Contemplation and prayer prepared Francis for each day’s challenges—or gave him an opportunity to see more clearly God’s ways in experiences that Francis may not have handled with his usual graciousness.
Our constant temptation is to admire saints from such a distance that we forget they were still human beings who cooperated with God’s grace as best they could each day. Francis wasn’t born serene. He could become as angry and upset as anyone else. The Lord led him to discover a great treasure (the kingdom of God) and to make the sacrifices necessary to live by its values.
—from the book Peace and Good: Through the Year with Francis of Assisi
by Pat McCloskey, OFM
