Franciscan Spirituality

Imagine how different Western history and religion could have been if we had walked so tenderly and lovingly upon the earth, as Francis and Jesus did.

Francis had noticed that when he went begging, few people looked into his eyes. They seemed always to avoid eye contact, either from embarrassment or fear or contempt.

Love simply must expand, radiating its light and warmth in all directions. The happier we are, the more we want to tell others, to share our happiness with them.

What makes a son good is not what he says to his father, but what he does after the fact by working in the fields (Matthew 21:28–31).

Penance, poverty, humility and compassion were the values that forged Francis into a “cosmic brother,” one who was related to all creatures and to the elements of creation.

The Franciscan path to God is an inversion of monastic values. Rather than fleeing the world to find God, God is to be found in the world. The idea that “the world is our cloister” finds its root in Francis ...