The Three Hermits by Leo Tolstoy with the creativity of Storytelling

Three Hermits: By Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist

This is a story retold with live active storytelling. This is an art which brings the story to the liveliness of the present with voice and in many stories told, with both voice and musical instruments. 

We sometimes think that we can reach perfection through accomplishments that are ever more demanding. We bring a complexity of skills and creativity to our work. Perfection is an illusive mourning dove that contemplates. Perhaps the quiet non-intrusive bird is seeking simplicity.

Three Hermits

"There was once a scholarly bishop who was on his way. Several pilgrims are travelling on a fishing boat from Archangel to the Solovétsk Monastery. The passenger ship sailed through the white sea far to the Russian North Sea. During the voyage the bishop overhears a discussion about a remote island nearby their course where three old hermits live a meager existence focused on seeking "salvation for their souls." Inquiring about the hermits the bishop finds that several of the fishermen claim to have seen the hermits once.

The bishop then informs the captain that he wishes to visit the island. The captain seeks to dissuade him by saying "the old men are not worth your pains. I have heard say that they are foolish old fellows, who understand nothing, and never speak a word." The bishop insists and the captain steers the ship toward the island. The bishop subsequently sets off in a rowboat to visit. He is met ashore by the three hermits.

The bishop informs the hermits that he has heard of them and of their search for salvation. He inquires how they are seeking salvation and serving God, but the hermits say they do not know how, only that they pray, simply: "Three are ye, three are we, and have mercy upon us." Subsequently, the bishop acknowledges that they have a little knowledge but are ignorant of the true meaning of the doctrine and how to pray properly. He tells them that he will teach them "not a way of my own, but the way in which God in the Holy Scriptures has commanded all men to pray to Him" and proceeds to explain the doctrines of the incarnation and the Trinity. He attempts to teach them the Lord's Prayer, the "Our Father", but the simple hermits blunder and cannot remember the words. This compels the bishop to repeat the lesson late into the night. After he is satisfied that they have memorized the prayer, the Bishop departs from the island leaving the hermits with a firm instruction to pray as he has taught them. The bishop then returns to the fisherman's vessel anchored offshore in the rowboat and continues his voyage.

While on board the bishop notices that their vessel is being followed. At first he thinks a boat is behind them but he soon realizes that the three hermits are running across the surface of the water "as though it were dry land." The hermits catch up to the vessel as the captain stops the boat and inform the bishop, "We have forgotten your teaching servant of God. As long as we kept repeating it we remembered but when we stopped saying it for a time a word dropped out and now it has all gone to pieces. We can remember nothing of it. Teach us again. "The bishop crossed himself and dropped to his knees and was humbled and prayed out for the heavens to hear and replied to the hermits, "Your own prayer will reach the Lord, men of God. It is not for me to teach you a different way to heaven. Pray to God for all of us." After this the hermits turn around and walked back to their island."

wikipedia.org - 17 Jan 2021

 Here is a live recording of the Storytelling version

Background
"Leo Tolstoy the Russian novelist (figure of the late Czarist Russia) explores the nature of prayer by contrasting the simple, faithful but unknowing prayer of the illiterate hermits with the formal, doctrinal prayer of the educated bishop who is critical of the hermits' practice. Tolstoy prefaces this story with an epigraph from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Saint Matthew: "And in praying use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him." (wikipedia.org)

You can learn more about this story telling concept here: Storytellingcenter.net

 Related

Prayers and Praise 

"Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me." Isaiah 45:11 God's Word teaches us in many religions and denominations of religions to praise him and pray out loud to him. The first example I chose was given above from Isaiah, he...

 Promotion

RRM Content Creators: Visionaries, Poet Warriors, World Leaders

Ruby Ray Media, the World's Premier Community Media Platform, was created to support Citizen Journalism at its finest.

Citizen Journalists, multimedia content creators are the reason we are here. Raising up your voice is central to our mission. We are a team, lifting each other by the variety of our talents and skills. The most important element in this is capturing and sharing the unique thoughts, wisdom and artforms that come to us as we ponder the world in our hearts. Seeing now clearly how badly the people who arrogate themselves into positions of power and influence over us,...