The gospel today is one that was a central part of St. Francis of Assisi’s way of following Christ. Those who would follow this way of following Christ needed to understand that there was a clear demarcation between the former way of sin and that of “leaving the world.” In his writing known as the Earlier Exhortation, Francis divides the world of people into two categories: “Those Who Do Penance” and “Those Who Do Not Do Penance.” In medieval writing “penance” does not refer primarily to sacramental confession, but to a life directed to conversion to Christ.

Francis listed four characteristics of those who do penance: they “1 love the Lord with their whole heart, with their whole soul and mind, with their strength and love their neighbors as themselves, 2 who hate their bodies with their vices and sins, 3 who receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 and who produce worthy fruits of penance.”  Simply put, Francis expected the penitential life to consist of following the two great commandments, practicing bold asceticism, participating in Eucharist regularly, and doing good works. Francis’ passion shines through this conventional medieval language and transforms this basic path of penance into a mystical journey towards union with God:

“O how happy and blessed are these men and women while they do such things and persevere in doing them, because the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon them and make Its home and dwelling place among them, and they are children of the heavenly Father Whose works, they do, and they are spouses, brothers and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are spouses when the faithful soul is joined by the Holy Spirit to our Lord Jesus Christ. We are brothers to Him when we do the will of the Father who is in heaven. 10 We are mothers when we carry Him in our heart and body through a divine love and pure and sincere conscience and give birth to Him though a holy activity which must shine as an example before others.” (vv.5-9)

What at first seems to be descriptions of penitential acts of an individual are transformed by Francis’ personal insights into highly relational ways of being described most intimately in terms of relationships in the family of God.

Image credit: Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata | Antonio Pirri | c. 1528 | Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid | PD-US