Trying to develop the 'Flaming Love' within so as to not feel the 'Cold from Without'!

Followers of Francis have learned that they should reverence and cherish Poverty.  However, there is real trepidation in our hearts when we talk about what that means - what real poverty is. The spiritual idea behind it - that we must be empty of self to be filled with God and His blessings - is understandable and seems desirable.  However, when Francis spoke of Poverty he wasn't only referring to this 'spiritual' ideal.  Francis meant literal physical/material poverty.  He saw it as the only real way to experience the spiritual Poverty the saints (and Christ) spoke of.  

Poverty is suffering need and not being able to do much about it.  Living in poverty means always being in need. Poverty has little to do with what we like or want - our choice to fore go the comforts and pleasures of the world that we have ready access to.  It has everything to do with real need and, specifically, what we need to survive and function in the world. This is the poverty that our father Francis lived, suffered and . . .  celebrated.

In Jesus' travels he was one day accosted by a man who said, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go!"  Jesus stopped, and looked deep into his eyes.  He knew what this man was thinking - 'You are the King of Israel!  Ultimately You will end up in holy Jerusalem, for it is there that You will assume Your throne.  You may travel around a bit between now and then, but in Jerusalem You will be surrounded by the power, riches and glory that is Your right as King.  I want to go with You, prove a good follower, so I can have a share of those things.'

This man did not understand God's plan.  Jesus didn't condemn the man but simply said, "The foxes have holes.  Even the birds of the air have nests. But, the Son of Man has no place to even lay His head!"  Jesus would never be at home in this world, never have a place He could relax.  It goes without saying that there would be no earthly power, wealth or pleasures.  This man, if he followed Jesus, could expect to be just as homeless - just as poor and destitute - as Jesus was.  Even worse, Jesus later said, 'Those who would be with Me . . . must deny themselves take up their cross and follow me'.  The cross meant absolute poverty, shame and death.  

Francis wanted to follow Jesus and would follow Him to the ends of the world even if that meant there was NO PLACE in the world for him.  He took on the poverty Jesus lived and shouldered his cross bravely - putting aside earthly temporal dreams on the journey to Calvary.  Francis became a banner for others to follow and many did, enduring the same sufferings with hope of an eternity lived in Christ's presence.

The brothers who followed Francis had, like him, . . . nothing. Their clothes were donated by others and were often so worn that they were worthless - not worth even trying to mend.  The brothers slept and worked in these clothes, the only clothes they had - a pitiful assemblage of rags.  But Francis made it clear that, even the clothes on their backs were on 'loan' until 'a poorer person comes along'.  Francis often gave parts of his clothing away (sometimes all of it) - to the naked poor.  When he told them they must be just as ready to give, they knew it wasn't just a mental exercise or 'point of discussion'. It could be very HARD to live without clothes, especially in the winter!  It is hard to pray, work - do anything - when you are shivering and your teeth are chattering!  Francis wasn't afraid of this poverty and the suffering that came with it. He encouraged his brothers to be just as fearless.

One winters day, the brothers were together and it was very cold.  They were shivering terribly, clutching their threadbare clothes to their hungry thin bodies.  The wind was blowing and brought with it a mixture of snow and rain.  The brothers, to say the least, were miserable. Suffering can bring out the worst in us leading us to complain.  The brothers knew better than to complain around Francis who 'celebrated' poverty and suffering.  He would just point out to them that they knew what they were getting into in choosing to follow him in the footsteps of Christ.  They didn't say anything but Francis could see on their faces their unhappiness and so, to bolster their resolution and help them to refocus, he gave them a strong exhortation.

Francis said through his chattering teeth, "If we were well covered within with flaming love for our home in heaven, we might easily bear the cold from without".

Francis acknowledged that the brothers were not 'well covered' with clothes.  He knew that they were suffering - he was shivering himself!  Using their physical reality as a starting point, he sought to open their eyes to the spiritual reality that they were not 'well covered' by love and faith.    Francis, aware of their desire for the warmth fire brings, mentions the 'fire of love'.  However, Francis wasn't talking about God's love for them here but THEIR love for God.  Their fervor for God, for His love, and their faith in His love for them was weak!  He knew it was hard, they were suffering, but none of this changed the fact of God's love for them or their need to try to show faithful love to Him.  Francis didn't talk about God's love because what greater proof of God's love - of His Divine provision for them - than Jesus hanging on the cross?!  The real issue here was whether the brothers truly appreciated that love and were allowing that love to transform them into Christ - making them like Him in His willingness to suffer and die for the love of God.

Francis was telling them that it was their choice - something they must WILL with God's help - to cloth themselves with these 'flames of love'. These flames would warm them, give them peace and joy - even in their sufferings. If they could only see with the eyes of faith like Francis did they would realize it was this very suffering that was the gurantee, if they believed, of the precious and priceless treasures of heaven - eternal life - in the presence of their Divine Father.

Francis knew that if they could warm themselves with the promises of Christ, they could easily endure the 'cold from without'.  St. Paul said, "For you not only shared in the sufferings . . . but accepted with joy being stripped of your belongings, knowing that you owned something that was better and lasting.  Do not lose your fearlessness now, then, since the reward is so great.  You will need perseverance if you are to do God's will and gain what He has promised".  Later he adds, "Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection.  For the sake of the joy which lay ahead of Him, He endured the cross, disregarding the shame of it, and has taken His seat at the right of God's throne . . ."  Finally, St. Paul said, 'That is why we do not waver; indeed, though this outer human nature of ours may be falling into decay, at the same time our inner human nature is renewed day by day.  The temporary, light burden of our hardships is earning us forever an utterly incomparable, eternal weight of glory . . .".

Actually, to warm ourselves with the 'flames of love' is impossible.  However, 'with God all things are possible'.  St. Paul explains how this work of grace is accomplished when he said, '. . . the immensity of the power is God's and not our own.  We are subjected to every kind of hardship, but never distressed; we see no way out but we never despair; . . . we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible . . .".  He said to St. Timothy, '. . . share in my hardships . . . relying on the power of God . . . I know in whom I have put my trust and I have no doubt at all that He is able to safeguard until that Day what I have entrusted to Him".  It is God who gives us strength to persevere making it so that 'the peace of God which is beyond our understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus' during our trials and sufferings.

Most of us - even us Franciscans - don't live as Francis' first followers did - in absolute physical/material poverty.  This makes it that much harder for us to make progress in dieing to self and learning to let God's power live and work through us.  However, all of us experience suffering.  Throughout our days there are painful, uncomfortable, humiliating things that happen which we can't do anything about.  Francis tells us to see these experiences for what they are in the spiritual realm - opportunities to grow close to God, to experience His saving grace and the power of His love to transform us.  I pray we don't let any more of these opportunities to draw near to God pass us by.  If unappreciated it is possible God will hesitate to send these blessings our way!  We should welcome these opportunities to experience poverty for . . . God is calling us to Himself, seeking to embrace us with both His power and His love.

Poverty teaches us two things: how terribly Christ suffered and how powerful the love was that compelled Him to suffer for US!

We know how much Francis loved his 'lady Poverty'.  He saw poverty as a way to become free - free from sin (which separates us from God) but also from worry about getting and holding on to 'things' which are, in effect, just  'dust in the wind'. Poverty allows one to focus on the Source of these gifts and realize God will  provide 'our daily bread'!

Francis  strongly identified with beggars even before he "left the world". Francis once went to Rome, bought the ragged clothes of a beggar and joined the throngs of beggars in the streets.  He wanted to experience the life of a beggar first hand - it's hardships and humiliations - because Jesus 'though rich, became poor for love of us'.  Francis wanted to know what Jesus felt - how hard His life was - so that he could more fully understand His love.  Later, by choice He became the Lord's beggar and begging was adopted into the Rule of life for  the friars.

St. Francis tells us: When you see a poor person, you ought to consider Him in Whose name he comes, Christ that is, who took our poverty and infirmity on Himself.  For such a person's infirmity and poverty is a kind of mirror for us, in which we ought to behold with pitying regard the infirmity and poverty which our Lord Jesus Christ bore in His person for our sake." 

Begging is the desperate act of the poor to keep body and soul together. All people want to feel in control of their lives but those who beg are admitting to everyone that they can't meet their own basic needs. Their situations requires them to depend on the kindness of others and often the 'others' are not so kind.  Rejection and humiliation are two of the occupational hazards of begging.

Beggars suffer humiliation in numerous ways.  Even if people do not verbally abuse the beggar, the tone of voice, a critical eye, can pierce to the heart.  Also there are those who draw sadistic pleasure at the beggar's plight and aren't afraid to 'rub it in', laughing at the beggar to demean them further.  Other cruel individuals will actually spit upon, yell at, push away and even beat the beggar who gets in their way.  What makes the poor mans situation even worse is that, even after exposing himself to humiliation (and abuse), he still might not get what he needs and so . . . must keep on begging, opening himself to even more rejection and humiliation!  This ordeal is made worse for those beggars who must beg while suffering the pain and weakness that comes from hunger, exposure (poor clothing and/or no shelter), illness and mental or physical disabilities.  It is not like a beggar can call out sick from his work!

Francis said we should, "consider Him in Whose name he comes, Christ".  There was a standard phrase used by beggars, "For the love of Christ, please help me . . .".  Those the beggar addresses, like the beggar himself, have all experienced the merciful kindness of God.  This experience SHOULD make our hearts tender and ready, when given the opportunity, to help others in need.  God's love for us creates an obligation to care for others and especially for those who are suffering.

Francis points out that Jesus identified with the poor (with us!) by taking "our poverty and infirmity on Himself".  Suffering is our due (the consequence for our sins) but we know Jesus never did anything wrong, never did anything deserving punishment. No matter the shape we find Him in (when encountering a poor person), it is only right to be kind and considerate since it is for us that He is suffering. Jesus made it clear that He is the poor person standing in front of us so, when noting His miserable state, we must not forget that He had all the power, glory, wisdom and wealth of the universe - but gave it all up . . . for love of us.


Francis points out that the "person's infirmity and poverty is a kind of mirror for us, in which we ought to behold with pitying regard the infirmity and poverty which our Lord Jesus Christ bore in His person for our sake".  When Francis saw the abject poverty of the poor he felt compassion for Jesus who suffered all of the miseries of the poor - hunger, thirst, nakedness, humiliation, abuse - during His life and in His passion. Jesus, reflected in the mirror of the poor man, caused Francis to deeply consider the love that compelled Him to become the lowest of the low, the poorest of the poor. Seeing poverty, illness, disability, mental illness, in others hurt Francis deeply and he tried hard to alleviate pain and sorrow wherever he found it. Francis' heart was wounded by Jesus' pain as seen in the pain, sorrow and misery of the poor..  

As followers and friends of Francis we must also allow our hearts to be wounded for Christ in the poor.  We must learn to see Christ, with the eyes of faith, in the poor, feel gratitude for the love that put Him in this state and respond with the same kind of love that compelled Him to suffer for us and . . . we must try our hardest to take care of our dear Jesus, standing in front of us, with out-stretched hand.

The Poor and Sick are a Mirror through which we can See Christ and Mary suffering.

The spiritual man looks at EVERYTHING from a spiritual perspective. God made everything so all things have their origin in God - a Spirit. He made these things to accomplish His will so we must try to learn the spiritual and eternal purpose God has for all things. We must also learn our purpose so that we can fulfill the will of God in our own lives.

Jesus asks us to give all we are and all we have to Him. He said that "Unless you hate father and mother, brother and sister, wife and children and even your own life, you cannot be My disciple". What Jesus meant was that our love for God should be so great that, in comparison, our love for others should seem like hate. Jesus made it clear it was all or nothing. He said, "The first and greatest commandment is this; You must Love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength. The second is similar to it: you must love your neighbor as you love yourself".

Francis believed everything that Jesus said. Jesus said we had to give up everything so Francis turned his back on all things. He chose the Love of God above the love of family and friends. Francis was a spiritual man - a man who made the spiritual life his priority. He learned to see EVERYTHING in light of God's purpose.

Francis said: "When you see a poor man, brother, a mirror of the Lord and His poor Mother is held up to you! In like manner consider in the sick the infirmities He took upon Himself."

A mirror reflects back whatever is in front of it, and for Francis, 'a poor man (is) a mirror of the Lord and His poor Mother'. This spiritual 'mirror' reflects back the image of Jesus and His dear mother Mary in poverty. Though we aren't literally looking at Jesus and Mary, Francis encourages us to see them, spiritually, in the poor. Francis saw them in the poor and so loved the poor intensely. Being around the poor made him feel close to Jesus and Mary.

Most of us have little idea of what it is like to be poor. Poor people live with hunger. Their only clothes are the ones on their backs, often worn out and falling apart. No one wants a poor person as a friend so, when trouble comes, who can they turn to for help?! They are ignored, despised and rejected because they have nothing to offer. Loving Jesus and Mary means we understand them enough to feel their needs - the needs of those who are poor. Showing we love them first requires being able to look into this mirror of poverty and feel their pain.

A mirror can also reflect back the image of the person standing in front of it. When we stand in front of the mirror of poverty do we (with spiritual eyes) see the person who stands there - ourselves in spiritual poverty? Actual material poverty is a mirror of spiritual poverty - our desperate need for God. This reflection will compel us to cry out to Him for help. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit. Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven!" The poor in spirit are blessed because their poverty brings upon them the blessings of our heavenly Father.

Those who don't spend significant time in front of this 'mirror' are doomed to think that all is well with their soul. They will continue to rely on their own righteousness (wisdom, power and goodness) which the prophet Isaiah described as being 'like filthy rags' (menstrual rags) - so filthy that it disgusts God. God is ready to meet our need - clothing us in His righteousness - if we would only acknowledge our need and turn to Him.

Francis goes on to encourage us to "consider in the sick the infirmities He took upon Himself". He tells us that those who are ill, diseased or disabled are also mirrors of Jesus for us. The prophet Isaiah said "He Himself bore our sickness and infirmities and it is through the lashes inflicted upon Him that we are healed". St. Paul put it like this, "Feel the need of the sick for you also are in a body". Thus, Francis loved to be around sick, disabled and suffering people because it reminded him of Jesus who, for love of us, suffered these things.

Francis exhorts us to take advantage of the opportunity the sight of those who suffer need provide us to draw close to our suffering Savior. Jesus once said, "You will not always have Me" and "You will long for one day with Me . . .". Through the poor and sick we have Him and can be with Him. Also, ministering to the needs of the poor provides a way to show Jesus our love for Him. Jesus said, "When you did this to the least of these my brothers, you did it for Me".

The Sign of Christ's Nobility . . . is the Poverty Evident in the Poor and Needy.

After the fall in the Garden, God explained the consequences to Adam and Eve for believing the lies of the devil (rather than trusting God). He then turned to the devil and promised him that '. . . He shall crush thy head and thou shalt bruise His heel". This message indicated that God had a plan for our salvation - that a man would one day conquer evil and save mankind from death. It was Jesus' heel that would be bruised (through crucifixion) even as He crushed satan's head (authority/power).

God described to the prophet Isaiah who the Messiah would be and what He would be like, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and He shall rule . . .". He says in another place, "The government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace'. The prophet Daniel spoke about the glorious and powerful Messiah to come saying, 'Behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the ancient of days and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion and glory, and a kingdom that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed'. Also, foretelling His coming to earth with power to judge and destroy, " . . He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked'. The Christ was to be a mighty King who would not only conquer and rule the world - with just a word! - but would do so after crushing all those who opposed Him.

This is the Christ the Jews were expecting and looking for at the time of Jesus' birth. One who would not only rule over Israel, but free it from the domination of Rome, subjugate all other nations and rule over the whole earth. However Jesus, our Savior, was not the Christ the Jews wanted. Jesus came as a poor weak insignificant peasant and, as a result, was rejected by His people.

This rejection was a disappointment but not a surprise to Jesus. The prophet Isaiah, speaking about how Israel would respond to Jesus, said " . . He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised and we esteemed Him not; we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted'.

The prophet Zechariah spoke of Jesus, the suffering Messiah, as King but not as a conquering or majestic one - ' . . . behold, thy King cometh unto thee; He is just and having salvation; lowly and riding upon an ass and upon a colt the foal of an ass'. Jesus, the King of Israel, on entering Jerusalem, was 'lowly' (humble, gentle, meek), a peasant riding a donkey, surrounded by powerless poor people. He came without any show of power, wealth or political influence. This Messiah, to those expecting a triumphant and glorious Christ . . . was a joke!

Jesus came to conquer and destroy sin, first, and this also was foretold by the prophets. Isaiah said, "Surely He hath borne our griefs . . . He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement that brings us peace was upon Him and with His stripes we are healed . . . the Lord has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all . . . for the transgression of My people was He stricken . . . His soul an offering for sin . . . He shall see of the travail of His soul and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities". Daniel also, foretelling Jesus' life and death, said then " . . . shall the Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself". 'Cut off' means to have one's life cut short - to be killed.

Jesus' sufferings and death crushed the devil, death and sin and secured for us eternal life. The writer of Hebrews said 'We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He, by the grace of God should taste death for every man . . . that through death He might destroy Him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them . . .".

We know (because of the demands of justice) that if Jesus had come as the conquering Messiah (as the Jews hoped He would) rather than the suffering One first, He would have had no choice but to destroy all of humanity. After all humanity was condemned to death, the consequence of our sins - death was all we deserved. Jesus took the sin away, paying the penalty in His own sufferings. It was only after the Messiah suffered and died to save us that He would later appear as the conquering Messiah to reward the faithful and condemn the wicked (those who refused to welcome God's mercy, purchased by Jesus' death). This is the Messiah we (and the Jews) are still waiting for who will come 'on the clouds of heaven, bringing justice . . .' .

Thus we see that Jesus, though He was the One and only Messiah, came in a way that was different than expected - but for good reason. This lowly, sorrowful, broken man released the great mercy of God in a way that saved everyone but was seemingly hidden under rags. It was hidden because the work was spiritual in nature and the fleshy eyes of man are blind to spiritual things. Thus we know, by faith, we are saved but we don't see, with our eyes, those eternal and glorious bodies or the Kingdom of Heaven.

It is this noble (but humble and hidden), nature of Christ that Francis was talking about when he said: 'Whoever says anything evil to a poor man, insults Christ by it, for the poor man bears the mark of Christ’s nobility, who made Himself poor for us in this world.'

Francis says a 'poor man bears the mark of Christ's nobility'. What is that mark? It is poverty, for Jesus 'made Himself poor for us'. We respect the poor man because Christ chose to be poor in this world - became poor for us. Christ chose to elevate what most consider to be miserable and ugly - that which is poor - into the realm of the profoundly powerful and beautiful. Thus, when we see a poor person we should try (with the eyes of faith) to see the mark of Christ's nobility. That sign, poverty, should point us to Christ.

Jesus said we would be judged on whether we would see Him and respond to Him in the poor. He talked about the last judgment when He would gather all people together, separating the good from the evil. He addressed the 'good' and said, "When I was hungry, you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you made Me welcome; naked and you clothed Me, sick and you visited Me, in prison and you came to see Me". The righteous reply to His assertions, "When did we do these things for You Lord?" He replied, ". . . in so far as you did this to the least (the poorest/most needy) of these brothers of mine, you did it to Me".

The 'mark of Jesus' nobility' was clear in all of these people that Jesus said the faithful served so lovingly. Those 'marks' included hunger, thirst, nakedness, being a stranger, those who are deathly ill and those convicted and sentenced to prison (criminals).

Jesus, the King, chose to be poor in this world and even now, from heaven, identifies with the poor. Those who curse at, humiliate, despise and ignore the poor, forsaken and forgotten people are ignoring, forsaking, cursing at and despising Christ. Jesus made this absolutely clear - what you do to the poorest/neediest, YOU HAVE DONE TO HIM.

We call ourselves friends and servants of Christ. Jesus said, 'Where I Am, there will My servant be'. Where is Jesus? He was always amongst the poor and still abides in their midst. Where are you?!?! Does Jesus wonder about you as He seeks to help the poor, saying, "He calls himself My servant and friend, swears he wants to always be with Me but . . . where is he?"

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You forsook the wealth, glory and power of heaven, to come to help us poor miserable sinners. You chose to take on the appearance of the most insignificant, most despised and rejected of humanity - to save us from ourselves, our sinful heart and ways. Now, after winning us salvation, You direct our eyes to You in the poor and needy and tell us "As I have done to you, so you must do for each other". Help us to see You in everyone we meet but especially the poor. Help us to love and serve You in everyone we meet, following Your example of love. Help us to despise the wealth, beauty, power and glory of this world and work for, fight for, the true wealth and power kept safe in heaven, goodness and love. We place our hearts and lives in Your hands. Be exalted forever, in us and through us. Amen.

How to Respond to God after receiving Spiritual Graces.

We have all had 'mountain top' spiritual experiences where, like Moses on mount Sinai, we met God, heard Him speak to us (at least in the depths of our hearts) and the experience changed our lives forever. Or maybe our experience was more peaceful like that of King David who wrote the 'Good Shepherd' Psalm (23),'The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul . . . surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life!"

Francis tells us how we should respond to God when He gives us 'mountain top' blessings. 'When a servant of God is visited by the Lord with some fresh consolation while at prayer, before leaving his prayers he ought to raise his eyes to heaven and say to the Lord with folded hands: 'You have, O Lord, sent unworthy sinful me this consolation and sweetness from Heaven, and I commit it back to You to save it for me, for I am a thief when it comes to Your treasure . . . Lord, take Your good gift from me in this world, and save it for me in the world to come'. That is what he ought to do: so that when he comes away from prayer, he will appear to others as much a poor sinful person as if he had not gained any further grace . . . It happens that an invaluable thing is lost at a cheap price; and that easily provokes the Giver not to give another time."

When God hears our prayer to take back these graces we will probably lose the FEELING of peace or joy that comes with that grace. However, the most valuable part of the gift remains with us: real (experiential) knowledge of God's goodness. As a result of this knowledge our faith has been bolstered so we can 'walk in the Spirit' with greater power. Feelings (emotions) change like the wind but Truth is as immovable as a mountain so our lives should be based on Truth rather than flimsy emotions.

Francis said 'I am a thief when it comes to Your treasure'. A thief is a person who takes something that is not his. Francis understood a gift as being something that someone gives into our possession as a sign of their love. We all know that what makes a gift so wonderful is not so much the 'thing' given as the love of the giver the gift represents. We should enjoy the gifts of God but also never forget that it is the generous heart of God - a heart full of never-ending love for us - that we should truly value. He gave His heart, once and for all, in the person of Jesus who said, "Behold I Am with you always, even to the end of time".

After all, all gifts received in this life (except the gift of eternal life!) are temporary, even those given by God. Francis referred to himself as being a 'thief' because he saw gifts from God as still belonging to God. After all, since our earthly lives are temporary, we don't have the ability to hold on to anything forever. Therefore, reality dictates that all things ultimately belong to God. Clinging to them, despite the fact that we can't have them forever, is to try to hold on to what is (and will always be) God's property. This 'holding on to' God's property is what makes us thieves!

Francis knew gifts are things that exist to be given. Once love is expressed by the giving of the gift the 'thing', the physical gift, is actually no longer necessary. Francis would, after receiving 'things' from God, look around for someone else who might need to be reminded of God's love so that he could pass the gift on. In other words, for Francis, a gift was actually a 'loan' from God, and Francis, who never forgot his obligation as a servant of God (to humanity), always sought out someone needier to pass the gift on to - spreading the love of God everywhere!

Francis refers to himself as 'unworthy sinful me'. Jesus said, 'To whom much is given, much is required' and also, "The servant who knew his Master's will but did not do it shall receive many strokes of the whip". St. James said, "To know to do good and not to do it, is a sin". God's graces have a utilitarian purpose: to draw us close to God and to empower us to show His love to the world. Our sinful nature takes the good gifts of God (including spiritual gifts!) and neglects or abuses them rather than using them as God intends (to bless others).

An example of how a devout person doesn't appreciate, but neglects or abuses, these graces is where he leaves church after Mass totally blessed after worshipping God. However, soon thereafter, he gets cut off on the road and ends up cursing the 'cutter'. St. James said, "How can you, out of the same mouth, bless God and curse your brother, made in the image of God?! This is not right brothers!" This is how we profane spiritual things since we couple God's praises with curses toward those He cherishes enough to die for!

Another good reason Francis gives for wanting to give back God's graces is to save them for the future - for heaven. He said, 'save it for me in the world to come'. Jesus said that 'a man shall receive a reward for the good things done in his life'. Some of these gifts (rewards) are automatically reserved in heaven for us but others God gives to us in this world. Jesus said, "Do not save up good things in this world where they can be stolen or destroyed. Save them up in heaven where they cannot be stolen or destroyed and you can enjoy them forever". Francis showed us that it is possible to save not only earthly things for heaven but spiritual graces as well!

Francis was well aware of how tricky the devil is and how he always uses good things to accomplish evil. As a result of these graces it is apparent to all that we are overflowing with peace, joy and love. Everyone can see our faces shining like Moses' 'coming down from the mountain'. We know that it is the good and faithful that God blesses so the feeling that comes with these graces can be used by the enemy to create jealousy, envy and bitterness in those who see us as well as pride, arrogance and presumption in us who receive them. Francis said this 'is what he ought to do: so that when he comes away from prayer, he will appear to others as much a poor sinful person as if he had not gained any further grace'. He said the blessed person SHOULD do this so that he won't look like (or be treated like) someone special. After all, aside from the grace of God, we are all just 'poor sinful persons'. Jesus said ". . . only God is good" and St. Paul said "There is no one good - not a single person - who does what is right!".

Francis concludes by saying; "It happens that an invaluable thing is lost at a cheap price". Nothing in this world can be compared to heavenly treasures which last forever, never losing their power or glory. The 'cheap price' he talked about was earthly glory which is 'cheap' because it is 'here today and gone tomorrow'. It is 'good' but loses it's value quickly and is usually given for superficial (delusional) reasons.

The 'cheap price' we sell God's gifts for 'easily provokes the Giver not to give another time'. In other words, by considering God's gifts to be inferior to earthly 'things' (since we seem anxious to trade or neglect the heavenly for earthly things) we provoke God to feel it is a waste of time (and blessings) to give anything to us in the future. We prove we don't want it (and so don't deserve it) anyway! How poor we will be without His grace, 'having hope only in this life' - a life destined to end and turn to dust!

Brethren, let us treasure the gifts of God and be careful to neither neglect or abuse them. Like our father Francis, let us ask God to care for and preserve them for us. Using the knowledge of the goodness of God gained from these experiences, let us go from 'faith to faith' and 'grace for grace' as we find our way to God and become better, more faithful, servants of the God of love. This is our calling and . . . how blessed it is!

PRAYER: Father Francis, God gave you the wisdom to know how to properly care for heavenly graces. Pray for us that we, like you, might return these spiritual treasures to God for safe keeping. They are so good and glorious that sinful people like us shouldn't ever presume that they are ours by right or that we can retain them without abusing, destroying or neglecting them. Help us father to walk humbly with our humble Savior and to ever be grateful for all of the gifts of God - especially Jesus in the Eucharist. We cry to you, father, that you might pray that we can be as faithful as you and please Jesus always. We know love is the key to everything important so we pray Jesus that You reveal Your love in us and through us, forever. Amen.

Even Little Things can Distract us from Our Relationship with God.

Christ set the standard in how we should behave in our lives and therefore the path to holiness seems daunting, the goal unattainable. How can any of us ever measure up to the standard of behavior that Christ showed us!? Jesus said, "This is impossible for men but all things are possible with God". Remember "it is Christ's power within you that accomplishes the will of God". We cannot do it ourselves but we can be confident that, through faith, the work of God in (and through) our lives will be accomplished to His greater glory.

Francis measured up to Christ's standard more fully and clearly than most. However, Francis was not perfect. He was fervent, focused and very sincere, but like all those with a body, he was subject to weakness - to being distracted from holy pursuits. Jesus Himself said, 'The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak".

In the following passage we have an example of how the devil was able to use a little 'thing' to distract Francis in his single-hearted devotion to Christ.

Francis, at the end of a long day, was sitting with the brothers in front of the fire. He had a little knife and, to pass the time, began to carve a piece of wood into a little bowl. He worked on it for some time, enjoying the mental focus as well as how good it was coming out. Before he knew it, it was time for prayer. During prayer he found his mind going back, again and again, to his unfinished bowl. Francis suddenly realized that he was distracted from not only his prayers but from God Himself! Francis was horrified! With both frustration and indignation he immediately got up, ran over to where he had left the bowl, grabbed and tossed it, without hesitation, into the fire and watched as it burned to ashes.

St. Francis said, "Bah, the silly gimcrack! To have power enough over me to distract my mind toward it! I will sacrifice it to the Lord, with whose sacrifice it has interfered. Shame on us for being rapt away to these trivial fancies when at prayer time we are addressing the Great King!"

Though Francis was angry with himself you shouldn't think he actually cursed! 'Gimcrack' is defined as something that is showy or superficially appealing, but badly made and worthless.

The danger in giving 'power' over ourselves to things is that these things can come to control what we think and do. This is one reason Francis took a vow of poverty - a recognition that having 'things' can harm one's relationship with God by being able to 'distract' us from Him. Francis recognized he had given power over his heart and mind to this little thing. He acknowledged that it had, 'power enough over me to distract my mind toward it'. Jesus warned that we won't be fruitful for God if we are filled with '. . . the worries of this world, the lure of riches and all the others passions . . .'. Thus, both big AND little things can distract us from God.

Francis gives us a great example of 'repentance'. He recognized his error, repented of it by saying, 'I will sacrifice it to the Lord, with whose sacrifice it has interfered' and then backed up his words with actions by throwing the thing into the fire. All of this took seconds - the thought, the words and the actions. Francis was a sincere and fervent follower of Jesus who didn't want to waste any time getting right with God! How long does it take us to recognize our failings and repent of them?!

Francis mentions 'sacrifice', recalling the words of St. Paul who said, "Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, which is the right thing to do . . . since He made Himself a sacrifice for you, to save you from sin". Later he said, "You are not your own any longer for you have been bought with a price" - that 'price' being Christ's own life! We MUST sacrifice every little thing - as well as the big things - for the love of God. He sacrificed everything for love of us. Jesus said, "Unless you give up all your possessions you cannot be My disciples". He also said, "Those who seek to save their lives will lose them but those who give up (sacrifice) their lives for Me will save them". This 'thing' interfered with Francis' sacrifice of himself so Francis sacrificed the thing and then, free from attachment to it (since it was ashes now!), was free to sacrifice himself totally to God.

Francis took advantage of the opportunity his failing afforded to teach the brothers the danger of being distracted by possessions. He said, 'Shame on us for being rapt away to these trivial fancies when at prayer time we are addressing the Great King!' Whenever anything - person or thing - distracts us from our duty to God, we should feel shame and turn whole-heartily back to our good and patient Father. After all, EVERYTHING is 'silly, trivial, worthless, empty' when compared to God.

Some of us have hobbies and neither Francis (nor any other saint) has said that everyday hobbies are evil. However, when they interfere with our relationship with God, take priority in our lives before God and our responsibility to Him, then they are hurtful to us. Christ calls us to have balanced lives, wants us to enjoy ourselves but never forget or neglect our duty to God.

Francis found it impossible, on this occasion, to be responsible - to meet his obligation to God properly. He realized a choice had to be made. Jesus said, "A man cannot serve two masters". This little bowl had become a 'master', demanding Francis' attention and kindling his selfish desire. Francis, dramatically, renounces this 'master' by burning it to ashes. Now, once again, he had one Master in heaven and on earth!

Many of us are overwhelmed with distractions and struggle to remain aware, focused, on the one God. Every day we must fight these distractions and not allow them to either cause us fear or worry or feed our sinful lusts - emotions that strangle our spiritual growth. Though hobbies can be good recreation, can be inspiring and even altruistic, we must not allow them to distract us when we are serving God in prayer, doing penance, reading scripture or serving the needy.

Jesus and Francis were no different from us when it came to being tempted by various distractions. How they reacted, however, may be different. Jesus and Francis would not tolerate the distractions - would get rid of them - so as to whole-heartily give themselves to God. We are called to do the same at least if we want the full reward Christ has prepared for His faithful.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You gave Your servant Francis the right priorities in life - love God with his all and love everyone like himself. EVERYTHING else was a distant second. Francis carved a useful thing - something that he and the brothers could use. However, You have taught us that even useful things, if they get in the way of our relationship with You, must be sacrificed. Your servant Paul said, "I consider everything that I had gained in this world to actually be a loss so I could turn from them to get Christ". Help us to not allow our hobbies to interfere with our prayer or other holy devotions, and hurt our relationship with You. You Yourself have told us, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your hearts". You also said, "Seek first God's rule in your life and everything else shall be given to you". Finally, Your servant Paul said, "God has given us all His gifts for us to enjoy". It is through delighting in and seeking You, that we are enabled to truly and fully enjoy all of the good gifts You've given us in life. Help us to always put . . . first things first. Thank You for all of Your gifts and this good lesson in balance we have learned through Your servant, our father, Francis. Amen.

We Must take Care of our Soul at Least as Well as We Take Care of Our Body, which we Know is Destined to Turn to Dust!

St. Francis, follower and friend of Christ, knew the benefits of spending time alone, in prayer, with God. After his conversion Francis spent countless hours in prayer - both in penance (praying for forgiveness and cleansing of his heart) and in praise, for God's mercy, forgiveness, healing and blessing. We know that Francis frequented deserted churches, forests, local caves and other solitary places - and this was so that, without distraction, he could seek the face of God in prayer without distraction.

Francis often said, "The benefits of prayer are manifold" when compared with preaching and teaching. God Himself said to Francis at the beginning of his conversion, "Which is the one who can benefit you more, the master or the servant?" Francis recognized that it was the Master, God Himself, who he should serve and not any earthly person and the primary way we know and serve Him, is by interacting with Him in prayer.

Jesus, the Son of God, was always, through prayer, with God. Jesus said, "The Father never leaves me alone for I always do those things that please Him". And "No one knows the Son but the Father and no one knows the Father but the Son and those to whom He chooses to reveal Him". Jesus' relationship with God was intimate and powerful not only because of who He was but because of how He always interacted with God in prayer.

We know that Jesus was perfect, knew God better than anyone (was God!), so . . . why did He need to spend so many hours and nights in prayer? If anyone could skimp on prayer it was Jesus, right? However, before appointing the twelve Apostles we read that Jesus spent the whole night in prayer. Later, after an exhausting day of teaching, casting out demons and healing the sick and disabled - Jesus went up a mountain and spent the night alone in prayer. We read that He would often go off by Himself to pray in the wilderness for hours at a time. Also, He wasn't afraid to pray, silently in the Temple of His heart, in the company of his disciples. It is apparent that Jesus was the Son of God, the Christ, but that He, as the son of man, a human being like us, needed His quiet time with God.

Jesus recognized that the need to be alone with God (at least alone in one's heart) was a need that He shared with all men and that this need was greatest after times of trials or a hectic day of work. When word reached them that John the Baptist had been beheaded, He directed His disciples to go to a desert place where they could be by themselves and He could minister to them and strengthen their faith in the face of this great loss. Also, after a hectic day for the Apostles of healing and casting out demons, He had them get in a boat and go to the other side of the lake, so that they could refresh both their bodies and their souls.

Francis, like Jesus, knew the importance of seeking the presence of God through prayer. Francis said, "If the body takes its food while at rest, yet both food and body are to be eaten by worms; with what peace and composure ought the soul to take its food, which is God!"

A person can be divided into, at least, two parts: the body and the soul. Here Francis tells us that, when we feed our body, we want the food to go down easily and this will most likely happen when we are 'at rest', at ease, while eating. To eat 'at rest' means we should eat calmly, with focus, and in a safe and comfortable environment.

Francis points out that people are very conscientious about making sure they feed their bodies well even though "both food and body are to be eaten by worms". His point is that, even though we nurture the body with the intent to prolong our lives, it is INEVITABLE that we will die and both our investments in the food and our bodies will end up being eaten by worms! We are temporal, the time of our lives quickly slips through our fingers, and almost before we are aware of it, we stand near the end of our lives and must soon stand before God's judgment seat. Solomon said, "Naked from his mother's womb he came, as naked as he came he will depart again; nothing to take with him after all his efforts". And " . . . the dead know nothing; no more reward for them, their memory has passed out of mind. Their loves, their hates, their jealousies, these all have perished, nor will they ever again take part in whatever is done under the sun". Jesus said, "If, even with all of your worries, you cannot add the smallest amount of time to the span of your life, why do you worry about everything else!?"

Francis argues that, we need to be at least as conscientious when we feed our soul - that part of us that is eternal and has an eternal destiny - as when we feed our bodies. When we commune with God (feed ourselves spiritually) we should take our time and fellowship with Him while at ease. We should choose a quiet and comfortable place, where we will not be disturbed or distracted, concentrate our hearts and minds on scripture or other holy writings and, in prayer, turn all of our attention to God, who is always waiting and ready for us to approach Him.

Francis said, "with what peace and composure ought the soul to take its food, which is God?!" How does the soul 'take its food' and what does the soul eat? Well, Jesus said, "You must eat My flesh and drink My blood if you would have eternal life" and "My flesh is food indeed and My blood is drink indeed". Obviously, the clearest example of spiritual food is our Lord, Christ Jesus, found in the Eucharist.

However, there are other types of 'food' offered during the Mass that we can also eat outside of Church. There are Jesus' words, "If you make My word your home you will indeed be My disciples; you will come to know the truth, and the truth will set you free". St. Paul said, "Let the Word of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you". And he added about being joyful while singing to God, "With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to Go" and "Sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs among yourselves, singing and chanting to the Lord in Your hearts, always and everywhere giving thanks to God . . .". Also, about prayer, "Never worry about anything; but tell God all your desires of every kind in prayer and petition shot through with gratitude" and "Always be joyful; pray constantly and for all things give thanks" and "In all your prayer and entreaty, keep praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion. Never get tired of staying awake to pray for all God's holy people . . .". Finally, there is just doing God's will as Jesus said, "I have food to eat that you know not of. My food is to do the will of My Father". This is our food so with joy . . . come to the feast and eat to your hearts content!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You taught us by Your own example the importance of prayer. Your servant Francis encouraged us to 'taste and see that the Lord is good' by seeking You in prayer constantly. You've given us other forms of spiritual 'food': the Eucharist, the Word, Singing hymns and, finally, just doing Your will. Give us constancy in prayer so that we never let up on interacting with You, following the injunction of St. Paul - 'Pray without ceasing'. Help us to not be afraid to stay awake to pray and to seek You in prayer even when around other people. It is through You, Your goodness, love and power, that we are able to live a holy and good life. It is by relying on You, expressing our needs to You and trusting You to meet them, that we can live our lives in peace and joy - Your priceless gifts to us. We thank and praise You Lord for all Your help and all of Your blessings and trust You to develop our relationship with You so that it mirrors the one You had with Jesus and with Francis - where we are always with You and You are always with us because we 'always do those things that please You'. Help us Lord, as we pray . . . Amen.

Francis Wanted to Save Everything and Anything that Contained the Name of God.

Our father Francis had the profoundest respect and appreciation for the Name of God and the place where that Name is most honored, God's Word. God is the key to understanding all things - discovering the meaning, of all that is created. God made all things and made them all so wonderfully - with love, joy and profound beauty. All things find their fulfillment in God as did Francis. It is for these reasons (and many others!) that Francis loved the Name of God and reverenced it, above all things, in his words and actions.

Francis sought meaning in everything. He especially sought meaning in words (repositories of meaning) and specifically in Gods words. Francis plumbed the depth of meaning in God's Word and cherished the understanding that God gave him of them. He knew these Words had been passed from God to our spiritual ancestors, to pass on to us.

Francis OFTEN begged people to pick up 'stray writings' - pieces of paper which were discarded, mislaid or forgotten - since God's Name might be written on them. Francis feared that God's Name might be destroyed with those scraps of paper. Francis even requested his disciples to pick up stray writings that were pagan or heretical since God's Name might be on them!

Francis was questioned about his desire to save pagan writings. "Because the letters are there which spell the glorious Name of God our Lord. The good too, which is in them, does not belong to the pagans nor to any other human beings, but to God alone, Who is all that is good."

Francis saw everything in relation to God's eternal plans. After all, everything was made by God for a good and glorious purpose. After each day of creation, God, gazing at what He had made said, "It is good". Human life was the pinnacle of God's creation - since we were made in His image. That is why He said, after creating Adam and Eve, "It is good. It is very good!"

We can be sure that even the difficult and painful experiences we all have during our lives can bring us great blessings. If God wills (and if we cooperate with Him through faith) He can accomplish something truly good for us through them. St. Paul was talking about this when he said, "All things work together for good to those that love God, for those who are called according to His purposes". The best example we have of this is what happened in Passion week: even as the great evil in the heart of man was being revealed, the infinite goodness and love of God was also being revealed through Jesus' humble and loving sacrifice of Himself for us!

Francis' concerns about scraps of paper with God's Name written on them, from the world's perspective, might seem extreme. Francis explained that the 'letters are there which spell the Name of God our Lord'. The Name of God was, like all other 'things' of God, of paramount value and importance. Francis didn't need any other reason than the fact that the letters formed the Name of the Divine One to show respect and appreciation and want to protect them. The care he took was a small but serious indication of how much Francis loved God and cared for His Name.

Francis explained that there was something truly 'good' in God's Name and His Word. Francis was referring to this when he said, 'The good too, which is in them . . .'. God's Word, and of course the meaning of the word 'God', were all very good! The word 'God' channels the very goodness of our heavenly Father.

Francis explained that the Name and Word of God were precious, even when used by pagans and heretics since His Name 'does not belong to the pagans nor to any other human beings, but to God alone'. A heretic has a faulty understanding of God and His ways and may even use God's Name in an evil or hurtful way. However, since these Words are Gods Words, nothing these people do can change the goodness those Words contain.

Though God allows us to speak and otherwise handle His Words, it does not give us or anyone else the right to use them in a wrong way. After all these Words are God's and they are God's alone. No one has a claim to them besides God so even believers should see His Word as being a precious treasure that deserves our greatest respect, appreciation and care. That is why those God inspired to write down His Words made it clear that 'nothing is to be added and nothing taken away' from them. St. Paul told us that the message was given (in it's totality) 'to men once and for all'. He also encouraged St. Timothy to 'hold to the traditions passed down to you . . . and pass them on to reliable men'. St. Paul said that the Holy Spirit safeguards scripture and 'will lead you into all truth'. Jesus said, "The Holy Spirit will remind you of all I have taught you, bringing it to your remembrance'. We can see that God actively protects His Word so that, nearly 2,000 years after it was written down, it remains truly His, in all purity.

Jesus said, "There is no one good except God alone". Francis says something similar when he said about God that He 'is all that is good'. There are many good things in the world which are good because the good God made them. However, compared to God, all good things seem to lose their goodness since God is so beyond them in goodness. Only those who know God can know the true goodness of all things. Those who realize the goodness in things can get some sense of the infinitely great goodness of God since He put His own goodness within them.

It was God, His goodness and wonder, that Francis loved and celebrated. This goodness can be found in the Name of the One who is so good. This Name can be found in the Words of God - the scripture recorded in the Bible. Those who want to encounter this goodness and come to know the goodness of God, need only seek it in God's Word. Also, if in a pinch, all we need to do is call out the Name of God (Jesus), in our times of need and in times of joy, to realize that God Is (with us) and also that He deeply powerfully loves us. St. Paul said, "Those who come to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him".

Followers of Francis love God's Name and God's Word. They reverence the Name and celebrate it by living a holy and good life. Saving every scrap of paper that has God's Name written on it would be logistically impossible given our modern ability to print so much so quickly. However, like Francis, wherever we encounter the Name of God, we should at the least show our appreciation and give God thanks for all of blessings. St. Paul describes giving God thanks as 'our reasonable service' given the fact that He has done so much for us. Let us wonder at the Name of God and never fail to give Him thanks, worshipping Him with all of His creation and glorifying Him to the highest heavens. Alleluia!

PRAYER: Lord God, help us to reverence You and Your Name. Help us, whenever we come across Your name to recall that it points to You - a living person who is also God, glorious and exalted but ever so near. You are, after all, our very Father. Help us to realize, like Your servant Francis did, that You are not only good but the greatest good and that whatever is good gets its goodness from You. Help us to celebrate Your goodness in all things and in all the experiences of our lives - especially those that try our faith. Lord God, You are the God and Your Word truly expresses the wonder that You are. Help us Lord to see You and know You, to honor, praise and thank You and to come to a true and perfect understanding of You and Your love for us - in Your Words. Thank You for loving us so perfectly. Make us true followers of Francis who followed Your Son, Jesus, so whole-hearted throughout His life. Amen.

The Name, Presence, Voice, Word and Love of God are too profound and powerful to even talk about!

The word 'God' is, for the believer, not only extremely profound and sublime but has power. St. Paul said it is even alive! It is a force that sustains and can transform the world if proclaimed with faith. Its meaning and power are all out of proportion to its size and sound but that doesn't change the reality of what it is and what it can do.

Our spiritual ancestor, Jacob, wrestled with God all night. God was about to leave Him at dawn when Jacob begged Him to tell him what His name was. God's reply was "Why do you ask My name since it is too wonderful?!" God disappeared and Jacob said "I have seen God face to face . . . and I have survived!" God's name causes great wonder in the hearts of men so much so that humans have a hard time getting their minds around it - the glory of it's reality. God is wonderful but, as Jacob's story indicates, His Name is also wonderful!

Moses received the 10 commandments of which the second was, "You shall not utter the name of Yahweh your God to misuse it, for Yahweh will not leave unpunished the man who utters His name to misuse it." Misusing it means to swear falsely by God's name or to utter it irreverently. God cares about His Name and taught us, as His children, that we should do the same. He told Moses that anyone swearing by God's name must speak the truth since He would take vengeance on anyone who coupled His name with a lie. He also made it clear that His name should never be used in casual conversation. It should be spoken with reverence and gratitude and only in holy circumstances.

'Taking God's Name in vain" means to use it as casually as any common word. We not only hear, nearly everyday, His Name 'taken in vain' but His name coupled with profanity, applied to sinful situations and used disrespectfully everywhere and always. People's response if confronted is, "Oh! It's just talk - just a word! I didn't really mean anything by it. It's just an expression. Why are you getting so worked up about it!" We often hear people on T.V. say when surprised, "Oh my g--!" for no reason. This is offensive to God and God has indicated He will punish those who misuse and abuse His Name! St. James said, "God says, "Vengeance is mine. I will repay them as they deserve!" and "It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God!"

Moses, after leading the Israelites out of Egypt, asked God, "Show me Your glory, I beg You!" 'I will let all My splendor pass in front of you and I will pronounce before you the Name Yahweh. You cannot see My face for man cannot see Me and live . . . you shall see the back of Me; but My face is not to be seen." Later, Yahweh passed before him and proclaimed, 'Yahweh, Yahweh, a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness and faithfulness; for thousands He maintains His kindness, forgives faults, transgression, sin; yet He lets nothing go unchecked, punishing the father's guilt in the sons and in the grandsons to the third and fourth generation.'

It is written that when Moses came down from the mountain after talking with God, the skin on his face was 'shining'! All of the people were terrified at the awe-inspiring sight of his face shining as brightly as lightning! We read here that Yahweh proclaims His Name before Moses and expresses the goodness within Himself, His Name and His presence - filled with compassion and blessings - but also justice. He forgives, to the faithful, the sins of thousands of generations of descendents but punishes the unrepentent!

We all know that God is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, eternal and all good. However, since we are all temporal, weak, sinful and ignorant . . . how can we expect to know and understand a God that is so unlike ourselves?! How can we ever grasp, have the strength to endure or the goodness to perceive, all the 'Wonder' He is?!

Through Jesus (a human completely like us in every respect) we can come to know the Living God. Jesus said, "Those who have seen Me, have seen the Father". And, "No one can come to the Father except through Me". St. Paul explained that in Jesus, "we find the full expression of God's divinity". When the Apostle Philip asked Jesus to show them God, the Father, He replied, "Have I been with you so long and still you do not know Me? Don't you know that if you have seen Me you have seen the Father?!"

St. John gave us insight into the essence of God's being when he said, "God is love". The Person, the Presence, the Name, the Voice (Word) and finally the Love of God are all so pure and powerful that none of us can grasp them. However, because God IS Love, we can get some sense of Him through a pure understanding of what Love is - even by looking at limited human love! God is love and everything He made is an expression of His love. We know that we are the ultimate expression of the Love of God since we were 'made in His image', the image of God is the expression of Love, since God is Love.

St. Francis said, "Love is so great and precious it ought never to be mentioned except rarely and under great necessity, and with much reverence."

Since God is love - the word 'love' should (like the Name, the Word and the Presence of God) be treated with the same reverence and wonder. However, the devil is constantly trying to corrupt God's holy words doing this through 'popular culture' - 'the World'. For example, men often use the word 'love' to get a woman to accept sexual advances even though these men have no love for these women and just want to use their bodies to satisfy their selfish sensual greed. All of their supposed 'love' vanishes after they get what they want from them! Also, we often hear people telling others that they love them and afterward hear they have done heartless things which prove they don't even know the meaning of love! This is something often seen in many of the 'Reality' T.V. shows e.g. 'The Bachelor'. Even religious folk talk about 'loving' things e.g. that new dress, a sport's team or the 'good' weather. This abuse of the word Love cheapens Its Divine significance in the world and the hearts of men - including the hearts of us who are religious!

Our father Francis said that love 'ought never to be mentioned except rarely and under great necessity, and with much reverence'. This a very interesting thing to say since the love of God, in this world, seems to be almost forgotten! Shouldn't we try to mention God's holy name and the infinite love He has for humanity, all of the time? Francis was an evangelist. One of the great Apostolates of the early Franciscans was evangelism - spreading the Good News of God's great love for humanity. The Franciscans, as we know, went literally around the world bringing this message of salvation to all and, without hesitation, proclaimed to all the Love of God.

So . . . what did Francis mean when he said 'rarely', under absolute 'necessity' and with 'much reverence'? He meant that, each BELIEVERS heart, should wonder at the greatness of God's love and should gaze with awe at God's love as shown on the cross of Christ. However, BETWEEN BELIEVERS the Love of God (which we should already know since we know God) should rarely be spoken. Francis said we should mention it 'rarely' to each other but that we should always have it in our hearts and shown through our actions. He said it should only be uttered under great 'necessity' - only when absolutely necessary as when a believer is suffering doubts or is experiencing terrible trials. Finally, he said, on those rare occasions when it is absolutely necessary, it should be uttered with great 'reverence' - with the greatest sense of awe, wonder, respect and gratitude (between believers).

Also, even when God's Love is talked about during evangelizing, Francis said that his followers were to spread the Gospel 'by their lives and, if need be, with words'. If we hold Christ sacred in our hearts, tremble at His glorious name, are shaken at His presence in our lives and overwhelmed by His voice speaking through His holy Word, then our lives will reveal the wonder of this Love that Francis was reluctant, due to his great reverence, to mention. Jesus said, "People will know you are My disciples by your love . . . ". That is what Francis told the brothers: love is not something we talk about between ourselves but something we MUST show to everyone we meet. St. John said, "Let our love not just be something we talk about but something that is real and active in our lives".

St. Paul said " . . . planted in love and built on love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God!" Amen! Let us live lives filled with love until, transformed in love we can love like the Father of Love - perfectly!

PRAYER: Lord God, You are too great to even mention just like Your Word and the Love You revealed through Your Son, Jesus, our Savior. We thank You for not letting us be destroyed by Your glory and holiness. You draw near us because You love us and know that the greatest blessing You can give us is . . . Yourself. Lord, our sins make us Your enemies but we look to Jesus, our brother, crucified out of love, to cleanse us from our sin. Help us to always be with You so that we can always rejoice in Your presence. It is You that gives us life and allows us to know the glory of true Love, Your Love. Help us to reveal Your Love to the world, not so much by what we say but by what we do. Help us to love like Your Son Jesus loved so that the Light of Your Love might find a home in every mans heart. Amen.

The Virtue of Obedience as applied to men, animals and inanimate creatures.

Those who love and obey God are called the 'Faithful'. Such a person 'trusts' God . . . for everything. Francis was faithful, trusting God to control every aspect of his life - both those things of great importance as well as the trivial. This means that he didn't just trust God's goodness when things were going well but held on to his faith, enduring with patience and love, when things were going wrong - even when they were going terribly wrong!

Most of us consider ourselves to be people of faith but, as St. Paul said, "The evil day will prove it". It is easy to SAY we trust God but, when things get rough, do we STAND on our faith or surrender to despair?! When abused by others do we continue to do what God has shown us, by Jesus' example, that we should do - 'bless those that curse you, do good to those who abuse you' - or rely on harsh words to deliver us from our persecutors? If we resort to the tools of this world then . . . we have proven we don't believe Jesus' promises and won't act in ways He showed used by example.

Our faith in God is really tested when it comes to Obedience. Do we believe that God can use even the bad intent of those who try to hurt us? Are we able to endure, focus on God, and do what is right anyway - be obedient to God's word - in the face of this apparent evil?

Jesus placed Himself in God's hands and, in obedience to the Father, allowed the soldiers to torture and execute Him. Francis entrusted himself to God when he encountered the robbers on that deserted road, even after they beat and humiliated him. Throughout Church history, the faithful allowed themselves to be Martyred, trusting God to take care of them even while being abused, tortured and killed. They sealed their faith, in obedience to the law of love, with their blood.

St. Paul said, "All things work together for good to those who love God". We should believe that ALL THINGS - even those that look bad - accomplish God's good purposes in our lives. The ultimate proof that something can look bad but actually be good is Jesus' crucifixion. What worse thing could happen to the Son of God and yet, it was that which exalted him and brought redemption to all things - including those who killed Him! What great good was accomplished by God through this evil crime! Jesus believed God had a good plan, so submitted obediently to it, with faith!

St. Francis said: "Holy obedience . . . makes a person subject to anybody in this world; and not to men alone, but to all the beasts and wild things, so that they can do what they please with him so far as the Lord on high might grant it them."

St. Francis said, "Holy obedience . . . makes a person subject to anybody in this world". Francis was not speaking glibly and meant what he said - he would obey ANYONE. When Francis said 'subject' he meant he would submit to the will of everyone. Francis was subject, and a servant, to all, following Jesus' example. Jesus said, "I have not come to be served, but to serve and give my life a ransom for many." Jesus was obedient to His Father, becoming a humble servant to humanity. Remember what Jesus said after washing the disciple's feet at the last Supper, "You call me Lord and Master and this is right since I am. Yet I have acted among you as one that serves. I have left you this example so that you WILL DO to each other as I have done to you." Our Master, Jesus, has ordered us to do as He did.

Francis didn't mean only people when he said true Obedience submits to all. He said, ' . . . and not to men alone, but to all the beasts and wild things.' The question arises - how does one submit to wild animals? If a wolf wants to eat us or a mosquito wants to take a sip of our blood, do we submit to their desires?

We know that, in faith, Francis confronted the Wolf of Gubbio and rebuked him for eating people. He confronted this ferocious man-eater without any protection, weapons and without a large group of people to back him up. He did it with faith that God was fully in control of the situation. Of course, God was in control, so Francis was able, through faith, to bring peace between the wolf and the people - the wolf was dangerous no more!

We have the story of Daniel in the Lions den. Those lions were given human flesh to eat, had been deprived of food for several weeks to make them hungrier, and they were very anxious to eat the prophet Daniel. However, when Daniel was thrown into the pit, the lions found their mouths sealed shut. They not only didn't bite Daniel but didn't try to touch him with one of their claws. Of course, we read that Jesus, driven into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tested, was, 'surrounded by wild animals' but left the wilderness unharmed. Remember when St. Paul was building the fire and the poisonous viper latched onto his hand? He shook it off into the fire and continued to serve, without a worry, and without being harmed! Francis, like Jesus, Daniel and St. Paul, believed in God's promises and so submitted in faith, to God, in whatever trial came his way.

The 'beast' test is hard enough for us to trust God in so what does Francis mean when he says 'wild things'? He must have been talking about inanimate objects. For example, while sitting by a fire one day his habit caught on fire. Francis leaped up and extinguished the fire but soon after regretted his actions saying, "I deprived brother fire of the clothes he wanted to eat!" It is apparent he felt he should have let brother fire eat the clothes off his back, literally!

Now, having faith in tough situations does not mean that we should seek them out. There is a sin called 'testing' God. The devil tempted Jesus in this way when he took him to the top of the Temple and told Him to throw Himself off with the idea that God would send His angels to catch Him before he hit the ground. Jesus' response was, "It is written, 'You must not test the Lord Your God." It is when we find ourselves in circumstances beyond our control and when our efforts to extricate ourselves (in the ways God approves) fail, that we submit to the situation with faith that God actually has some good plan in it for us.

Francis concludes this passage by saying these people, animals and things "can do what they please with him so far as the Lord on high might grant it them". Francis acknowledged that people, animals and things have a will of their own. However, he knew that there were limits to what they could do since 'all things are subject to the will of God'. That is why he called the devils 'God's servants to punish every disobedience and sin' in the faithful. Francis didn't trust the devils themselves (whose only desire is to 'steal, kill and destroy') but he knew that they couldn't go past what God allowed and that God used them (along with everything else) to accomplish His will. So when he was being attacked by demons he encouraged them to inflict more pain on him since God was working through them to purify him of his sin (through trials of faith). Francis desired purification with all of his heart since it is 'the pure of heart who see God'.

We know it is faith that draws us close to God, allows us to hear and see Him in our daily lives and gives us both peace and joy and the power to love without limit - no matter what we are suffering at the time. Faith is revealed very clearly, through our acts of obedience. Each act of obedience proves how much we truly trust God. Through Obedience, the progress one makes in faith can be phenomenal. Francis said, "No act done in obedience is a waste of time". Francis always wanted to live under obedience since he wanted to always move forward in the way of God - grow in faith. How much do you want to grow in faith?

PRAYER: Lord, Holy Obedience sounds like a wonderful virtue but it also sounds really hard to achieve! Yet, it is the way we prove we truly love You and appreciate all You've done for us! Help us Lord by hearing our prayer, the same prayer offered by the man struggling with his faith who said, "I believe Lord! Help me in my unbelief!" You can save us Lord - even despite our self-destructive tendencies. You can give us faith and make it strong to stand any test the Flesh, World and devil can throw at us. Help us to always rely on Your promises, to recall how deeply You love us and are committed to us - revealed by Your sufferings on the cross. Give us the faith of Your servant Francis who loved You 'unto death'. Thank You for showing us the way and we believe You will move us down the Way and give us Life. Amen.