The Spiritual Practices of St. Francis of Assisi - Ministry Exchange (MX)

Click to hide HTML preview

Microsoft Word - The Spiritual Practices of St Francis of Assisi (Ed. Jan 2006).doc

James Choung, 1

THE SPIRITUAL PRACTICES OF
ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

St. Francis is one of the most revered saints of al time, and volumes upon volumes have been
written about him. Yet, though he is known for his intense spirituality, it is stil difficult to write
about his explicit spiritual practices. He left no specific expositions of his spiritual life, and provided
no explicit plans for spiritual exercises or methods of prayer.1 However, the person of St. Francis is
known and described in his biographies, and his life whole and complete is in itself a spiritual
practice to God. From his caring of the poor to his adoration of nature to his fervent times of
prayer, al of his actions were an act of worship. His life, a combination of the contemplative and the
active, is a Christian model of holistic spiritual living even for today.

Intimacy through prayer
To Francis, being with Christ was a love affair. When referring to his relationship with God, he
cal ed himself "a spouse of the Holy Spirit."2 To cultivate his intimacy with the Divine, he often
retreated to remote places to pray and contemplate alone with God. He loved being alone with His

1 Francis and Clare: The Complete Works, Translated and Introduction by Regis J. Armstrong and Ignatius C. Brady
(New York: Paulist Press, 1982), 5.

2 Of ice of the Passion, Compline, Antiphone, 2; Form of Life Given to Saint Clare and Her Sisters, 1; The First Version of
the Letter to the Faithful, I, 7; The Second Version of the Letter to the Faithful, 50, quoted by Armstrong and Brady, 16.
1996 by James Choung. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Page 1 of 12
9258A Regents Road. La Jol a, CA 92037. E-mail: kimchi@alum.mit.edu

James Choung, 2
Father so much that, at times, he was torn between devoting himself completely to the
contemplative instead of the active life.3

Prayer was his chief comfort. It was Francis' starting place, his source of strength in faith.
God was his refuge on whom he could cast al of his cares and burdens. He was completely
dependent on the Lord, and he understood that progress in God's service was futile without prayer.
In fact, he placed prayer at the highest pinnacle of al of the spiritual exercises and used every means
to have his friars concentrate on it. 4 He eagerly sought to pray to God without ceasing, to keep his
soul always in the presence of God. Bonaventure witnesses:

Prayer was his sure refuge in everything he did; he never relied on his own ef orts, but put his trust in
God's loving providence and cast the burden of his cares on him in insistent prayer. He was
convinced that the grace of prayer was something a religious should long for above al else. No one, he
declared, could make progress in God's service without it.5

And, Francis' prayers were not detached or antiseptic requests, but instead his prayers were
often passionate and cries from the soul. Bonaventure writes:

Francis would make the groves re-echo with his sighs and bedew the ground with his tears, as he beat
his breast and conversed intimately with his Lord in hidden secrecy. Here he defended himself before
his Judge; here he spoke with his Lover.6

Intimacy with God was the foremost priority for Francis, being in love with the One who loved him
first.

The busy ministers of the modern age could learn much through Francis' example. His
priorities were in line with the wil of God. He placed his relationship with the Savior as his
foremost concern, above ministry strategies and scholastic exercises. As a man whom God used to

3 Stephen Clissold, The Wisdom of St. Francis and His Companions (New York: New Directions Publishing
Corporation, 1978), 17.

4 Bonaventure, "Major Life of St. Francis," in St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early Biographies: English Omnibus of
the Sources for the Life of St. Francis, edited by Marion A. Habig, 3rd Edition (Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1973), 705.

5 Ibid., 706.
1996 by James Choung. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Page 2 of 12
9258A Regents Road. La Jol a, CA 92037. E-mail: kimchi@alum.mit.edu

James Choung, 3
bring widespread renewal to the Christian faith, he desired most of al to be at the feet of his Father,
seeking intimacy, guidance and nourishment through solitary prayer.

Welcoming the Holy Spirit
Often, while praying, St. Francis would be rapt in ecstasy. Whenever he felt the Spirit approaching,
he would always welcome Him, enjoying the "inspiration" for as long as God permitted.7

His ecstasy would come in different forms, often experiencing what was beyond human
reason. One time, he fel into a trance and rode through the town of Borgo San Sepulcro like a
corpse, while the townspeople touched and pul ed him, even cutting off little pieces of his tunic as
souvenirs. After leaving the town, Francis asked when they would be arriving at the city they had
just ridden through!8 Ecstasies of this sort would also occur in community, where he and his
companions "were rapt out of themselves, and lay on the ground like dead men, completely
unconscious."9

Near the end of his life, Francis went up Mount La Verna to pray and to reflect on the
Passion of Christ, and he prayed and meditated for three weeks straight. He desired to share in
Christ's sufferings, and the result of his prayers was the appearance of the stigmata on his body, the
marks which resembled the wounds caused by the nails and spear on the Crucified Christ.

Francis' biographers have written about many more mystical vignettes that have occurred
throughout the life of this saint. These experiences mark Francis intimacy with God, and his
sensitivity to the workings of the Holy Spirit. They did not supersede his orthodox beliefs, but

6 Ibid., 707.

7 Ibid., 706.

8 Thomas of Celano, "The Second Life of St. Francis," In St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early Biographies:
English Omnibus of the Sources for the Life of St. Francis, edited by Marion A. Habig, 3rd Edition (Chicago: Franciscan Herald
Press, 1973), 443.

9 "The Little Flowers of St. Francis," In St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early Biographies: English Omnibus of the
Sources for the Life of St. Francis, edited by Marion A. Habig, 3rd Edition (Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1973), 1331.
1996 by James Choung. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Page 3 of 12
9258A Regents Road. La Jol a, CA 92037. E-mail: kimchi@alum.mit.edu

James Choung, 4
merely enhanced his intimate relationship with the Spirit. A life of orthodoxy need not exclude the
visible outworking of the Holy Spirit. Francis' faith was much more than a heady theology, but a
spiritual life that was also lived out and supernatural y experienced.

Worshipping through nature
St. Francis would often experience mystical experiences through nature as wel . In nature, he would
see the beauty of His creator. Armstrong writes of Francis:

A Christian nature mystic is therefore one whose mystical experience, whatever form it may take, is
based on Christian beliefs and involves an appreciation of Creation as God's handiwork.10

The whole of nature was a sacrament, where Francis would find himself in an ecstasy of prayer with
eyes raised to heaven while holding a waterfowl in his hands.11 The world and al of its beauty was
considered a gift from God.

Sometimes however, his reverence for nature would reach extremes, treating God's creation
with radical reverence. Once, he was sitting close to a fire, and when his undergarments were caught
aflame, he refused to put out the fire, saying "Dearest brother, do not hurt Brother fire!"12 Other
times, his love for water made him wash his hands where the water would not be trodden underfoot,
and his love for rocks made him walk on them reverently and fearful y, out of love for Christ who is
cal ed the Rock.13

In our world of consumption, where the resources of nature are blighted and abused,
Francis stands out as an anomaly. Though his behaviors border on the extreme, his love for creation

10 Edward A. Armstrong, Saint Francis: Nature Mystic: The Derivation and Significance of the Nature Stories in the
Franciscan Legend (Berkeley, University of California Press, 1973), 16.

11 Bonaventure, 694-695.

12 "Mirror of Perfection," In St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early Biographies: English Omnibus of the Sources for the
Life of St. Francis, edited by Marion A. Habig, 3rd Edition (Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1973), 1255.

13 Ibid., 1256-1257.
1996 by James Choung. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Page 4 of 12
9258A Regents Road. La Jol a, CA 92037. E-mail: kimchi@alum.mit.edu

James Choung, 5
and for the Creator is evident through his actions. For Francis, creation was not a god in
itself, but an avenue in worshipping the True God. Armstrong writes, "For him nature spoke of
God."14 And out of love for the Father, he treated God's creation with the utmost respect, taking
care of the world God has given mankind to tend.

His view of the Bible
St. Francis brought an experiential level to the study of Scripture as wel . He believed that the Bible
should not merely be learned, but experienced and lived out. He distrusted Biblical scholarship of
his times, though he was not completely disavowing the study of the Bible. One time, Francis
himself demanded the assistance of brothers learned in the Bible and skil ed in the use of language,15
and he quoted extensively from Scripture, thereby exhibiting his own predilections to the study of
the Word.

However, he does consider book-learning a real temptation, puffing up the mind.16 The
Word should be studied, but prayer and self-sacrifice are the necessary pre-conditions for scholarly
activity, so that each word is received with humility. 17 The scholar of Scripture should not seek the
knowledge of the Word as an end of itself. Instead, the Bible should not merely be learned, but its
commandments should be obeyed. Francis writes:

A man has been kil ed by the letter when he wants to know quotations only so that people wil
think he is very learned and he can make money to give to his relatives and friends. A religious has
been kil ed by the letter when he has no desire to fol ow the spirit of Sacred Scripture, but wants to
know what it says only so that he can explain it to others.18

14 Armstrong, "Nature Mystic," 11.

15 Anton Rotzetter, "Mysticism and Literal Observance of the Gospel in Francis of Assisi," In Francis of Assisi
Today, translated by Robert Nowell, edited by Christian Duquoc and Casiano Floristán (New York: The Seabury Press,
1981), 62.

16 Ibid., 61.

17 Ibid., 61.

18 Ibid., 58.
1996 by James Choung. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Page 5 of 12
9258A Regents Road. La Jol a, CA 92037. E-mail: kimchi@alum.mit.edu

James Choung, 6

This is an indictment of much of theological education today! The study of the Word must
be taken as a spiritual exercise, meant for changing the soul, for cleansing the heart. Theological
students today easily forget to pray before studying, ignore the application of their homework into
their lives, and turn their studies into drudgery instead of a spiritual act of worship. Though Francis'
exegetical processes may be in want, his heart was absolutely correct. The Scripture was not written
merely to be learned and spoken about, but it is to be lived out in the lives of Christians. Ultimately,
the Scriptures are interpreted through Christian living. Rotzetter writes:

To put it another way, Franciscan exegesis takes the risk of venturing into the realm of practical
living before everything has been thought out and made safe. It makes the experiment of living with
and from the gospel and experiences its spiritual character in action.19

Christian freedom and challenge
His interpretation of the Bible affected his thinking of his spiritual life. He hated legalism and
resisted writing specific rules of spiritual living; he wanted his friars to live a life of simplicity and
humility. Not wanting to quench the workings of the Spirit by legalistic trappings, he desired instead
the spiritual dynamism and freedom which encouraged life and imagination. Little is explicitly
forbidden to the friars.20 Francis responded to some of them who wanted more specific rules and
regulations:

"My brothers, my brothers, God cal ed me to walk in the way of humility and showed me the way of
simplicity. I do not want to hear any mention of the rule of St. Augustine, or St. Bernard, or of St.
Benedict. The Lord has told me that he wanted to make a new fool of me in the world, and God
does not want to lead us by any other knowledge that that. God wil use your personal knowledge
and your wisdom to confound you."21

19 Ibid., 61.

20 Ibid., 59.

21 "Legend of Perugia." In St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early Biographies: English Omnibus of the Sources for the
Life of St. Francis, edited by Marion A. Habig, 3rd Edition (Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1973), 1088-1089.
1996 by James Choung. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Page 6 of 12
9258A Regents Road. La Jol a, CA 92037. E-mail: kimchi@alum.mit.edu

James Choung, 7

On the other hand, Francis also observed the Scripture as literal y as possible. For example
Do not worry about tomorrow"22 was taken seriously in a radical manner. The brothers, instead of
putting their beans to soak in warm water the day before they were to be eaten as was the custom,
they would soak them on the day itself. Similarly they did not accept more alms than they could use
on a given day.23 Thus, Francis lived according to the Word in a radical manner.

The freedom of Christian grace and the chal enge of Christian living were intertwined.
Instead of fal ing into the trap of legalism or liberalism, Francis finds an excel ent medium,
combining both freedom and chal enge. He sought the chal enge of applying Christian principle to
his life, yet found freedom in its expression.

Life of voluntary poverty

His literal approach to the Bible caused Francis to live a life of poverty. In 1208, his father took him
before the local bishop to demand that justice be done: he wanted Francis to return his goods.
Francis, without prompting or urging, disrobed in front of the bishop, saying that he could now say
in complete honesty and without reserve, "Our Father who art in heaven."24 This was the beginning
of his avowal of possessions.

At a mass on February 24, 1208, it was made even more clear. The words of St. Matthew
convicted him to the heart: "Take no gold or silver or copper in your wal et, no bag for your
journey, nor two tunics or sandals or a staff..." Francis obeyed his cal ing to absolute poverty,
wandering through towns and vil ages to preach the gospel. He stressed the adoration of God,
repentance, generosity, and the forgiveness of wrongs done to each other. He gave his heart out to

22 Matthew 6:34 NIV.

23 Rotzetter, 57.

24 Bonaventure, 643.
1996 by James Choung. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Page 7 of 12
9258A Regents Road. La Jol a, CA 92037. E-mail: kimchi@alum.mit.edu

James Choung, 8
the poor, befriending them and preaching the gospel. His main overarching passion was to imitate
Christ, and his poverty was to be the way of life for Francis. Clissold writes:

Francis passionately believed that the love of material possessions lay at the root of society's il s and
of man's estrangement from his maker. Property implied the need for arms with which to defend it,
and led to the struggle for power and prestige and to the chronic warfare which was the scourge of his
times.25

But, in his self-denial, Francis did not have a morbid hatred of self that other ascetics often
had.26 Though he slept on the ground, ate little, kept long vigils throughout the night, lived in
shabby clothing, and gave away everything he had, we could not picture him sitting on a pil ar or
laden with heavy chains. He forbid friars to be too harsh with their penances, and had some
penitential instruments confiscated for their caused injury, even death.27 The self-denial was about
fol owing Christ, not hating the self whom God created.

Especial y within the affluence of American culture, it is easy to fol ow the crowd and fal
into the sin of materialism and hoard the wealth God has freely given. Francis, however, though his
poverty was able to grow rich in spiritual wealth.28 His poverty was a sign of his radical faith, wil ing
to throw aside material comforts to conform more closely to the life of Christ. In this way, he was
completely dependent on God. Though not al Christians are cal ed to Francis' extremes to live in
absolute poverty, they should be generous, and wil ing to use their material wealth cheerful y and
without compulsion for the furthering of God's divine wil .

25 Clissold, 12.

26 Lawrence Cunningham, Saint Francis of Assisi (New York: Harper & Row, 1981), 60.

27 Ibid., 60.

28 Bonaventure, 680.
1996 by James Choung. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Page 8 of 12
9258A Regents Road. La Jol a, CA 92037. E-mail: kimchi@alum.mit.edu

James Choung, 9
Care for the poor and the sick
Not only did he set himself to being poor, he gave devotedly to the poor. Celano writes that Francis
would grieve over those who were poorer than him, from a feeling of sincere compassion.29 Ever
since his early years, he felt a compassion for those less fortunate, and gave alms to the beggars
liberal y. One time, he found another brother accusing a poor person of being rich, claiming that he
was merely posing as a beggar. Francis commanded that brother to strip naked and to kiss that poor
man's feet, asking for forgiveness.30

He also cared for the sick. Though he was terrified of their disease, he visited the lepers and
cared for them. His heart reached out to the poor and the rejected of society, to bring to them the
love of Christ. His was the heart of a true minister, ful of compassion. In his imitation of Christ, he
sought to care for those his Savior cared for. He did not merely revel in the ecstasy of the
contemplative; his love given by God also drove him to care for the needs of people around
him.

Preaching to the nations
Francis was a missionary as wel . He preached throughout the countryside, tel ing the simple folk
about the Gospel. He sent some of his brethren to France, Germany, and Spain, where many of
them met their martyrdom. Francis himself sought martyrdom, to be linked inextricably with the
Passion of Christ by the sacrifice of his own life. He sought to bring the message of Christ to the
Muslims, and even made his way to Syria to preach to the Sultan.

And when Francis preached, he did not do it with an acerb tongue. He preached without the
bitter gal of many prophets. Instead, he let his lifestyle and spirituality speak for themselves, and

29 Celano, "First Life," 292.

30 Ibid., 293.
1996 by James Choung. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Page 9 of 12
9258A Regents Road. La Jol a, CA 92037. E-mail: kimchi@alum.mit.edu

James Choung, 10
al owed the utter goodness of his heart to pour forth. He lived what he preached, and therefore did
not need to rely on oratorical skills or psychological manipulation to share what was in his spirit, the
Spirit of God. He imitated Jesus: what he preached, he had already practiced. His life was a witness
to his relationship with Christ.

In his life, Francis embraced both the contemplative and the active. Without the contemplative, his
action would be empty, shal ow. He would have nothing to give but himself. Without the active, he
would have a superficial love affair at best. Instead, he was able to give the love of Christ through a
knowledge of Scripture and a relationship of intimacy. And, his relationship with God pressed him
to make radical decisions, offering his life to God as a spiritual act of worship. Francis' life is a vivid
model and a welcome chal enge to the spiritual lives of today's Christians. St. Francis of Assisi
combined the intimacy of the contemplative and ministry of the active together in spiritual tandem,
leading to an honest and devoted imitation of Jesus Christ.

1996 by James Choung. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Page 10 of 12
9258A Regents Road. La Jol a, CA 92037. E-mail: kimchi@alum.mit.edu

Bibliography

Armstrong, Edward A. Saint Francis: Nature Mystic: The Derivation and Significance of the Nature Stories in
the Franciscan Legend. Berkeley, University of California Press, 1973.

Bonaventure. "Major Life of St. Francis." In St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early Biographies: English
Omnibus of the Sources for the Life of St. Francis. Edited by Marion A. Habig. 3rd Edition.
Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1973. Pp. 631-787.

Clissold, Stephen. The Wisdom of St. Francis and His Companions. New York: New Directions
Publishing Corporation, 1978.

Cunningham, Lawrence. Saint Francis of Assisi. New York: Harper & Row, 1981.

Duclos, Bertrand. "Francis, Image of Christ." In Francis of Assisi Today. Edited by Christian Duquoc
and Casiano Floristán. New York: The Seabury Press, 1981. Pp. 49-55.

Fortini, Arnaldo. Francis of Assisi. Translated by Helen Moak. New York: Crossroad Publishing
Company, 1981.

. Francis and Clare: The Complete Works. Translated and Introduction by Regis J.
Armstrong and Ignatius C. Brady. New York: Pauline Press, 1982.

Latourette, Kenneth Scott. A History of Christianity, Volume 1: to A.D. 1500. New York: Harper
Col ins, 1975; Harper Col ins, 1953.

. "Legend of Perugia." In St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early Biographies: English
Omnibus of the Sources for the Life of St. Francis. Translated by Paul Oligny. Edited by Marion A.
Habig. 3rd Edition. Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1973. Pp. 977-1091.

. "The Little Flowers of St. Francis." In St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early
Biographies: English Omnibus of the Sources for the Life of St. Francis. Edited by Marion A. Habig.
3rd Edition. Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1973. Pp. 1301-1506.

. "Mirror of Perfection." In St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early Biographies: English
Omnibus of the Sources for the Life of St. Francis. Edited by Marion A. Habig. 3rd Edition.
Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1973. Pp. 1125-1293.
1996 by James Choung. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Page 11 of 12
9258A Regents Road. La Jol a, CA 92037. E-mail: kimchi@alum.mit.edu

Rotzetter, Anton. "Mysticism and Literal Observance of the Gospel in Francis of Assisi." In Francis
of Assisi Today. Translated by Robert Nowel . Edited by Christian Duquoc and Casiano
Floristán. New York: The Seabury Press, 1981. Pp. 56-64.

Thomas of Celano. "The First Life of St. Francis." In St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early
Biographies: English Omnibus of the Sources for the Life of St. Francis. Edited by Marion A. Habig.
3rd Edition. Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1973. Pp. 227-355.

Thomas of Celano. "The Second Life of St. Francis." In St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early
Biographies: English Omnibus of the Sources for the Life of St. Francis. Edited by Marion A. Habig.
3rd Edition. Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1973. Pp. 359-543.
1996 by James Choung. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Page 12 of 12
9258A Regents Road. La Jol a, CA 92037. E-mail: kimchi@alum.mit.edu