The three vows that Saint Francis took—poverty, chastity, and obedience—were the same as those that monks had taken for centuries. However, he lived without the safety net that most monks had in their monasteries. If working with his hands did not earn enough to live on, Francis begged. But first the friars had to work hard and live simply. They did not wait for people to come to them. The friars went to the people and preached the word of God that too often was not preached effectively. Today, we “preach” by the way we live out the Gospel in our own lives.
— from Pat McCloskey, OFM, author of the book Peace and Good: Through the Year with Francis of Assisi
