A short biographical video of Blessed Charles of Jesus – a contemplative who lived among the Tuareg Muslim people of the Sahara Desert – recently uploaded to YouTube by a Little Sister of Jesus. Includes thick, aristocratic French accents, but if you can get through that, this is the life and message of a contemplative living in the world.

After a tumultuous youth, Charles de Foucauld encountered Jesus and discovered new meaning for his life. His spirituality is often called a spirituality of “Nazareth”: living among people, sharing their lives, and witnessing to God by our daily tasks and activities, like the Holy Family in Nazareth. Blessed Charles died in 1916 in Algeria. A number of religious and lay communities were founded following his insights, most notably the Little Brothers and Little Sisters of Jesus. He is known for “The Prayer of Abandon” which is a prayer taken from his meditations on the Crucifixion. A voice-over of this prayer finishes the video.