Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2
“Maria’s mother died when she was thirteen and her father a year later, so that she was orphaned by age fourteen. At first she was taken in by her eldest brother’s family, but the sister-in-law did not like her and made her life very difficult. This was partly because Maria had been “different” from early childhood, very much a loner who did not play with other children but preferred going to church and never engaging in community frivolities. She also preferred dressing in worn out clothes and tended toward being unkempt in appearance.
She is said to have received visions of St. Seraphim of Sarov and of the Diveyevo Monastery from her youth although she had not yet been to the monastery. When a group of women and girls from the village decided to go on a pilgrimage to Sarov, Maria elected to join them. Because of her unenviable home life and the visions she had received, she chose not to return to the village at the end of the pilgrimage but instead wandered the forests between Diveyevo’s surrounding communities. Having nothing but the shabby clothing she had worn on the journey, she soon wandered about half naked and was often mocked and mistreated by local peasants who thought her mad…
Despite all the tragedies, hardships, and persecutions she faced, no one ever heard Maria complain or bewail her state. God was her solace and comfort, and He graced her with a special intuition. People began to notice her great humility and godliness and often would seek her out for counsel and guidance… Maria received a steady stream of people during the trying time of the Russian Revolution, many coming to her for physical healing and many more for spiritual counseling and prayer.”
Maria of Diveyevo (d. 1931) in Holy Fools: The Lives of Twenty Fools for Christ by Oswin Craton (Chesterton: Ancient Faith Publishing, 2024) 71-75.
The apostle Paul called us to live not according to the pattern of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. That’s the story of Maria of Diveyevo. She focused on spiritual things when others cared about community frivolities. In response, God helped her see things, visions, and so she pursued Him with her whole heart.
At first people scorned her. Then because of her great humility and godliness, people started to seek her out. Then in the most difficult times, she provided healing, counseling, and prayer. What can we learn from her example to serve as generous fools for Christ today? At least three things.
One, don’t follow the pattern of the world but care about the things of God. Be different. Different is good.
Two, if He gives you a vision, give yourself to that vision regardless of what others might think. Pursue Him despite mocking and mistreatment. Care more about your inner person than your external dress. Look different.
Three, provide counsel and care to receptive people. When they come for healing, guidance, or prayer, bless them generously from the abundance you have received from God. Serve different.