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Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Meditation
Luke 9:57-62

Think about the people you know who have a wealth of possessions and yet seem unhappy or unfulfilled. Now think about the people you know who have very little and yet who radiate peace and contentment. Of course, not all the wealthy are unhappy, and neither are all the poor overjoyed. Yet the truth remains that happiness does not come from getting everything you want. It comes from being content with what you have.

St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast we celebrate today, embraced this principle and took it to new heights. His heart burned with love for the eternal God, and in his desire to yield to God he turned his back on all material goods. He wanted to own nothing so that God could have all of him.

What changed this well-off, fun-loving young man? It was nothing more—and nothing less—than the touch of God! The experience of the unconditional love of the uncreated Creator was able to accomplish what personal fortitude or strict morality could never do.

The picture Jesus paints for his recruits seems difficult and harsh. Still, Jesus fully discloses the heavenly nature of his earthly mission. While others hesitated, Francis saw freedom in Jesus’ invitation to renounce lesser pursuits and earthly comforts. O how Francis must have delighted Christ! Has any man since Jesus ever known a truer joy or been so close to imitating Christ’s own character?

We probably won’t be called to as radical a life as Francis was, but maybe we will. Either way we are called to the same battle against temptation that he faced. Remember he rolled around in thorn bushes and in snow just to say no to the flesh. We may not have to take such drastic measures to fight the philosophies of this age (but we might). Knowing the great Saint of Assisi faced temptation can give us courage in our battles. Is there anything blocking you at this time from the flow of God’s life to you? We just need to keep fighting the good fight, and the love that we taste now only in part will grow and grow—until we too are “radical” in our love for God.

“Lord Jesus, help me to give you my whole life like Francis did. Remove from my life, or give me the grace to walk away from, any obstacles to true freedom in you.”

Job 9:1-12,14-16; Psalm 88:10-15