In this century of excess, could we give up all material comforts and live among the poor? It was just as unthinkable in St. Francis’ day. Nevertheless, he shed his worldliness and embraced Lady Poverty, “a fairer bride than any of you have ever seen,” he told a childhood friend.
To renounce his father’s wealth and live among the poorest was not only an act of defiance against his inheritance, but an act of charity fueled by grace. Solidarity with the poor, for Francis, was an act of love. He coached his brothers to do the same: “And to this poverty, my beloved brothers, you must cling with all your heart, and wish never to have anything else under heaven.”
—from St. Anthony Messenger‘s “The Franciscan Spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.“
by Christopher Heffron
