On a time when he was staying
at St. Mary of the Porziuncula, and there were as yet but few friars, blessed
Francis went by those villages and churches in the neighborhood of Assisi
announcing and preaching to men that they should do penance, and he carried a
broom to sweep out unclean churches. For
the holy Father grieved much when he saw any church not so clean as he
wished. And therefore, when the
preaching as finished, he always made all the priests who were there gather
together in some remote place, lest he should be overheard by the lay folk, and
preached to them of the salvation of souls and especially that they should be
careful to keep clean the churches and altars, and all things which pertained
to the celebration of the divine mysteries.
-Mirror of Perfection, Section IV, Chapter 56
Early in Francis' life he was called by God to "Rebuild my Temple." Francis at first thought he was to repair a chapel near his town. So it only makes sense that he would become a fanatic about churches being clean. It's kind of how he started on the path to sainthood.
Cleanliness by itself isn't that significant. It's nice to keep things clean, but not at the heart of godliness. However, to clean for another is to show respect for them. It is to humble oneself low enough to do a demeaning task that we pay minimum wage for. Cleaning for others, and especially cleaning for God, is important for a healthy soul.
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