Tag Archives: St Francis

Following Francis: The Itinerant Life of the Brothers

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As we noted in last week’s article, Francis expected his brothers to learn by imitation – and to understand that as Francis sought to imitate Christ, so too should the brothers. But in reality, the first generation of Assisi-area brothers simply did what Francis did: daily prayer, work at a local leprosarium, go to local churches to participate in Eucharist, eat, pray again, witness to the local Umbrian people near Assisi, and live a life in community.  You have to remember this was all new. Prior to this “Franciscan moment” the spiritual journey of medieval people consisted of being a monk or cloistered nun behind the walls of the monastery, being a priest and living close to the sacraments and the Scriptures, or being a lay person and hoping the other groups were praying for you. And then along comes this different, new, intriguing way of being spiritual in the world. And it was not set down in writing; it did not come with instructions. But sometimes is borrowed from the past. Continue reading →

Francis of Assisi: A Period of Crisis – San Damiano

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Francis of Assisi by Cimbue

In the previous article we had left Francis in the spring of 1205, in his early 20’s, just released from a year as a prisoner of war, suffering severe physical effects and psychological burdens, that to the modern mind, fit the description of PTSD. He returned with compromised health, face drawn and sallow, digestion impaired, and was plagued with bouts of recurring fever. When he was out of bed he was listless and kept to the house.  A biography written within two years of Francis’ death (by Thomas of Celano, 1C) records Francis’ convalescence from his imprisonment in Perugia as follows: “When he had recovered a little, he began to walk about through the house with the support of a cane… [and] one day, he went outside and began to gaze upon the surrounding countryside. But the beauty of the fields, the delight of the vineyards and whatever else was beautiful to see, could offer him no delight at all [and he] considered those who loved these things quite foolish.” (1C4) Continue reading →

Admonition Seventeen

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Each one of us is gifted and as St Paul instructs us, all the gifts are given in order to build up the community.  Some receive gifts that play out in a very public setting before tremendous numbers of people.  Certainly Rev. Billy Graham was so gifted. Some are gifted in ways that will never bring them before the public eye or even their own local community. They are said to “toil away in anonymity.”  Anonymity? I guess it depends on who you want to watch. If you are striving to return your gifts to God, then an audience of One is quite sufficient.

Admonition Seventeen: The Humble Servant of God

1 Blessed is that servant who no more exalts himself over the good the Lord says or does through him than over what He says or does through another.

2 A person sins who wished to receive more from his neighbors than what he wished to give of himself to the Lord God.

Admonition Sixteen

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An American tourist in Jerusalem met up with one of the Holy Land Custody friars.  The friar offered to show him around the monastery of which he was a part.  On their tour they came to the friar’s room; the tourist noticed no TV or radio, only one change of clothes, a towel and a blanket.  He asked, “How do you live so simply?”  The monk answered, “I noticed you have only enough things to fill a suitcase; why do you live so simply?”  To which the tourist replied, “But I’m just a tourist, I’m only traveling through.”  To which the friar said, “So am I, so am I.”

“Adoring and seeing the Lord God living and true” is the destination that Francis picked and then chose a road to journey there.  On the journey he saw the God living and true in all creation.

Admonition Sixteen: Cleanness of Heart

1 Blessed are the clean in heart, for they will see God.

2 The truly clean of heart are those who look down on earthly things, seeks those of heaven, and, with a clean heart and spirit, never cease adoring and seeing the Lord God living and true.

Admonition Fifteen

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The idea of peace in the Hebrew Bible is šālôm whose core meaning is “to be hale, whole, complete.” In one form or another the notions of wholeness, health, and completeness inform all the variants of the word. Peace is not simply the absence of war or conflict. Peace is a positive notion, a notion with its own goal and ends. The Jewish writers tended to use the term primarily for interpersonal or social relations where it comes very close to meaning “justice” and is connected to the covenant with God.  Just as the covenant is gift, so too when justice is done it is seen as God’s gift to the people, and the prosperity (šālôm) comes to the people when they live faithfully under God’s covenant. Continue reading →

Admoniton Thirteen

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People often remark that they need to pray for patience. St. Francis recognized it is only the stressful moments that reveal if our wellspring of patience has run dry. How does one fill the well of patience? Perhaps one needs to pray not simply for the general item of patience, but for healing of the inner wound that is easily enflamed that bursts to the surface as impatience. With the grace of God, one needs to make peace within oneself in order to keep the wellspring full.

Admonition Thirteen: Patience

1 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. A servant of God cannot know how much patience and humility he has within himself as long as he is content. 2 When the times comes, however, when those who should make him content do the opposite, he has as much patience and humility as he has at the time and no more.

Admoniton Twelve

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My dad would occasionally remind me of the following wisdom: “Everyone you meet is your better because you can learn something from them.” They were words meant to remind you to keep your own accomplishments in perspective; celebrant them in the moment, build upon them, and learn from them – but do not set up camp and remain there. I suspect St. Francis would have liked my dad’s wisdom – he certainty understood its implications for the spiritual life. God accomplished so much through St. Francis – and Francis knew it was God’s doing and little of his own. Francis remained open to the working of God in his life and discerning the Spirit of the Lord.

Admonition Twelve: Knowing the Spirit of the Lord

1 A Servant of God can be known to have the Spirit of the Lord in this way; 2 if, when he Lord performs some good through him, his flesh does not therefore exalt itself, because it is always opposed to every good. 3 Instead he regards himself the more worthless and esteems himself less than all others.

Admoniton Eleven

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People of a certain age have children who are now adults.  Their kids are establishing careers, families, and planning for the future. They are more and more becoming their own persons – and the parent-child relationship is giving way to the peer-peer relationship – at least in some part and form. Some of my friends insist on the parent-child dynamic. Continue reading →

Admoniton Ten

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Every four years our neighbors and friends are suddenly vexed and overcome by the spirit of confusion, delusion, and irrationality. We simply cannot understand how they so abruptly lose their good common sense. Can’t they see that we hold the clear and sure vision of exactly who is deserving of our vote and that our view of the issues is the only one which a rational person would possibly hold?  And of course we need to correct their faulty thinking. And of course if they won’t accept the offering of wisdom and insight, then it is their fault. Continue reading →