October 4, 2007
Introduction Happy Feast of St. Francis! Let me begin this morning by using the words which St. Francis would often use as he walked through the streets of Assisi. “Buon giorno, buona gente!” “Good morning, good people!” I feel very blessed this morning to have this opportunity to reflect with you on the spirituality of St. Francis. The spirituality of St. Francis has been a thread in the fabric of my life for over 50 years. After attending a Franciscan High School, I studied philosophy and theology in Franciscan seminaries for seven years. For the past 36 years, I have been working with the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor in our health and social ministries. Three years ago, my wife and I became associate members of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor. Someone once asked a little girl, “What is a saint?” All she could think of was the magical people she saw portrayed in the stained glass windows at church so she proclaimed: “A saint is someone who lets the light shine through!” Francis of Assisi is a saint because he emptied and humbled himself thereby letting the light of God shine through him. A Franciscan spiritual teacher puts it best: “Saint Francis illuminates the way of the spirit like a light from the heart of God. Through his life, his works, and the legacy of his joyous faith, he seems to illuminate the very center of the human heart. He touches our deepest humanity and ignites the spark of our divinity. Francis places God’s sunlight in our hands.” This morning I will reflect on the mission and vision of St. Francis. I will then focus on four (4) historical events in the life of St. Francis which highlight four (4) Franciscan ideals. I believe the ideals of simplicity, joy, humility and service are the very heart of the spirituality of St. Francis. I will then briefly reflect on individuals God has sent into my life that have been living examples of these Franciscan ideals. The Mission and Vision of St. Francis
Through prayer, meditation and embracing solitude, St. Francis heard the call from God to “rebuild the church”. Initially, he believed his vocation was to physically rebuild the little dilapidated chapel of San Damiano. Over time, St. Francis came to realize that God was calling him to give new life and vitality to the church by living his core purpose to “Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary to use words.” As St. Francis said: “It is no use walking anywhere to PREACH unless we PREACH as we walk.” The mission of St. Francis was to live the Gospel life. To use a modern term, his mission was to “walk the talk” of the Gospel of Jesus. The message St. Francis taught was the message he lived. There was no disconnection between his words and his deeds, his public pronouncements and his private life. Seeing faith in action helped people believe. In this way, Francis made believers out of many. He was ready to spend himself. He wanted nothing more than to empty and humble himself in order to fulfill the duty of being compassionate towards others. While the theologians of his time worked to intellectually prove the existence of God through the logic of philosophy, St. Francis embraced the Gospel life revealed in sacred scripture and experienced the felt presence of God in every dimension of his life. I believe St. Francis’ “world view” is the primary reason his life and spirituality still inspire so many people today. His vision was to proclaim to the world its essentially good and holy face. His spirituality reveals to us our fundamental goodness and blessedness. Francis balanced his comments on human frailty with poetic praise of human dignity. Alluding to the opening chapters in the book of Genesis, he said, “Try to realize the dignity God has conferred on you.” His spirituality reminds us that we are more good than bad. This positive world view is the reason that nearly 800 years after his death, St. Francis remains one of the best loved spiritual teachers of his time, revered now perhaps more than ever, and not just among believers but universally. This morning we will reflect on how the spirituality of St. Francis kept him energized and integrated, on fire and yet glued together. If practiced, his spirituality can do the same for us. The spirituality of St. Francis is a healthy spirituality in that it nourishes personal wholeness and integrity while generating passion and fire to serve God’s sick and suffering people. So let us imagine the spirituality of St. Francis as colors of light streaming through a beautiful stained glass window. We will focus on four (4) distinct colors of this light. The blue light is the Franciscan ideal of simplicity which gives life focus, meaning, purpose and hope. The yellow light reflects the Franciscan ideal of perfect joy which gives life zest, happiness and inner peace. The green light is the Franciscan ideal of humility which nourishes human wholeness and unity with all creation. The red light reflects the Franciscan ideal of serving the sick and the poor with passion, fire, energy and commitment. The Franciscan Ideal of Simplicity
Recently, I was driving by a Franciscan Friary here in Cincinnati and the message on their roadside sign caught my eye: “Is God your top priority? Be wise, prioritize!” I believe this simple message captures the essence of the Franciscan ideal of simplicity. Simplicity is like the color blue. As a deep blue sky or a clear blue ocean is pure, so too is the Franciscan notion of simplicity. One of the hallmarks of the spirituality of St. Francis is that his love of God was so pure. Because of this love, material possessions, status, power were simply not important to St. Francis. His deepest desire was to serve God and do his will. The life of St. Francis reveals how he struggled, much like we do, to discern his purpose in life. Discerning the will of God, prioritizing his life and making God his top priority occurred over a long period of time through the practice of prayer and meditation in solitude. Francis of Assisi was born to Pietro and Pica Bernardone in 1181. Pietro was a trade merchant and he had high hopes that Francis would eventually follow in his footsteps. As Francis matured, fine clothes, good food, and money were his for the asking. During his adolescence, he was what the youth of today might call a “party animal.” After becoming involved in a local war and being imprisoned for a year, Francis became restless, confused and disillusioned. He entered into a time of desolation which St. John of the Cross calls “the dark night of the soul.” In prayer and solitude in a local cave, Francis struggled and continually asked God to reveal to him his purpose in life. Gradually over time, the darkness lifted and light began to emerge. He began to see more clearly his mission and vision. As he grew in love of God and service to the sick and poor, the desire for earthly pleasures and wealth faded away. Francis gradually turned to live a life of simplicity, self-denial and service. A key transformational moment occurred in his life in 1206 when he was just twenty-four years old. He was summoned to appear in the public square of Assisi before his father, the bishop and assembled citizens. Francis stripped himself before everyone, laid his clothes at his father’s feet and said: “Up to now I have called Pietro Bernardone my father! But now that I am determined to serve God, I give him back not only this money that he wants so much, but all the clothes I have from him! From now on, I can advance naked before the Lord saying in truth no longer: my father, Pietro Bernardone, but our Father who art in Heaven!” The incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ, is now the very center of his life. At this moment, Francis proclaims his desire to embrace a life of simplicity. In the courtly tradition of his time, he writes about embracing a life of simplicity as a love affair with Lady Poverty. This love of poverty consists in acknowledging that all good comes from God and must be rendered back to God in thanksgiving. As one Franciscan teacher puts it: “The true and deepest poverty is to possess all things as a gift from God and not have anything of one’s own.” Francis writes: “All good belongs to the Lord who is God most high and supreme. Every good is God’s. So let us thank God from whom all good things come.” God works good deeds in and through us. Any good we do comes from God. Francis delights in everything because everything is lent to us by the great and good Almsgiver. One might says that St. Francis wrote the book on stewardship of the blessings and gifts which God has given to us. Recently my horoscope in the local paper read: “Oh, how you love to de-clutter your life. Take inventory to determine what you have that’s worth the effort it takes to maintain it.” In many ways I believe the ideal of simplicity invites us to grow spiritually by periodically “de-cluttering” our lives. Periodically we need to take inventory of what truly is important in our lives. I have often been amazed during my health care career how people, when faced with illness, will quickly take an inventory of what is most important in their lives. Often the importance of material possessions, money, social status, professional status and work quickly fade into the background. What quickly become most important are the person’s relationships with God, self and others. Sometimes letting go of “old baggage” through forgiveness is part of this journey of “de-cluttering” one’s life. We need not wait until we are sick or in the midst of some other life crisis to begin the inner work of simplifying our lives. The Franciscan ideal of simplicity invites us to begin this inner work today. Achieving the Franciscan ideal of simplicity is not necessarily simple or easy. In his book “Riding the Dragon” Robert Wicks reflects on a practice to achieve simplicity when he encourages us to prune carefully and often. “If we prune away unrealistic expectations in our lives, then the simple gifts we have can be shared without so much stress.” Like the pruning of a tree, the practice of simplicity requires that things be cut away sometimes with pain. Simplicity is God’s pruning shear, which cuts back the tangled branches of our lives, enabling us to begin living freely, sharing generously, and loving deeply. Inner pruning can lead to a sense of inner peace, which is one of the greatest gifts we can give when we reach out to those in need and each other. Like St. Francis, if we prune carefully and often, we will allow God’s goodness to shine and blossom in us. Simplicity will enable us to live life with more joy, peace and inner happiness. The stresses of life can cloud our clarity of purpose. Simplicity invites each of us to stay centered and to prayerfully look inside to examine what matters and what doesn’t. Sr. Teresa Joseph Ranly, SFP, was for me a living example of the Franciscan ideal of simplicity. She was an administrator at St. Mary’s Hospital before it closed in 1971. I was privileged to know her in the 1980’s when she worked as a patient representative at Mercy Mt. Airy Hospital. She was a joyful, peaceful, and happy woman whose priority in life was to love God through serving the sick and the poor. Her favorite sayings were “God is good” and “Thanks be to God.” Her life reflected the words of St. Francis to continuously thank God from whom all good comes. She was a living example of Franciscan simplicity. Another living example of Franciscan simplicity for me was my mother who just died here at Mercy Franciscan Terrace on August 29. Seven years ago Mom suffered a severe heart attack. The cardiologist told my brother and I that Mom would probably not live through the weekend. He advised us to admit her to hospice care because at the most she only had a couple of weeks to live. Six months later, to everyone’s surprise and amazement, she graduated from hospice. The word “miracle” came to mind. When Mom entered Mercy Franciscan Terrace seven years ago, there was a perfect union of her spirituality with the Terrace’s spiritual environment and culture. This union, combined with excellent and compassionate care, helped Mom flourish and embrace life. She made new friends, sustained old friends, and participated in family activities. After leaving her home of 50 years and all her material possessions, she found inner peace and happiness in her journey home to God. In her final moments of life, when the nurse asked her if she wanted to go to the hospital, Mom replied: “No, just make me comfortable here. I am ready to go home to God.” Mom’s simplicity will inspire me the rest of my life. The Franciscan Ideal of Joy
Chardin writes that “Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.” The great theologian Karl Barth wrote that “laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.” Joy is essential to all spirituality. In the sisters' parking lot there are always a few cars with the bumper sticker “Perfect joy is being Franciscan.” Joy is like the color yellow, which brilliantly reflects the light of the sun and generates emotions of delight and happiness. Who among us does not like to be around people who are joyful, spirited, hopeful and positive? Joy is contagious! The sunlight shining through a joyful person is often caught by other people. For Francis joy is an essential ingredient to surviving and thriving in a world full of darkness and bad news. He said to his followers: “Let the brothers beware lest they show themselves outwardly gloomy and sad hypocrites, but let them show themselves joyful in the Lord, cheerful, and suitably gracious.” A transformational event in his life relating to the source of his joy occurred when he was forming his order. He asked the priest in the Church of St. Nicholas in Assisi to open the Gospels three times and read aloud the passages God would give him and the brothers as their way of life. And this is what was read: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor.” (Mt 19:21) “Take nothing for your journey.” (Lk 9:3) “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Mt. 16:24) When Francis heard these words, he declared “This is our life and rule.” A cry came from his deepest soul, “This is what I want, this is what I seek, this is what I long for with my inmost heart!” For St. Francis, the Gospel Life is the source of perfect joy! At the heart of Francis’ joy and visionary way of life stood the Gospel, not as intellectualized by the scholastics of the day, but as a burning message of love, compassion, reconciliation and peace. For Francis perfect joy is found by walking away from the things of the world which can steal our joy. Perfect joy is not found in the materialism of the world. He invites us to seek a perspective that gives us eyes to distinguish the fleeting from the eternal and the shallow from the deep. Francis taught that joy comes from abandoning ourselves into the hands of God. Ironically, this submission to God doesn’t result in a life that is defeatist, pessimistic, or separated from the rhythms of life. Instead, it connects us to life more deeply and more passionately. One way to understand “perfect joy” is through the Gospel paradoxes expressed in the famous “Prayer of St. Francis” of losing life in order to find it, of dying in order to live. “Stripping in order to clothe” and “renouncing in order to possess” demonstrate the essential paradox of “perfect joy” in the Franciscan tradition. Joy is found in giving rather than receiving. Joy is found in seeking to understand by listening and being respectful. Joy is found in giving consolation. Joy is found in forgiveness. Joy is found in dying to the selfishness that always assails us. Another source of perfect joy is when I discover that I am loved by God just as I am. For then I begin to embrace others as God has embraced me. Healthy self love is the beginning of true spirituality. I am made in the image and likeness of God. I am blessed by God. I am God’s work of art. One practical way to nurture joy in our lives is through what one writer calls the sacrament of the present moment. Sometimes we are so consumed by the past and so preoccupied about the future that we miss the beauty and promise of the current moment. The children in our lives often teach us about the joy of living in the current moment. My father died eight years ago last evening when Franciscans all over the world celebrate the passing of St. Francis to new life. When I eulogized Dad, I celebrated him as a “Man of Joy.” I said that the one word which best described his virtue and lifelong preoccupation was “Joy.” Dad was a happy and joy-filled man who was always fun to be around. He loved to laugh and joke and was often times the life of the party. Dad was consistently upbeat, positive, hopeful, optimistic, and full of life. He was unattached to material things and possessions. Where did he get his energy, spark, and zest for life? There were three sources of Dad’s joy: his relationship with his work, his relationship with people, and his relationship with God. He will always be for me a living example of “perfect joy” in the way of St. Francis. The Franciscan Ideal of Humility
St. Elizabeth Seton once said that: “The gate of Heaven is very low; only the humble can enter it.” St. Augustine wrote: “If you should ask me what are the ways of God, I would tell you that the first is humility, the second is humility, and the third is humility. Not that there are no other precepts to give, but if humility does not precede all that we do, our efforts are fruitless.” Humility is like the color green which symbolizes healthy and vibrant growth, wholeness, and connectedness with all of creation. In his book “Good to Great,” Jim Collins identifies personal humility as one of the key characteristics of what he calls a level 5 leader. A level 5 leader reflects humility in four ways: By demonstrating a compelling modesty, shunning public adulation and never being boastful; by acting with quiet, calm determination, relying principally on inspired standards, not inspiring charisma, to motivate; by channeling ambition into the company, not the self and setting up successors for even greater success in the next generation; and by looking out the window, not in the mirror, to apportion credit for the success of the company. Based on these criteria, St. Francis was a model level 5 leader whose personal humility calls forth the best in human beings who strive to live the ideals of his spirituality. Francis lived and preached a radical message of downward mobility: littleness, humbleness, submission, obedience, and service. To Francis, bigger wasn’t better, smaller was. He wrote to his followers: “It is not for us to be wise and calculating in the world’s fashion, we should be guileless, lowly, and pure.” Every time, Francis chose poverty over wealth, powerlessness over power, and serving over ruling. Francis’s emphasis on humility sprang from his desire to imitate the humility of Christ, whose life was framed by two episodes of supreme humility. In the Incarnation, he emptied himself of divinity to be born in human form and walk among us. Throughout his life Jesus served the poor and the needy and in the Crucifixion, he gave his life for us. Francis referred to the humility of Christ as “the condescension of God.” Francis loved the Eucharist because it was a clear reenactment of this divine humility. “What wonderful majesty! What stupendous condescension! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity! That the Lord of the whole universe, God and the Son of God, should humble himself like this and hide under the form of a little bread, for our salvation.” Francis believed that humility would result in obedience, and that obedience was a prerequisite to knowing and doing the will of God. It is part of the genius of St. Francis that he realized the way to God is the way God came to us. God came to us not by ascending to some spiritual stratosphere, but by descending and entering our world. In 1223, three years before he died, Francis told his brothers that he wanted to celebrate the feast of Christmas in a new way. He and a few brothers went to the town of Greccio and sent word to the people of the village. Carrying torches, they came at midnight to a little cave on a hillside opposite the village. They celebrated Christmas Mass around a small stone altar where an ox and ass stood watch as had once happened at the birth of baby Jesus. Francis’ re-enactment of the meaning of a Gospel event began the tradition of the live Christmas scene and the popularization of the Christmas crib. That God was revealed in human flesh was to Francis a constant source of awe. As one Franciscan writes about this event: “Simplicity is given a place of honor, poverty is exalted, humility is commended, and out of Greccio is made a new Bethlehem.” It is the incarnation, but, more precisely, it is the humility of the incarnation which summarizes the life, conversion, teaching and example of St. Francis. Francis realized that God loved our world and wanted to be with us. God did not become incarnate as some mighty lord. It is the humility of the incarnation that is central to Francis’ vision. For him, union with God is not outside and above nature, but within it. St. Francis focused on God’s entrance into human history rather than emphasizing his ascent toward heaven. For St. Francis, it is not what we do to ascend to God that is important, but what God does in descending to us and how we respond to this Divine initiative. As a Franciscan teacher puts it: “One waits in anticipation of the indwelling of God in such a creation-centered spirituality. Yet, the waiting is not passive; it involves active interaction with all of creation by doing the will of God. We need to surrender to the grace of God working within us.” The Franciscan ideal of humility invites us to surrender to God’s amazing grace at work in our lives. St. Francis is the patron saint of our environment. Creation for Francis, was a powerful, living mural of God’s love. The sun was not simply a large star; the sun was Francis’ own brother, Brother Sun. The moon was not simply a large asteroid; the moon for Francis was his own sister, Sister Moon. In fact, each part of the created universe in the vision of St. Francis was a loving gift of God and a creature whose very existence praised God. The entire earth, just as it is, is a gospel of divine presence. God’s creation is incarnationally related to the presence of God in our entire world. The incarnation sanctifies all creation. “The Canticle of the Creatures” was written by St. Francis shortly before his death. In the Canticle, St. Francis invites us to look prayerfully at God and his creation. Like God, nature keeps giving itself to us. St. Francis loved all things, all creation, not as ends in themselves, but as brothers and sisters, who like him, are on their way to God. Nature, like the soul, is God’s vesture. It says: “I am made, as you are made, by God’s hand.” Father Dominic Wachtel was a Franciscan priest who died on March 19, 1999. Fr. Dominic was a living example of the Franciscan ideal of humility. As a fellow Franciscan wrote: “Anyone who met Fr. Dominic, took a good look at him, and got to know him a little, and came away with a sense of awe. Physically, Dominic was a mess, and he looked it! He was thin as a rail…he was somewhat stooped. His face was exceedingly thin, and looked emaciated. Yet, if physically Dominic was a mess, this did not prevent his inner goodness from shining through. Dominic was a pleasant and gracious person. He was a humble and gentle man: gentle in attitude, gentle in thought, gentle in word, gentle in action! Put differently, Dominic was a holy man. His holiness was especially revealed in his fidelity and his prayerfulness. He was faithful in his pastoral ministry to the sick. Though very frail, Dominic worked full time in a very demanding ministry as a hospital chaplain for fourteen years. He loved the sick to whom he ministered. He spent himself completely in caring for the sick, visiting them, comforting them, consoling and strengthening them.” He loved animals and instituted the annual “Blessing of the Animals” tradition at Mercy Mt. Airy Hospital. His zeal, compassion, poverty, humility, and total dedication to our healing ministry continue to inspire many of us to this day to move forward in our work. The Franciscan Ideal of Service
The color red in our stained glass window symbolizes the Franciscan ideal of serving God through serving the sick, the poor, and the vulnerable with passion, energy, fire and commitment. The spirituality of St. Francis is healthy spirituality which fosters a balance between prayer and service. The prayer life of St. Francis energized his passion for service. His prayer life kept him focused and centered, on fire and yet glued together. Francis struck a balance between solitude and service, between separation from the world and intense dedication to it, between silent contemplation and active involvement through service. We all need a life giving balance between prayer and service. Such balance nourishes the integration of spirituality and daily life. Balance and integration are critical in our journey to God and link our love of God with our love of neighbor. The First Letter of John reveals the relationship between love of God and love of neighbor: “If anyone boasts, ‘I love God’ and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.” (1 John 4:20-21) For St. Francis, love of God and love of neighbor were inseparable. How we treat others, particularly others who we view as somehow less important than ourselves, is a crucial test of our humility. One night prior to his conversion, Francis, then a rich and pampered young man, donned his flashiest clothes, mounted his horse, and set off for a night of drinking and carousing. God, social justice, and the poor were not on his mind. Riding down a narrow road, he found his path blocked by a leper. Francis was particularly repulsed by the deformities and smell of lepers. He tried to steer his horse around him, but the path was too narrow. Frustrated, angry, and with his path clearly blocked, Francis had no other choice but to get down off his horse and try to move the leper out of his path. When he put out his hand and touched the leper’s arm, something inside him snapped. Undeterred by the smell and rotting flesh and unashamed, he kissed that leper and his life was never the same again. In that kiss, Francis found the reality of God and of love in a way that changed him forever. After this night, Francis is ever walking with the poor and those whom others find repulsive, obnoxious, or simply inconvenient. We see in him someone whose whole life is an unsentimental love that embraces what most people mistake for something ugly. For St. Francis, the way to God is through a descent, a humbling of oneself, a falling into the earth and dying like a seed, a reaching down to those who have fallen by the wayside, like the lepers. Francis learned from his own experience that serving social outcasts with mercy and compassion brings near the God who may seem far away. For Francis, we are God’s hands. God has placed tremendous responsibility in our hands. We give birth to God by doing good. We incarnate Jesus when we serve. Jesus assures us: “Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me.” Francis experienced in the embrace of a rejected person a closeness to God. He embraces the ugly and in that embrace God comes to St. Francis. The spirituality of St. Francis shows us that in the powerless, one can find the power of God; in the voiceless, one can hear the voice of God; in the impoverished, one can find God’s treasures; in the weak, one can find God’s strength; and in the unattractive, one can find God’s beauty. The great spiritual teacher Henri Nouwen wrote that the paradox of ministry is that “We will find the God we want to give in the lives of the people to whom we want to give God.” With the AIDS outbreak in the 1990’s, Sr. Mary Jacinta Doyle, SFP, was a passionate leader in the Cincinnati community in ministering to the victims of this dreaded disease. She educated health care professionals on the nature of the disease, she formed support groups, she calmed the fears of family members, she collaborated with social agencies and was instrumental in forming support networks which continue to help people today with this disease. From my viewpoint, Sr. Jacinta truly emptied and humbled herself in this ministry. Sr. June Casterton, SFP, is a chaplain who recently told me how much she loves working with people with advanced dementia. When I asked her what she liked about working with these individuals, she said she is touched by how much these individuals are able to experience the sheer joy of embracing and living in the present moment. I sensed that Sr. June in her ministry to these individuals could truly taste and see the goodness and grace of God in their lives. Conclusion Questions for Reflection What are my top priorities in life? Do I need to do some “inner pruning” to simplify my life? What is my core purpose? Are there some unrealistic expectations in my life which I need to prune away? Am I carrying some “excess baggage” which I could let go of through forgiveness? Am I able to celebrate the sacrament of the present moment by enjoying the beauty and promise of the current moment? What or who are some sources of joy, zest, and happiness in my life? Are there ways I can surrender to God’s amazing grace at work in my life? Is there a balance in my life between prayer and service? Am I consuming more than my fair share of the world’s limited resources? Is there some of my surplus that could benefit others with less? One of the first steps in Francis’ life of faith was to kiss the leper. Who are the lepers in my life? How can I kiss them? Our core value of Sacredness of Life reflects our commitment to reverence all life and creation. How can I deepen my reverence for God’s creation and the environment? |
