija was Mohammad’s first wife while Aisha is often thought to be his favorite wife after Khadija’s death. What Mohammad observed as Khadija mothered his six children was her influence on many of the prophet’s traditional stories and sayings. After Mohammad’s vision of Gabriel, he sought out Khadija for comfort to shield him from the presence on the mountain. “She wrapped him in a cloak, holding him and soothing him until he was calm.” Older than he, during this part of his life she would become both his spiritual advisor and his confidant. “Her unshakable confidence and faith in her husband buoyed him up [and] instilled within him the will to continue.” Although plural marriage was permitted in the Arabian society, Mohammad never took another wife while Khadija was alive. After her death, an arrangement was made for a future marriage with Aisha, who was a young girl at the time. Though she never replaced Khadija in his heart, Mohammad’s love and need for her became a central strength in his life. Aisha’s youth, vibrancy, innocence, and devotion gave the Prophet much needed strength during this tumultuous time in his life. Thus we can see that a large part of Mohammad’s greatness is due to the loyalty of his devoted wives. Wilcox next looks at two individuals he calls the Seekers. The first is Siddhartha—otherwise known as the Buddha, or the awakened one. Siddhartha was a spiritual teacher from southern Nepal. Siddhartha’s mother, “Maya, who when pregnant with him had a dream that a white elephant came to her while she was sleeping and touched her side—a sign of the purity and significance of him whom she carried.” She died a few days after childbirth leaving Siddhartha to be cared for by her younger sister. His father decided to do all he could to help his son reach his kingly destiny. Siddhartha grew to become a strong and handsome man and trained in the arts of war. As he lived in the luxury of palaces, however, he became increasingly restless and curious about the world beyond the palace walls. At age twenty-nine, Siddhartha came to realize that he could not be happy living as he presently did. He began going among his people and viewing their burdens. This caused him to rethink his entire life and thus he began a life of unrelenting pursuit of any form for the relief of all those who suffered. In Christianity, overcoming sin with the help of the Savior is the main focus. Whereas, in most Eastern religions, the main focal point is that there must be an answer to human suffering and its continuance. Nirvana, or that human state of extinguishing all negatives such as lust, greed, selfishness, anger, hatred, pride, and envy, is considered by Hindus and Buddhist to be the ultimate stage of life. This is the foundation from which Hinduism and then Buddhism would spring, with Siddhartha being considered the first Buddha. Next, the author examines the life of Charles Darwin, highlighting the many positive things that Darwin has left us with. The author states, “Nothing in creation bored him . . . . He studied everything from earthworms to insect-eating and climbing plants, from barnacles to facial expressions of his children . . . . He approached nature with enthusiasm, joy and reverence . . . . Darwin was also very humane; he could never abide seeing things suffer.” One of Charles Darwin’s most famous adventures began in 1831onboard the HMS Beagle as he and the crew sailed around the world. After this voyage, the captain of Beagle wrote, “I think he (Darwin) was the only man I ever knew against whom I never heard a word said; and as people shut up in a ship for five years are apt to get cross with each other, that is saying a good deal.” The other seeker that the author wants to meet is Sir Ernest Shackleton, whose claim to fame is that of being polar explorer in the late nineteenth century. Sir Shackleton did not reach the South feats. He was born in Ireland in 1874 and grew to love adventures. After mastering the ways of shipping through a succession of voyages to distant parts of the globe, he longed for “something better.” “Shackleton spoke of a dream he had while at sea: It was a simple dream. I seemed to vow to myself that some day I would go to the region of ice and snow and go on and on till I came to one of the poles of the earth, the end of the axis upon which this great round ball turns.” Sir Shackleton tried three separate times to reach the South Pole and came within ninety-seven miles of it on his third attempt. What the author found intriguing about this explorer was his ability to overcome difficult situations. In many cases it was life or death as Sir Shackleton exemplified his lifelong motto, “By endurance we conquer!” The last two of the ten individuals that the author wants to meet are classified as The Sharers. The first is probably my favorite because of the influence he had on one of the most profound writers of the 20th century. This man, George MacDonald, was born in Scotland in 1824 and was raised by a loving and God-fearing father, since George’s mother died when he was a child. The author states, “It is fair to add that had there been no George MacDonald, there would have been no C.S. Lewis . . . . There are few men, even godly men, who can speak with the heart and soul of divinity like MacDonald could. His was a loving voice, a voice that reached deep into the mind and the heart.” Just like Michael Wilcox, I too would love to meet George MacDonald and hopefully his apprentice C.S. Lewis. The last person in the book is Elizabeth Barrett Browning. She was one of the most prominent poets of the Victorian era. The author’s fascination with her, however, is not so much with her lifetime of writings, but with the remarkable love between her and her husband, Robert Browning. Elizabeth was the oldest of twelve children and was educated at home. She was very close to one of her brothers who she called “Bro.” Unfortunately, her brother died in a boating accident. From that day and for the rest of her mortal life, Elizabeth only wore black clothes in morning for her beloved brother. At age fourteen she contracted an illness that would haunt her for the rest of her life. She was weak and eventually became an invalid living a somewhat dreadful life confined to her upstairs room. Her escape was her poetry and this is where her “passionate nature and the creative genius of her heart and mind could pour out.” Her encounter with Robert Browning began with a poem that Elizabeth wrote called “Lady Geraldine’s Courtship” wherein she praised three of the poets of her time, Wordsworth, Tennyson, and Robert Browning. This caught Robert’s attention as he asked himself, “Was it a love letter?” He soon wrote her back saying, “I do, as I say, love these verses with all my heart—and I love you too.” He desired to meet her, but this threw her into distress because few, if any, invaded her privacy. Eventually Robert Browning did meet Elizabeth Barrett and this became one of the enduring love stories of all time because they both expressed their love for each other in some of their writings. He would pull her out of her loneliness and eventually marry her. Elizabeth Barrett Browning died in 1861 at the age of fifty-five while her devoted husband who never remarried died some twenty-eight years later. His unconditional love for her can be summed up in the following words that he wrote: It is nothing to me that my whole life Shall be devoted to such a woman— Its only happiness will consist In such a devotion. I hope some of you will read this incredible book and email me your comments at <brownfamily09@msn.com> ECO BuildErs inC. Huntsville, utah 801-791-9171 GeneralContractor•Residential&CommercialConstruction Sustainable&BeyondGreenBuilding•LightExcavation Renovation&Remodels•Consulting•QualityConstructionSince1980 |