Stealing From The Poor

Once when he was returning from Siena, he came across a poor man on the way and he said to his fellow, “We ought to return this mantle to its owner.  For we received it only as a loan until we should come upon one poorer than ourselves.”  But his fellow, considering the necessity of the holy Father, maintained that he ought not to neglect himself to provide for another.  To whom the saint answered, “I will not be a thief.  For it would be counted to us for a theft if we should not give to him who is more needy.”  And so the pious father handed over the mantle to the poor man.

                        -Mirror of Perfection Section III, Chapter 30

To give to the poor is to loan to the Lord.  To keep for ourselves when one with greater need is before us is to steal, not just from the poor, but from God himself.  God gives to us in order to redistribute our own belongings to those in greater need.  This is the stewardship of love. And this is the seed of abundant reward we will receive from our Father.

Let's Get Naked!

At Celano in the winter time, when Francis had a cloth folded like a mantle which a certain friend of the friars had lent to him, there came to him an old woman seeking alms.  Who forthwith loosed the cloak from his neck, and though it belonged to another, gave it to the poor old woman, saying, “Go and make a tunic for yourself, because you need it enough.”  The old woman laughed, astonished, I know not from fear or joy, took the cloth from his hands, and lest delay should bring about a danger of his taking it back, ran very swiftly and fell upon the cloth with her scissors.  But when she found the cloth was not large enough for a tunic, she came back to the first kindness of the holy Father, pointing out to him that the cloth was not large enough for a tunic.  The saint turned his eyes to his fellow who wore such another cloth on his back and said to him, “Listen to what this poor woman says.  For the love of God let us bear the cold and give that cloth to the poor woman that her tunic may be finished.”  And so as he gave, so did his fellow.  Thus both of them remained bare that the poor woman might be clothed.

                        -Mirror of Perfection Section III, Chapter 29

I know of people who surrendered the shoes off of their feet so another may not be shoeless.  This is not because they had shoes at home, but because the need of the other was so great.  While we should not, as Francis, make a habit of giving away that which was not ours, still we should consider our own possessions so lightly as to meet the need of the other.  This is not so that we would be in want while the other be clothed, but because we can rely on the provision of the Lord to grant us more.  We need not worry, God will provide with abundance.

Compassion on Weaker Brothers

At a certain time when Francis began to have friars, dwelling with them at Rivo Torto near Assisi, one of the friars, in the middle of the night, began crying out, “I am dying!  I am dying!”  All the brothers woke up amazed and frightened.  The holy Father rising, said, “Rise, brothers, and kindle the light!”  And when it was lit, he said, “Who is he that said, ‘I am dying’?”  The brother answered, “It was I.”  And he said to him, “What is the matter, brother?  How do you die?”  And he said, “I die of hunger.” 

And the Father caused the table to be laid right away and like a man full of charity and discretion, ate with him lest he should be put to shame by eating alone, and by his will, all the other friars ate as well.  For that brother and all the other friars who had newly turned to the Lord, used to inflict their bodies beyond measure. 

And after the meal the holy Father said to the other friars, “Dearest, I bid you, each of you, consider his nature because though one of you may be able to sustain himself on less food, yet I will that another who requires more food shall not be bound to imitate the first in this thing, but shall, considering his own nature, give his body what it requires, so that it may be able to serve the spirit.  For as we are bound to beware of superfluity of eating, which harms body and soul, so also must we beware of too great abstinence—nay, even more—since the Lord will have mercy and not sacrifice.”  And he said, “Dearest brothers, this which I have done, to wit, that on account of charity towards my brother, we have eaten together with him, lest he should be ashamed to eat alone, necessity and charity rather forced me to do.  But I say to you that I would not do so again, seeing it would be neither religious nor becoming.  But I will and command you that each of our brothers according to our poverty satisfy his body as it shall be necessary for him.”  For the first friars and the others who came after them for a long time, afflicted their bodies beyond measure with abstinence from food and drink, with vigils, with cold, with roughness of raiment and the labor of their hands; they wore next their flesh very strong iron belts and cats and hair shirts; on which account, seeing by occasion of this the friars might become weak and that some were already in that short time ill, he forbade in a certain chapter any friar to wear anything next the skin except a tunic.

            But we who were with him bear testimony of him, that though in the whole time of his life he was thus discreet and temperate concerning his brothers, yet it was so that they should at no time deviate from the way of poverty and the decorum of our Order.  Nevertheless, the most holy Father himself from the beginning of his conversion unto the end of his life, was austere to his own body, although he was by nature feeble and could not have lived in the world, except delicately.  So, considering on a certain day, that the friars were exceeding the measure of poverty and of decency in their food and in other things, in a certain sermon which he made to sundry brothers, in the presence of all the friars he said, “Let not the brothers think that some allowance is necessary to my body, for because it behooves me to be the form and example of all friars, I wish to use and be content with few and very wretched meats and to use all other things according to poverty and utterly to turn in disgust from things rare and delicate.”

            -Mirror of Perfection Section III, Chapter 27

Francis, even along with Benedict, recognizes that the austere seem, at times, to put a tremendous burden on the weak.  Indeed, this was one of the main concerns of church leadership about the early Franciscan order.  What we all must realize is that everyone is at a different level.  Some have the ability to closely follow the way of Francis.  Others will never follow that way.  The Lord has given us different starting places, and different places to finish.  Not all will be able to pray for hours a day; not all will be scholars of the Bible; not all will sacrifice their lives for Jesus; not all can endure the weight of the need of the world.  Those who can, should accept it, but those who cannot should not feel guilty.  Each of us is given a burden from the Lord, and that burden is sufficient.  Let no one add to it, and let us not feel overburdened to add to it ourselves.

Jesus himself warned us: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea." (Mark 9:42) Paul also encouraged us: "We who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves." (Romans 15:1)  We need to accept and encourage our weak sisters and brothers, not condemn them or reject them.  

Attitude of Receiving

At another time, when the Father was at St. Mary of the Porziuncula, a certain very spiritual poor man was coming through the street returning from Assisi with alms and when along praising God in a loud voice with much joyfulness.  But when he drew near the church of Mary, Francis heard him and immediately with great fervor and joy went out to him, running up to him in the path, and with great joyfulness, he kissed the shoulder where he carried the scrip with alms.  And he took the wallet from his shoulder and put it on his own shoulder and thus brought it into the house of the friars, and in their presence said, “Thus I would that a brother of mine should go and return with alms, glad and joyful and praising God.”

                        -Mirror of Perfection Section II, Chapter 25

With great welcome and joy should we bring the needy into our house, ready to both give and to receive whatever is offered.

Prayer of St. Francis

The prayer that is often accredited to Francis (beginning, "Lord, make me an instrument...") isn't Francis' at all, although an excellent prayer.  In fact, it doesn't appear anywhere before 1912.


But Francis did have many of his own prayers that were published.  One of the most famous is the Prayer of Francis in Praise of God.  A wonderful version of this prayer was composed and performed by John Michael Talbot:

The translated original text is this:

You are holy, Lord, the only God,
and Your deeds are wonderful.
You are strong.
You are great.
You are the Most High.
You are Almighty.
You, Holy Father are King of heaven and earth.
You are Three and One, Lord God, all Good.
You are Good, all Good, supreme Good, Lord God, living and true.
You are love. You are wisdom.
You are humility. You are endurance.
You are rest. You are peace.
You are joy and gladness.
You are justice and moderation.
You are all our riches, and You suffice for us.
You are beauty.
You are gentleness.
You are our protector.
You are our guardian and defender.
You are our courage. You are our haven and our hope.
You are our faith, our great consolation.
You are our eternal life, Great and Wonderful Lord,
God Almighty, Merciful Saviour.

Laziness

In the first days of the order, when the friars dwelt at Rivo Torto near Assisi, there was among them a certain friar who prayed little and did not work, who would not ask for alms and used to eat well.  Considering these things, Francis knew by the Holy Spirit that he was a carnal man, and said to him, “Go your way, friar, fly, since you would eat of the labor of the brothers and be idle in the work of God, like a lazy and sterile drone which profits nothing and labors not but eats the labor and profit of the good bees.”  And so he went his way.  And because he was carnal, he did not seek for mercy nor did he find it.

                        -Mirror of Perfection Section II, Chapter 24

Thankfully Having Thanksgiving

When a certain minister of the friars had come to Francis to celebrate the feast of Christmas with him in the friars’ dwelling at Rieti, the friars, because of the minister and the feast, laid out the table a little worshipfully and choicely on that Christmas Day, putting on fair and white napery and glass vessels.  But the father, coming down from his cell to eat saw the tables placed on high and so choicely laid out.  Then he quickly went out secretly and took the staff and wallet of a certain poor man who had come near that day, and calling to him with a low voice one of his fellows, went out to the door of the dwelling, the brothers of the house not knowing it.  But his fellow remained near the door. 

The friars in the meantime had sat down at the table, for the father had ordered that the friars should not wait for him, when he did not come right away at meal time.  He stood for a while outside and then knocked at the door and his fellow opened the door for him, and coming with his wallet behind his back and his stick in his hand, he went to the door of the room in which the friars were eating like a pilgrim and a pauper and called out saying, “For the love of the Lord God, give an alms to this poor and infirm pilgrim.”  But the minister and the other friars knew him right away. 

And the minister answered, “Brother we are also poor and since we be many, the alms we have be necessary to us.  But for the love of the Lord whom you have named, enter the house and we will give you of the alms which the Lord has given to us.”  And when he had entered and stood before the table of the friars, the minister gave him his own platter and his own bread as well.  And humbly accepting it he sat down near the fire in the presence of the friars sitting at the table. 

And sighing, he said to the friars, “When I saw the table worshipful and sumptuously laid out, I thought within myself it was not the table of poor religious who daily go from door to door for alms.  For it becomes us, dearest, more than other religious to follow the example of the humility and poverty of Christ, because we are professed and called to this before God and men.  So it seems that I now sit as a Friar Minor, for the feasts of the Lord and of other saints are rather honored with the want and poverty by which those saints conquered heaven for themselves, than with the elegance and superfluity by which they may be made distant from heaven.” 

The friars were ashamed, considering he was speaking the pure truth.  And some of them began to weep greatly, seeing how he was sitting on the earth, and that he would correct and instruct them in so holy and pure a way.  For he admonished the friars that they should have such humble and decent tables that by them the worldly might be edified.  And if any poor man should come and be invited by the friars that he might sit as an equal beside them, and not the poor man on the earth and the friars up high.

                        -Mirror of Perfection, Section II, Chapter 20

On the surface, it seems as if there is nothing wrong with having a grand feast with fancy settings and a gourmet meal.  After all, all the earth is the Lord’s and He has given it to us to enjoy and to glorify Him.  Jesus himself participated in feasts to such a degree that he was called a glutton.  And the kingdom of God is to be celebrated in feasts and glory.

But Francis’ point should not be missed.  He is not exactly saying that feasts should not be had, but that no feast should be had to such a degree that a poor person would be uncomfortable to join in such frivolity.  If our feasting is such that a poor person cannot participate, then it is not worthy of Christ.  Jesus said, “When you give a dinner, invite the poor, the crippled, the blind and you will be blessed for they do not have the means to repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:13-14)  To be a follower of Jesus is to have all of your activities shared by the most needy of this world.  If we set up part of our lives to not be shared by those in need, then we are not, in that way, living the life of Jesus.  And should not our feasts, parties and holidays, the very representatives of the Kingdom of God, be most like the love of Jesus?

Next time you have a party or feast, be sure to invite the homeless, needy, separated, outcast, immigrant and hopeless and so allow your very celebration to represent the coming kingdom of Jesus.

Hatred of Money

As a true friend and imitator of Christ, Francis, despising perfectly all things which are not of this world, did above all things hate money.  By word and example he urged his brothers to flee it as if it were the devil.  For this maxim had been given by him to the friars that they should measure with one price, dung and money.  Now it happened on a day that a certain layman entered the church of St. Mary of the Porziuncula to pray and put some money for an offering near the cross.  When he had departed a certain friar taking the money innocently in his hand, threw it into the window.  But when this was told to Francis, the friar understood that he was at fault and sought pardon, throwing himself to the ground and offered himself for punishment.  The father reproved him and very severely blamed him for moving the money and bade him lift the money from the window with his mouth and convey it without the hedge of the dwelling and put it with his own mouth on the dung of an ass.  And all those that saw and heard were filled with great fear and from that time forth they despised money more than the dung of an ass and daily they were animated with new examples to condemn it altogether.

                        -Mirror of Perfection Section II, Chapter 14

Francis understood better than most Jesus’ warning about money.  Yes, Jesus cautioned about wealth and possessions, but money itself was a focus on his ire as well.  In the temple, he confronted the Herodians  by declaring their allegiance.  When confronted about taxes Jesus told them to show him a denarius.  A denarius was a Roman coin with the picture of Caesar on it.  When Jesus asked them to show the coin, he was showing everyone that they were bringing images of an alternative god into the Temple area.  It was only a few years before that the whole of Jerusalem rioted because Roman standards were brought into the Temple area by soldiers—but they would allow an actual image of Caesar to be brought into the Temple!  For this reason, among others, Jesus got rid of the moneychangers, because of the images they brought into the place where no images should be allowed!  Jesus said in the temple that the money should rightfully belong to Caesar, because it had his image on it.  But we claim that out money belongs to us, even though the images upon it declare it’s worth only to a government.  Money is a dangerous thing—so easy to worship instead of God.  It is so easy for us to depend on money for our salvation instead of God.  It is so easy to see money as the means of every good thing, instead of God.  Some people try to stop buying for a day a year, or perhaps a few days.  But wouldn’t it be something if we could live as the early apostles and not depend on money at all, but just on our brothers and sisters in Christ?  Not possible, you say?  Is anything impossible for God?  Meanwhile our dependence on money is complete, while our dependence on God waxes and wanes with our spiritual insight.  Money truly is an idol in our lives—how can we be rid of this false dependence unless we confront it?

Don't Think About Tomorrow

When Francis was living with his brothers whom he had then, he lived in poverty with them.  At that time, they observed the Holy Gospel in and through all things to the letter, from that day in which the Lord revealed to him that he and his brothers should live according to the form of the Holy Gospel.  So he did not allow a brother who used to cook for the friars to put dried beans in warm water when they were to be given to the friars to eat on the following day, as the custom is, so that they might observe that saying of the Holy Gospel, “Take no thought for tomorrow”.  And so that brother put off setting them to soften till after Matins, because by then the day in which they were to be eaten had begun.  (On account of which many friars observed this rule in many places for a long time and would neither ask nor accept more alms than were necessary to them for one day, and this especially in cities.)

                        -Mirror of Perfection Section II, Chapter 19

It is wise to reserve for the future, against a rainy day.  It is wise to have sufficient, not only for today, but for tomorrow.  In our society we reflect this wisdom through savings accounts, IRAs, retirement, health and life insurance.  But Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has worries enough of its own.”  He said, “Seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness and all of these future needs will be cared for.”  Rather than preserving for tomorrow, we need to trust in God, to whom we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”  Let us take the excess of today and give it freely to those who are in need today.  Then we will see that God, who granted us our needs for today, will also be there tomorrow to grant us our needs.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever and in as much as we trust in Him, so will He provide for us.

Christ's Provision

When the ministers would have persuaded him that he should allow something to the friars in common at the least, so that the multitude should have that to which it might have recourse, Francis called upon Christ in prayer and took counsel with Him.  Christ immediately answered him, saying, “I confer all things in general and in special; I shall always be ready to provide for this family however much as it may increase, and ever will I cherish it as long as it shall hope in Me.”

                        -Mirror of Perfection Section II, Chapter 13

More Alms Than Necessary

Francis was used to say these words to his brothers, “I have never been a thief concerning alms, in getting them or using them beyond necessity.  Always have I taken less than I needed, lest I should defraud other poor folk of their portion, for to do the contrary would have been theft.”

                        -Section II, Chapter 12

For Francis, to accept more provision than is necessary is theft.  In this way, Francis was deeply concerned about integrity.  And he recognizes that the alm that goes to him would not be given to another poor person.  However, I would disagree with Francis on this point.  I would say that for those who are in the act of continually giving to those in need, the Lord would continually provide in excess for them, so that they might provide for others who are poor as well.  Thus, in the Lord, poverty could be wealth, if the one who is poor continues to provide for others.  The only theft would be to take the excess God granted and keep it for yourself.  For God does not provide excess except that it be a loan which is to be given back to God’s people, the poor.

Francis' Greeting

Likewise the Lord revealed to him the salutation which the friars should use, as he caused to be written in his testament, saying, “The Lord revealed to me that I should say for a greeting, ‘The Lord give you peace.’” Now, in the first days of the Order, when he would go with a certain friar who was one of the first twelve, he saluted the men and women on the road and those who were in the fields, saying, “The Lord give you peace.”  And for that men had not heard up to then such a salutation from any religious they wondered greatly.  In fact, some used to say to them with great indignation, “What does this salutation of yours mean?” 

So that brother began to be ashamed of it, so he said to Francis, “Let me use another greeting.”  The father said to him, “Let them talk, since they do not perceive the things of God.  But do not be ashamed, because from now on the nobles and princes of this world shall show reverence to you and other friars for this salutation.  For it is no great thing if the Lord should wish to have a new and little flock, singular and unlike all those who have come before them in life and work, a folk which should be content to have him alone and most sweet.”

            -Mirror of Perfection Section II, Chapter 23

This is a summary of the Priestly blessing in Numbers: “The Lord bless you and keep you.  The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.  The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”  I summarize this blessing to my children and my congregation to: “May the Lord bless you and keep you and give you peace.”  To have peace, in Scripture, is to have wholeness in one’s life.  It is not the blessing of wealth or health necessarily, but the gift of well-being, having nothing in our lives that tests us beyond what we can bear.  Peace is not the lack of conflict, but the grace to deal with conflict as it comes. 

            At times people look at the new thing and find it disturbing, even if it comes from God.  Well, perhaps, ESPECIALLY if it comes from God.  We want our God to be traditional, to fit into modes that we already understand.  But God is looking for the well-being of his people, for their righteousness and devotion to Him, and He will guide his people to that place, even if it means that we must toss aside tradition and seek out the new.

God's Call for a New Community

Francis said, “The order and life of the Friars Minor is a certain little flock which the Son of God in these last times asked of his Heavenly Father, saying, ‘Father, I wish that You should make and give to me a new and humble folk in these last times, unlike to all others who have gone before them, in humility and poverty and content to possess me alone.’  And the Father said, having heard the Son, ‘My son, that which You have asked is done.’”

            Francis used to say that for this reason God willed and revealed to him that they should be called Friars Minor, because this is that poor and humble folk which the Son of god demanded of his Father.  This folk the Son himself speaks of in the Gospel, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”  And also, “Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you have done it to me.”  And the Lord understood this of all spiritual poor men, yet He spoke it more especially of the Order of the Friars Minor, which was to be in his Church.   And so, as it was revealed to Francis that it should be called the Order of Friars Minor, so he made it to be written in his testament and the first Rule which he took to Pope Innocent III who approved and conceded it, and afterwards announced it to all in Consistory. 

                        -Mirror of Perfection Section II, Chapter 23

What a contrast is Francis’ attitude of his people from the majority of the church!  Today, we want bigger churches, bigger incomes, larger congregations, and more significant influence in the world.  Francis, however, recognized that Jesus called the church to be of and among the disenfranchised, the outcast, the poor, the suffering, the lowly.  Jesus said that it was the wealthy who were to be cautioned, for “you have already received your comfort” and because “It is difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.”  Jesus said that those who were lauded were to be unhappy for “this is how the false prophets were treated.”  Francis sought out those who were willing to give up all they had to be lowly and poor and suffering and wretched.  Jesus also told his disciples to be prepared for poverty, for the surrender of all we have, for injustice and for persecution.  But in our teachings of the gospel, we encourage people to expect all blessings—a better life, health, wealth and honor.  Woe is us!  Woe to those who preach the American gospel!  Woe to those who think that they can gain everything in this world and have the next world as well!  But blessed are the poor, for they shall receive the kingdom of God.

What Is The Mirror of Perfection?

The Mirror of Perfection is an early book-length collection of tales about Francis.  Although it is not the earliest work about Francis, it has some of the earliest oral tales about Francis. These stories are arranged according to virtue—poverty, charity, humility and the like.  Of course, the Little Flowers and even Bonaventure’s Life of Francis get much more press, and coverage on the internet, but I prefer the Mirror of Perfection.  Francis is striving to be saintly, but it does not come naturally as in the other books.  Francis struggles, oversteps, errs, and yet his love and devotion for God and his brothers is beautifully pictured in its rough form.    In this earlier version of Francis, he may not be as saintly, and at times he seems to strive to be super-saintly, but his basic philosophy of life and obedience to God is clearest.  Francis is shown in this life to be the radical, the charismatic maniac whom everyone is drawn to, not because of his fanaticism, but because of his care and because of his drive to force no one to do anything that Francis himself hadn’t tested or profited from. 

The Mirror of Perfection was a compilation of stories about Francis, completed perhaps about 1318, but the tales go back much earlier.  Some of these tales claim to be originated by eyewitnesses and they have been passed on by the Spirituali for many decades.  This book was never as popular as the other previous ones because the Spirituali was declared a heretic sect by the church and most of their writings were destroyed.  However, in an extreme way, the Spirituali held to the heart of Francis, especially his focus on poverty, and was a call to the other Franciscan orders to no longer compromise the original rule of Francis.  Today, there are many ways in which one might be a Franciscan, but it is good to read how the Spirituali understood Francis.

In this version of the Mirror of Perfection, I have copied the translation by Robert Steele, as found in the 1960 Everyman’s Library edition of The Little Flowers of St. Francis. I haven’t recorded the entire book, but only passages that I personally found to be significant.  I have updated some of the language to make it somewhat easier to read.  The only major change I made from the original text is taking out most of the honorifics of Francis himself.  Francis made it clear that he didn’t want to be given honorifics, such as “blessed” or “Father” or “most holy”.  His humility he considered to be most significant, wanting all glory to go to the Father.  So I dropped all of these, retaining only the name, Francis, as I believe the saint would have wanted.  While the stories themselves honor Francis, they are simply the tales that had been passed on and, if they be true, Francis recognized that he was called to be an example to the church, and so we read and look to him as an example.