Poustinia

In my early years as a young Christian I came across a paperback book called Poustinia in a used bookstore. The word looked intriguing. What was poustinia? The book proved fascinating; it described a very curious religious phenomenon from Russia that defies description in American culture. Catherine De Hoeck Dougherty, a former Baroness in Czarist Russia, fled to America as a result of the Communist Revolution and eventually came to work with the poor in Harlem. She wrote several books, but Poustinia was her best known. The word poustinia is derived from the Russian word for desert, and has come to mean a spiritual place of simplicity and separation from the world, with only God as one’s companion.

Catherine described the life of the poustinik in Russia. Poustiniks were persons called by God to live singly in a village, devoting themselves to prayer, spiritual direction and service to the needy. They lived in small huts with little in the way of material goods except for a Bible, a crucifix, and perhaps some prayer books. They spent their mornings in prayer and their afternoons in service. They were an integral part of the community and it appeared unquestionable that they were respected and revered. Generally widowed or never married, they often went on pilgrimage to search for the village that would welcome them in.

Poustinia was the spiritual place from which the poustinik served, but it was also the place where the poustinik lived physically. It was the cabin, and it was “poustinia,” the place of prayer and service.

In my newborn Christian enthusiasm I loved the idea of being a poustinik. To live in a simple house on the corner in one’s community, prayerful, serving, seeking nothing more than loving God and serving one’s neighbor, was a lay ministry sanspareil. It imitated the monastic life in that one’s town was a monastery and everyone in it a brother or sister. And isn’t there truth in that? Could our little neighborhoods and small towns be modern venues for poustinias?

Sometimes I wonder if there are already poustinias in my little town. Are there some warriors hidden among us, who keep us surrounded in prayer, whose generous gifts of service are done in anonymity? I think I can name a few, whose loving, hidden lives shine like little stars.

I hope and imagine that many people will be seeking a much simpler life, as change comes to America, as the frenetic pace of acquisition slows down along with the economy. Perhaps more people will realize that our materialistic rampages have turned to dust, and that true joy can best be found in faith, family, and nature, the less expensive but infinitely more valuable aspects of the American lifestyle.

I hope this year is full of spiritual blessing for you and that our faith deepens and strengthens in Christ.

Jen