If pressed, it would be impossible for me to pick a particular text or tome from Friar Murray Bodo that I value most. In his decades of writing, he has enraptured readers about the life of St. Francis and the foundation he set. But Franciscan Media’s Surrounded by Love: Seven Teachings from Saint Francis might be my favorite. The subtitle is somewhat misleading: There is, in fact, an eighth lesson, which Murray calls “the teaching of teachings.” And that is love. Love seemed to be the driving force in Francis’ life and his ministry: for God, for others, for the natural world. Love, in fact, was his guide and his guardian. “Where there is love and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance,” he wrote. How simple, deeply complex, and beautiful. Like the saint himself!
In this issue is an article by Maureen O’Brien that takes a deeper dive into how love shaped Francis and can shape us, as believers, brothers and sisters, followers, and friends. She quotes the great Murray Bodo in her article: “The journey forward into God is a journey backward to an original innocence we never fully recover but where a sort of semi-paradise happens when love turns into charity.” We hope you like the article.
As winter winds down and spring begins to slowly show her face, we at Franciscan Media hope you, our readers, are living in love.