Feast of St. Francis of Assisi 2020
October 4, 2020
G.K. Chesterton said about St. Francis that “he plunged after poverty as men have dug madly for gold.” He was in love with what or who he called “Lady Poverty” for a crazy but practical reason and it has to do with spreading the Gospel of the ultimate poor man, Jesus. “The dedicated man might go anywhere among any kind of men, even the worst kind of men, so long as there was nothing by which they could hold him.” One cannot be robbed if there is nothing to take. And his poverty was itself a tool of evangelization. The rich man or woman who has every possession, every jewel, every creature comfort imaginable finds that with every addition to that wealth comes a stronger and stronger suspicion that it’s not enough to fill the gaping, God-sized hole in their hearts. So the poor friar in his garment of third-rate cloth who smiles through his poverty is enormously attractive, because he is totally exceptional. He is happy when by every measure of the modern society he ought to be miserable.
There is a story from the fairly catastrophic fifth crusade in 1219. Francis had a great yearning, as did Ignatius Loyola three centuries later, to preach to and even die a martyr for the Muslims that Crusaders were battling. So he joined them at the siege of the Egyptian town of Damietta and took it on himself to preach to the Sultan himself. He proposed a dramatic wager that both he and the Sultan’s religious teachers fling themselves into fire to see whose teaching would be validated by the terrible ordeal. The opposing side did not like the terms of the debate, but the Sultan listened to the Gospel with a friendly disposition. He did not accept baptism, but the followers of Islam were so impressed by his faith and charity that to this day the Franciscans are guardians of most of the sacred places in the Holy Land.
What does St. Francis have for us in this day of viral pandemic and social unrest? He has perhaps the only real solution to the problems we face in our time, both social and economic. We must as Christians heed his advice and accept–even pursue–a simpler and poorer lifestyle in union with Our Lord Jesus. What does that mean in practice?
Let’s first ask what is the fundamental error of modern American society? I was reading some material sent me by a conservative publisher recently and found that Ralph Waldo Emerson, the pond guy, wrote, “Can anything be so elegant as to have few wants, and to serve them one’s self?” Isn’t that terribly sad? Statements like this, products of the Romantic era and the so-called Enlightenment, gave us the ideal of the “rugged individual” making his way by himself to build something out of nothing. Pursuing that dream, Americans have gradually come to believe something very wrong–that the individual is the basic unit of society. That’s nonsense on its face because each of us who has achieved anything has done so because we were raised in a family, and probably live in a strong, loving family. The natural family–husband, wife, children–is the building block of any true human society. Ignoring that has brought us to the brink of disaster.
Francis understood that, and soon after his conversion began to live with others he had inspired in what he called the “little brothers.” We cannot understand Francis without the Franciscans, or the Franciscans without Francis. And neither can be in any way comprehended without the spirit of Lady Poverty. This is the gift that they have for us in America today, if we are wise enough to receive it from the Holy Spirit. Following him will lead us out of social and economic chaos.
So what do we do? Sell everything and give it to the poor? Not a very doable thing for most of us. But this we can do: take inventory of all our “stuff” and ask the simple question, “do I need this at any time in the next year?” And it’s pretty easy to answer. Just look at it and decide if you’ve used it in the past year. If not, find someone or some place that can use it more fruitfully than I can. Particularly if it promotes the work of evangelization and the requirement to help the poor. Some things would be given because they are useful in themselves–books, for example. Other things would be sold and the proceeds used for the work of the Gospel. But these actions need to be prayed about and carefully discerned, helped by a wise advisor.
I don’t expect all of you to rush out and immediately begin your inventory and discernment. This has to be done out of love, not compulsion. There is no threat of hell here. There is no promise that you will be as famous as Francis. In fact, your friends and relatives may think you’ve gone mad, just like Francis’s did. But doesn’t love cause us to do crazy things–like pledge to your spouse all your worldly goods, and faithful love for the whole of your lives together?
