There are various aspects of the life, personality and spiritual
gifts of St. Francis of Assisi which attract people to follow his way of
following JESUS CHRIST, either in the First Order (friars), Second Order (Poor
Clares), Third Order (Secular Franciscans for laity and also priests and
religious who follow the Third Order rule), or simply as Christians who admire
him. Many people speak of his commitment
to radical poverty and may be inspired to live more simply. Others marvel at the story of his conversion
and his commitment to a life of penance.
Others marvel at his deep life of prayer.
In modern times we can often look back upon the events of the
Protestant Reformation and the division in the Mystical Body of Christ in light
of the call that St. Francis received from the LORD while praying before the
San Damiano cross, “Francis, rebuild My Church, which is falling into ruin”. There
was corruption and materialism in the Church at the time of St. Francis. Francis worked to rebuild the Church,
obedient to the LORD’s call in a way that was still totally loyal and obedient
to the Church. He did this not by
criticizing or condemning anyone or pointing fingers or breaking away, but by
his own example and message of simplicity and devotion to God’s Word and his
integrity. Unfortunately, not everyone
learned from his example and there was still materialism and corruption in the
Church (e.g. abuses such as the selling of indulgences)—factors that helped
provoke the Protestant Reformation. So
if people had paid greater heed to Francis’ preaching and example and lived
more simply, with greater integrity and greater devotion to Scripture and
living the Gospel, perhaps there would not have been a Protestant Reformation,
because there would have been less of a need for reform.
Others cite St. Francis’ great love for God’s Creation and his
special relationship with animals. Still
others marvel at his identification with the Crucified Christ in the gift of
the stigmata, his life of prayer, his devotion to the Eucharist that was so
great that it even caused him to honor the most sinful priest, his
representation of the events of the Birth of Christ at Greccio, or his
dedication to the cause of peace and reconciliation.
Even one of these—and particularly the combination of all of the
above—provide good reason to love and admire St. Francis of Assisi and even
seek to follow his example of living the Gospel in our various states in life
(priesthood, religious/consecrated life, diaconate, married life or the single
vocation and in various professions and occupations). However, although these are all very
significant, I think that with the possible exception of Francis’ call to rebuild
the Church, I don’t think that any particular one of these are what attracted
me most to our beloved seraphic father Francis.
In the interview preceding my profession as a Secular Franciscan
almost 20 years ago, I stated that my deepest admiration for St. Francis and
sense of connection with him is that he was so in love with the LORD that he
was not afraid to appear foolish. Many
are attracted to Francis as one who embraced suffering and embraced a life of
poverty and penance (all of which still scares me). However, I am more
attracted to the other side of Francis, which is equally true: a man so full of life and love and joy—the
love and joy that led him to burst into song and to tell people he encountered,
“The LORD is in love with you!” This Francis so desired to share his love and
joy that one of his great delights was that the LORD gave him “brothers” and
“sisters” who were drawn to follow his way of life. In the process of formation I read a few
books about St. Francis that inspired me to draw this conclusion, particularly
GOD’S FOOL by Julian Green.
Although many would see the obvious contrast between the
pre-converted playboy “party animal” Francis and the saint committed to penance
and poverty, it is also true that in the conversion of Francis the LORD
actually sanctified Francis’ “joie de vivre” and transformed this ringleader of
late-night revelry and carousing into the “Troubadour for the LORD” and the
jovial host of a feast of bread crumbs at the Chapter of Mats. I think that it is generally true that the
“new creation” God works in each of us is often not a stark difference that
makes us “other” than ourselves but a sanctified actualization of the person
God created us to be—our “true selves”—much of which can be seen in our
pre-conversion life. After all,
Saul/Paul was always characterized by great zeal bordering on
obsession-compulsion: the Pharisee
zealous to “protect” the God and religion of Israel from those “followers of
the ‘Way’” on the road to Damascus became the zealous Christian compelled to
preach the Gospel and consider his suffering and even martyrdom nothing in
comparison with the joy of union with Christ.
Why did I become a Secular Franciscan? Quite simply, I came because God called me
(and showed me in various ways that He was calling me), and I came for the joy. I came for the joy of falling in love with
the LORD, of praising and worshipping God for and with His awesome creation, of
singing the LORD’s praises, of preaching the Gospel always and using words when
necessary, and the joy of sharing with and serving my brothers and
sisters. I suppose that this connection
with joy can be viewed to be consistent with my character and personality and
the working of the Holy Spirit in my life, since people throughout my lifetime
have referred to me as “the one who’s always smiling”. It is consistent with the way God made me and
the way I was raised. As I see it was
with Francis, I see that in myself this joy finds its fulfillment in sharing
community and fellowship and in praising the LORD in song. Shared prayer, shared song in harmony, and
shared food and fellowship in an atmosphere of warm welcome, good conversation,
laughter, and gracious hospitality is, for me, a foretaste of heaven. After all, it has been written that in heaven
we will share in the heavenly BANQUET.
I remember learning from Jesuit retreat masters (and one of the
early experiences of my calling to become a Secular Franciscan came at a Jesuit
retreat house with a Sister of Charity of Halifax as my director) that St.
Ignatius of Loyola initially called his followers “Companions of JESUS”. I was taught that “companion” literally means
someone with whom one shares bread. I
think that this applies not only to the Eucharist but to earthly bread as
well. The Francis I admire has often
been depicted as inviting people to share in the fellowship he enjoyed with the
LORD and his family of followers. It has
been said that evangelization is actually “one beggar showing another beggar
where the bread is”, so, in that vein, evangelization is actually a high form
of hospitality.
The Francis I admire has often been depicted engaged in
extending hospitality. The Francis who
was once extravagant with material riches became extravagant in the context of
his poverty, as in the feast with bread crumbs at the Chapter of Mats. Francis loved God and loved people
extravagantly, desiring to share and give all he had, and putting the needs and
comfort of others ahead of his own, as, we, too are called to do in
demonstrating the virtue of hospitality!
Francis embraced and welcomed all in a spirit of joy and gratitude for
everything as coming from God, which is a wonderful example for each of us.
Although St. Francis and the friars fasted both when required by
the Church and for times of voluntary penance, he also thoroughly enjoyed
celebrations and feasts (e.g. Christmas) and encouraged others to enjoy
feasting, in contrast with others who were more ascetic. For Francis, there was
a time to fast and a time to feast, which is in keeping with the spirit of
Ecclesiastes 3 (“To everything there is a season…”). When St. Francis heard a friar crying out in
the night, “I am dying, I am dying!” and learned that the friar meant he was
dying of hunger, Francis awakened the whole community and gave them all
something to eat so that the friar both would be fed and spared
embarrassment. This is another example
of Francis’ gracious hospitality expressed in concern for the needs and comfort
of all and his gift for turning an occasion of meeting a brother’s need into an
impromptu celebration!
I believe that the joyous hospitality of Francis is fully
realized when members of the various branches of his family come together to
share prayer, song, food and fellowship, and when all share in love and joy
together as brothers and sisters in one Franciscan family. Perhaps this is a foretaste of the joy Our
LORD desires for ALL His children that will finally be fully realized in
heaven.
Arlene Clare
Muller, OSF – September 25, 2012
