THE POOR MAN OF ASSISI

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Baruch 4:5-12,27-29; Ps 69:33-37; Lk 10:17-24

Happy the Eyes that see what you see

God made us in his image, intending to make us like himself in knowing and living the truth in love. The implication is that he intends us to see and know him, for God is the Truth. If the purpose of our creation is to know and live the truth, God cannot hide himself from us, since he is the goal of our existence. We exercised our freedom by walking away from God and His will, as revealed through His Word. Hence, sin exists within us when we choose to walk away, as a structure of willingness and willing. The former is a structure and the latter is its operation. The inner structure defines the person that each of us is, while the operation reveals that structure to the public. The inner structure replicates itself externally through its operation. Thus, the mystery of sin, which lives as a structure in us, replicates its sinful structure without, through our doings. The mind must be yoked to the will, to serve the will in replicating its sinful structure outside. The human mind perceives the truth ordinarily. But because it is subservient to the will, it makes the mind put aside the truth it knows to serve the whims of the sinful will. Doing this regularly, the mind loses its capacity to perceive the truth or light; it gets accustomed to the darkness of error as it serves the sinful will. Once our will has yoked our mind in this kind of sinful contraption, it is difficult to break free from the slavery of sin without divine help.

Because sin is by our choice or exercise of free will, our coming back or restoration would also require the act of our free will. Though we cannot restore ourselves to God’s company by our will alone, we must cooperate with the grace of God, who always desires our return to him. Thus, prophet Baruch says: “Take courage, my children, call on God: he who brought disaster on you will remember you. As by your will you first strayed away from God, so now turn back and search for him ten times as hard; for as he brought down those disasters on you, so will he rescue you and give you eternal joy.” As the prophet stated, our journey back requires ten times the effort we used in straying, because straying is going down the hill of human pleasures. But coming back is a climbing of the mountain of God’s grace and death to our human will. Abandoning our will in all things to embrace the will of God is an uphill task, made possible only by God’s abundant grace. The recognition and acceptance of the grace God gives to us for our salvation cause the needy to rejoice in his compassion. “The poor when they see it will be glad and God-seeking hearts will revive; for the Lord listens to the needy and does not spurn his servants in their chains.” Only those who seek with all their hearts and wait for the grace of God are able to recognise His presence when God reveals Himself to us for our salvation. The intense desire and search make them the poor of the Lord. Yet, God reveals his grace according to his good pleasure, and never according to our merit.

Our Lord mentions this characteristic desire for all who belong to God, as he pointed out the unmerited privilege of the apostles to them in the Gospel. “Then turning to his disciples, he spoke to them in private, ‘Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard.’” Jesus expresses gratitude to the Father, for he reveals himself to those who humbly and trustingly ask. “I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children.” God reveals his holy will for our salvation to all men through his word. The embodiment of that revelation is the Man Jesus Christ. Thus, the greatest privilege any of us would ever gain in this life is to see him and believe in him as the Son of God. Saint Francis of Assisi was blessed with this great privilege and grace of recognising God in Christ. Born in Assisi to a rich cloth merchant. He sold his father’s goods to restore a church. When his father objected and the bishop ordered him to pay back, he paid back. Afterward, he renounced his father. He gave him back everything he received. He embraced a life of perfect evangelical poverty. His simple and joyful life was a constant preaching of God’s love for all. He attracted many men to himself and founded the Franciscan Order. His love for Christ made him receive the stigmata. May his prayers aid us to follow Christ in simplicity and love.

Let us pray: O God, by whose gift Saint Francis was conformed to Christ in poverty and humility, grant that, by walking in Francis’ footsteps, we may follow your Son, and, through joyful charity, come to be united with you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.