St. Francis of Assisi: A Biography ~ Omer Englebert

I've mentioned my required reading list for WMF. I also have to write "reflections" on the books. So, here's the most recent one...i realize this is diffrent than most blogs i write, but i thought i'd put it out there.

I loved learning about St. Francis and his companions. I come from a protestant tradition, so I haven’t learned much about the saints. I really enjoyed learning about some of the faithful men and women who have gone before me. St. Francis’ deep commitment to living simply and his generosity were challenging to me personally.

One account that challenged me was when toward the end of his life when he kept giving his coat away and the brothers had to buy it back from a man once, and how they had to keep telling him not to give it away. I am not that generous. But i need to hear stories like that.

Another is when he gave to the robbers, and then told them to live a new life. He believed their need, and saw their humanity, where the other brothers were afraid of being taken advantage of. What a challenge this is to me. As I spend time in India I tend to develop this shell around my heart where I get so tired of getting ripped off, and I get so paranoid about being taken advantage of that I loose sight of the humanity of the people surrounding me.

In one account it is said of St. Francis “Instead of sowing – like so many of the reformers – seeds of rebellion and hatred, he built up, showed the tasks that needed to be done, and nourished souls eager for perfection and holiness.” I love this image of doing the work that needs to be done, in spite of disagreeing with policy. Another account talks about how he smashed the alms boxes in a church that were collecting money to build a new church building. Clearly St. Francis didn’t agree with all policies of the church, yet he was faithful to what God called Him to. He didn’t get bogged down in conflict. What a beautiful example.

Another section of the book discussed “evangelism” and the brothers travels to “non-Christian” lands. And then it says, “Whatever is good in them does not belong to the infidels anymore than to other men, but to God, the only source of good.” This resonated with the section in “The Open Secret” where it talks about how the work is really God’s and how we simply join the discussion and find where God has already been at work and join him there. For all that is good is evidence of God. I love being reminded of this truth.

In one description of St. Francis it said, “This inspired man found richer nourishment in the songs of birds and streams than in the laborious cogitations of the learned.” I’ve said before that the woods are good for my soul. I know nature is one way I connect with God. I know that for me, part of living sustainably in a mega-city is connecting with nature. I know that will be a challenge in Kolkata, but I also know I need to find a way to make it happen!

Lastly, there was a phrase in the book, that I found especially encouraging “Holy Simplicity, the daughter of grace, sister of wisdom and mother of justice.” Simplicity is one of those disciplines that I feel like I’ll “wrestle” with for the rest of my life. How to live simply, without becoming legalistic? How do you celebrate, and still act as a faithful steward? What is the balance between laying down my “rights” and “indulging” myself to that I’m living in a sustainable way while out of my own culture? So many questions, and I’ll continue to wrestle with the answers, but this phrase is an encouragement as to why I keep asking those questions!