St. Francis of Assisi
Today I would like us to look a St. Francis of Assisi. St Francis is a saint I have felt a particular drawing to since I became a Christian. We don’t often recognize a lot of Saint days, and his feast is actually on Oct 4th, but I thought it would be helpful to take some time to look at him and how he followed Jesus.
It is sometimes helpful to have examples as we seek to follow Christ. It can give us a sense of what is possible. There was a time when it was thought to be impossible to run a 4 minute mile. But once Roger Bannister did it in 1954 it became more and more common. We are inspired when we see someone accomplish something we thought was impossible. Suddenly the impossible become possible. … Following the teaching of Jesus can sometimes feel impossible, but when we look at the life of someone like Francis of Assisi we might be inspired to live in a way we thought was impossible.
Francis is particularly challenging because he seems to have almost always taken the words of Jesus literally. If a teaching of Jesus could be interpreted in two different ways- one way resulted in a more difficult life and the other resulted in an easier life- Francis seems to have always chosen the harder way. If Francis ever made a mistake in his Christian walk, it might very well be in taking the words of Jesus too literally. … But then he lived an incredibly beautiful and joy-filled life, so who are we to judge? Jesus said,
“you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children” (Matt 11:25).
Maybe Francis, in his simple and child-like way of following the words of Christ, understood something that the scholars have missed.
Francis grew up in Italy in the 1200’s. He grew up as a part of the swelling merchant class, and seemed to have had everything he could have wanted. He was a romantic. He seems to have been drawn by the way of the troubadours, who sang about love and chivalry. He even tried his hand at being a soldier, but was caught and imprisoned for a time.
He once heard a painting of Christ on the cross speak to him while he was in a local church, and a passion grew in him to help the poor and sick and repair an old church. Tension grew between him and his father after he began giving away his father’s property. Francis entered into a deep poverty, regularly giving away anything that was in his possession. There are stories about him giving away his cloak to a cold beggar and walking home nearly naked in winter. He took on such deep poverty that he was known as “the little poor one of Christ”. He spoke about being married to Lady Poverty. He soon gathered a group around him, and these came to be known as the Franciscans. His friend Clare led the women, who came to be known as the Poor Clares.
Francis is difficult to pin down in some ways. People are fond of a saying that is attributed to him “preach at all times, and if necessary, use words”. This is often used in a way to say actions matter more than words, but it is also important to remember that Francis preached with words a lot. He preached in town squares, and if the people wouldn’t listen, he would preach to the birds. He was said to have walked into the sultan’s camp in Egypt and preached to them there (during the time of the crusades).
He practiced such harsh asceticism that he likely shortened his life. He only lived to be 44. One might think that he was someone who was trying to escape the creation with such hard practices, but he loved creation. He sang songs praising God through the elements sun, moon, wind, even death- and he called them his brothers and sisters. There are also many stories that speak about his special relationship with animals.
Two years before his death, he had a vision after which the wounds of Christ were manifest on his body. His hands and feet looked as if they had been pierced by nails and his side looked as if he was impaled with a spear.
There is so much that he is known for that we could fill our time just recounting the events of his life.
There is a story about him that I would like to focus on today which I hope will inspire us to follow the impossible way of Christ.
It is a strange and beautiful teaching. It is one we desperately need. This teaching can only come from someone who has been deeply shaped by the teachings of Christ- someone who has tried with all their might and the grace of God to endure injustices to them, and tried to love their enemy- to bless those who persecute them, rather than curse them. … In the first letter of Peter we read,
Francis grew up in Italy in the 1200’s. He grew up as a part of the swelling merchant class, and seemed to have had everything he could have wanted. He was a romantic. He seems to have been drawn by the way of the troubadours, who sang about love and chivalry. He even tried his hand at being a soldier, but was caught and imprisoned for a time.
He once heard a painting of Christ on the cross speak to him while he was in a local church, and a passion grew in him to help the poor and sick and repair an old church. Tension grew between him and his father after he began giving away his father’s property. Francis entered into a deep poverty, regularly giving away anything that was in his possession. There are stories about him giving away his cloak to a cold beggar and walking home nearly naked in winter. He took on such deep poverty that he was known as “the little poor one of Christ”. He spoke about being married to Lady Poverty. He soon gathered a group around him, and these came to be known as the Franciscans. His friend Clare led the women, who came to be known as the Poor Clares.
Francis is difficult to pin down in some ways. People are fond of a saying that is attributed to him “preach at all times, and if necessary, use words”. This is often used in a way to say actions matter more than words, but it is also important to remember that Francis preached with words a lot. He preached in town squares, and if the people wouldn’t listen, he would preach to the birds. He was said to have walked into the sultan’s camp in Egypt and preached to them there (during the time of the crusades).
He practiced such harsh asceticism that he likely shortened his life. He only lived to be 44. One might think that he was someone who was trying to escape the creation with such hard practices, but he loved creation. He sang songs praising God through the elements sun, moon, wind, even death- and he called them his brothers and sisters. There are also many stories that speak about his special relationship with animals.
Two years before his death, he had a vision after which the wounds of Christ were manifest on his body. His hands and feet looked as if they had been pierced by nails and his side looked as if he was impaled with a spear.
There is so much that he is known for that we could fill our time just recounting the events of his life.
There is a story about him that I would like to focus on today which I hope will inspire us to follow the impossible way of Christ.
Francis called Brother Leo and said: “Brother Leo, write.” He responded: “Look, I’m ready!” “Write,” he said, “what true joy is.”[1]
“A messenger arrives and says that all the Masters of Paris have entered the Order. Write: this isn’t true joy! Or, that all the prelates, archbishops and bishops beyond the mountains, as well as the King of France and the King of England [have entered the Order]. Write: this isn’t true joy! Again, that my brothers have gone to the non-believers and converted all of them to the faith; again, that I have so much grace from God that I heal the sick and perform many miracles. I tell you true joy doesn’t consist in any of these things.”
“Then what is true joy?”
“I return from Perugia and arrive here in the dead of night. It’s winter time, muddy, and so cold that icicles have formed on the edges of my habit and keep striking my legs and blood flows from such wounds. Freezing, covered with mud and ice, I come to the gate and, after I’ve knocked and called for some time, a brother comes and asks: ‘Who are you?’ ‘Brother Francis,’ I answer. ‘Go away!’ he says. ‘This is not a decent hour to be wandering about! You may not come in!’ When I insist, he replies: ‘Go away! You are simple and stupid! Don’t come back to us again! There are many of us here like you—we don’t need you!’ I stand again at the door and say: ‘For the love of God, take me in in tonight!’ And he replies: ‘I will not! Go to the Crosiers’ place and ask there!’
“I tell you this: If I had patience and did not become upset, true joy, as well as true virtue and the salvation of my soul, would consist in this.”
It is a strange and beautiful teaching. It is one we desperately need. This teaching can only come from someone who has been deeply shaped by the teachings of Christ- someone who has tried with all their might and the grace of God to endure injustices to them, and tried to love their enemy- to bless those who persecute them, rather than curse them. … In the first letter of Peter we read,
"It is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God” (1 Peter 2:19-20).
This is the way of the cross. …
Are we really only going to find joy once everyone behaves the way we want them to, and all injustices have been corrected? … Where do we seek joy? If the source of our joy depends on other people and how they treat us, then it will be fleeting. If we seek joy in the circumstances of our life, then joy will be transient. So where do we seek the source of joy?
There's a kind of parable I once heard about a man who is out in a little rowboat. It's twilight. There is a bit of mist on the water. The man in the boat stops rowing and just drifts. He relaxes and enjoys the gentle rocking of the waves. … After a while he sees a sail off in the distance. … The man's appreciation for the beautiful scenery begins to be disturbed because the small sailboat begins heading in his direction. He starts to wonder, "does the person in the boat see me?" The relaxed evening becomes tense as the sailboat gets closer. Eventually the man yells out, "Hey! change course!" … But there is no response and the boat does not change course. The boat gets closer and closer, and now the man is yelling at the top of his lungs, "You idiot! What are you doing?! Move! move! Change course! open your eyes! you're going to hit me!" The sailboat is headed straight for the man in the boat who is now standing and screaming at the top of his lungs. … The two boats nearly collide, but the sailboat just misses the man and his rowboat. As the sailboat passes by the red-faced screaming man sees that the sailboat is empty. The sailboat is at the mercy of the wind. No one is controlling it.
I think this little parable is teaching us the same thing as what Francis was teaching about joy. If our joy is based on outward circumstances, then our joy will be very fragile and will always be at the mercy of the circumstances that assail us.
Sometimes we can be like the man in the rowboat. We can scream our lungs out and stamp our feet as hard as we want, but it will not change the situation. All that will happen is that our faces will turn red, our blood pressure will rise, and our joy will be destroyed. … If we see the boat as being empty, we realize that we can encounter the situation with a sense of peace. We respond to the situation as needed- perhaps we choose to row out of the way. … What is the point of screaming at the wind? … There are plenty of people who drift unthinkingly through the world with sin pushing their sails. Sometimes they bump into us. (sometimes we are the ones who bump into them). Are we surprised that sin is in the world? Why are we so shocked when we bump against sin? Or against difficult circumstances? Are we surprised when things don’t go the way we want them to? … Maybe this is what Paul means when he says, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal 6:14). Maybe part of being crucified to the world means to stop expecting it to be the source of your joy.
Where do we seek joy? What is the source of joy that cannot be taken away from us? Ultimately, we seek these in God, not in any worldly circumstance. Our joy should ultimately come from God, not from any circumstance. I know this is incredibly challenging. It can seem like the impossible 4 minute mile. … But I think Francis of Assisi discovered this in his life as he sought to follow Christ and his way of the cross.
Are we really only going to find joy once everyone behaves the way we want them to, and all injustices have been corrected? … Where do we seek joy? If the source of our joy depends on other people and how they treat us, then it will be fleeting. If we seek joy in the circumstances of our life, then joy will be transient. So where do we seek the source of joy?
There's a kind of parable I once heard about a man who is out in a little rowboat. It's twilight. There is a bit of mist on the water. The man in the boat stops rowing and just drifts. He relaxes and enjoys the gentle rocking of the waves. … After a while he sees a sail off in the distance. … The man's appreciation for the beautiful scenery begins to be disturbed because the small sailboat begins heading in his direction. He starts to wonder, "does the person in the boat see me?" The relaxed evening becomes tense as the sailboat gets closer. Eventually the man yells out, "Hey! change course!" … But there is no response and the boat does not change course. The boat gets closer and closer, and now the man is yelling at the top of his lungs, "You idiot! What are you doing?! Move! move! Change course! open your eyes! you're going to hit me!" The sailboat is headed straight for the man in the boat who is now standing and screaming at the top of his lungs. … The two boats nearly collide, but the sailboat just misses the man and his rowboat. As the sailboat passes by the red-faced screaming man sees that the sailboat is empty. The sailboat is at the mercy of the wind. No one is controlling it.
I think this little parable is teaching us the same thing as what Francis was teaching about joy. If our joy is based on outward circumstances, then our joy will be very fragile and will always be at the mercy of the circumstances that assail us.
Sometimes we can be like the man in the rowboat. We can scream our lungs out and stamp our feet as hard as we want, but it will not change the situation. All that will happen is that our faces will turn red, our blood pressure will rise, and our joy will be destroyed. … If we see the boat as being empty, we realize that we can encounter the situation with a sense of peace. We respond to the situation as needed- perhaps we choose to row out of the way. … What is the point of screaming at the wind? … There are plenty of people who drift unthinkingly through the world with sin pushing their sails. Sometimes they bump into us. (sometimes we are the ones who bump into them). Are we surprised that sin is in the world? Why are we so shocked when we bump against sin? Or against difficult circumstances? Are we surprised when things don’t go the way we want them to? … Maybe this is what Paul means when he says, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal 6:14). Maybe part of being crucified to the world means to stop expecting it to be the source of your joy.
Where do we seek joy? What is the source of joy that cannot be taken away from us? Ultimately, we seek these in God, not in any worldly circumstance. Our joy should ultimately come from God, not from any circumstance. I know this is incredibly challenging. It can seem like the impossible 4 minute mile. … But I think Francis of Assisi discovered this in his life as he sought to follow Christ and his way of the cross.
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