I think this man is a saint: Bishop Alexander Mileant (1938 - 2005).
He became holy by living the fullness of the Gospel in ordinary life.
He spent over thirty years as a parish priest, of the ROCOR, in Los Angeles (1967 - 1998). He especially served the youth of his area. Meanwhile, he continued his education, and he became an engineer. He wrote numerous essays on Orthodoxy, and he was able to post them online because of his computer engineering knowledge. Eventually, he was tonsured a monk (1995), and he was made the bishop for Buenos Aires (1998). Overall, Bishop Alexander kept striving to live and share and serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Orthodox faith. Bishop Alexander had a sharp struggle with cancer. He passed into eternal life this last September (the night of 12 - 13 September 2005).
There is a tone of real compassion in his many essays. Bishop Alexander was not haughty in his writings. Judging from their tone, he was genuinely trying to help people through his writings. He wasn't writing to please himself: only or mostly. He was writing to please the Trinity, by writing to the people: whom he genuinely regarded as his brothers and sisters. There is a sense one gets, in reading his essays, that he has found an incredible treasure --the Gospel-- and he is anxious and eager to share this Living Treasure of Eternal Life with everyone.
For his biography, see:
http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/01newstucture/pagesen/news05/balexdeath.html For his essays, see:
http://www.fatheralexander.org/ There are so many saints who lived unusual lives: the martyrs, people who lived under persecution, people who faced enormous difficulties, and so on. Even the monastic vocation, when lived in a strictly cloistered way, is unusual when compared to the rest of human life.
In Bishop Alexander, though, there is a saint of the ordinary. He lived as a pastor of a parish for over 30 years. He lived that ordinary life with selfless zeal and compassionate love. He truly loved Jesus, and he tried to share that love --Christ's own love-- with others. He kept the Gospel. He preached the Gospel. He served the Gospel. By God's grace, he became holy thereby; and, by God's grace, God helped many people through him. In sum, Bishop Alexander became a saint by living the Gospel fully in the midst of ordinary life. I find that very inspiring.
May Bishop Alexander pray for us all and help us get to Heaven. May his example inspire us and teach us how to become holy too, in the midst of our ordinary lives.
-- John
