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All Good Things
October 9, 2024

The Way of Francis: The Way of the Gospel

"And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things. I will keep you strong and well. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring of water that never runs dry” (Isaiah 58:11).

Isaiah’s words come to mind when I think of the Franciscans. Francis found that spring that never runs dry. Although he lived 800 years ago, when we encounter Franciscan spirituality and community, we, too, find an energy that is hopeful, compassionate, and life-giving.

We all get “tapped out” at times. St. Francis, a fun-loving young person always ready for a party, was exhausted and emptied of comfort due to hardships, trauma, and loss brought on by war. Afterward, he found that his carefree ways of youth could not sustain him.

Ultimately, he discovered a deeper, more long-lasting joy. He turned to the love of Christ and gospel living and found an endless, abundant source of life. His relationship with God transformed his life, healed societal divisions, and grew a community of people called to be people of peace and compassion - Franciscans.

Italian historian Henry Sedgwick said, “To the people of Italy, his life was a revelation of Christianity. He imparted the gospel anew, as fresh as when it had first been given under the Syrian stars…he embodied peace, gentleness, courtesy and self-sacrifice.”

Francis cultivated and bloomed a garden of goodness. A group of brothers formed. Clare of Assisi joined him. St. Bonaventure wrote, “She was the first flower in Francis’ garden, and she shone like a radiant star.” An early collection of Franciscan stories is called The Little Flowers of St. Francis. While the stories are legends more than purely factual, they reveal the joy, light, and goodness that bloomed in early Franciscan life.

Franciscans can surprise you. You are going along, thinking you are living life to the fullest – or maybe you are merely getting by – and suddenly you are introduced to a way of life that feels fresh as if springtime has just arrived, or as if a stony path has led you to a bubbling brook. This freshness is at the heart of the Franciscan way. “All the world felt the charm and beauty of his love of God, and poetry followed him as wild violets attend the spring” (Sedgwick).

When we begin to walk the way of Francis, which is the way of the gospel, we realize we don’t have to be our all in all. We are not big enough. We don’t have to fill in all of life’s blanks alone. Instead, we become like open vessels for clear water or seeds that are open to accept nourishment and light. We grow into who and what we are meant to be in the light and life of our Creator. And we can be people of peace, joy, and compassion for others.

Mary Beth Wisniewski
Franciscan Pilgrimage Programs

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