The Good Steward — It’s time for another Franciscan renewal

Daniel Conway

Earlier this month, we celebrated the memorial of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis can truly be called a saint of our times because the virtues he was known for are especially needed today. 

Francis was a man of peace, but in our time, wars, or the effects of war, are everywhere. He was a man who loved the poor, but today, poverty, homelessness and class struggles continue to plague our society. 

Francis was open to dialogue with those who disagreed with him, but as we have seen all too often, our political discourse today is full of rancor and incivility. 

Francis of Assisi dedicated his whole life to praising God and loving his fellow creatures. He showed reverence and respect for everyone and everything that God has made. He identified with outcasts, and he brought healing and joy to those who were afflicted with hopeless diseases like leprosy.

When God intervened in Francis’s life in the person of a poor beggar seeking alms, the young man’s eyes were opened to “a world beyond himself.” Although he was born wealthy and raised to be a man of business, he vowed to embrace poverty and live a life of radical simplicity. 

When Christ first appeared to young Francis and asked him to “rebuild my church,” Francis took him literally. Immediately, he began restoring the dilapidated church of San Damiano outside the city walls of Assisi. Later it became clear that what the Lord had in mind was an infinitely more extensive rebuilding, a renewal of the whole church from the inside out, guided by the Holy Spirit and touching every aspect of Christian life. 

Francis undertook this renewal with a great sense of humility and generosity, with joy and compassion and with an ardent love for all of God’s creation. He was a man of vision who shared in the suffering of Christ (the stigmata) and who inspired thousand of followers — during his lifetime and up to our present day — to live simply and joyfully as he did. 

At his first audience on March 16, 2013, Pope Francis said that he had chosen his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi — the first time a pope has taken the name Francis — because he was especially concerned for the well-being of the poor. 

Concern for the poor, love for all creation, respect for migrants and refugees, eucharistic devotion, enthusiastic proclamation of the joy of the Gospel — all of these and more are Franciscan themes. They are reflected in both the life of the saint from Assisi and the teaching and ministry of our current pope. These Franciscan themes have a certain urgency in our world today and in our church’s response to the needs of people everywhere. 

St. Francis was above all a man of action. He delivered on all his promises, and he fulfilled the admonition attributed to him: Preach the Gospel always. When necessary, use words.

Daniel Conway, a member of Holy Trinity Church, is a writer, consultant and stewardship educator.

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