The Courage and Love of St. Francis

From G.K. Chesterton's biography of St. Francis of Assisi, this excerpt records an event early on in Francis' life:

      An incident occurred which is perhaps the shortest and sharpest summary that could be given of a certain curious things which were a part of his character, long before it was transfigured by transcendental faith. While he was selling velvet and fine embroideries to some solid merchant of the town, a beggar came imploring alms; evidently in a somewhat tactless manner. It was a rude and simple society and there were no laws to punish a starving man for expressing his need for food, such as have been established in a more humanitarian age; and the lack of any organised police permitted such persons to pester the wealthy without any great danger. But there was, I believe, in many places a local custom of the guild forbidding outsiders to interrupt a fair bargain; and it is possible that some such thing put the mendicant more than normally in the wrong. Francis had all his life a great liking for people who had been put hopelessly in the wrong. On this occasion he seems to have dealt with the double interview with rather a divided mind; certainly with distraction, possibly with irritation. Perhaps he was all the more uneasy because of the almost fastidious standard of manners that came to him quite naturally....Anyhow Francis was evidently torn two ways with the botheration of two talkers, but finished his business with the merchant somehow; and when he had finished it, found the beggar was gone. Francis leapt from his booth, left all the bales of velvet and embroidery behind him apparently unprotected, and went racing across the market place like an arrow from the bow. Still running, he threaded the labyrinth of the narrow and crooked streets of the little town, looking for his beggar, whom he eventually discovered; and loaded that astonished mendicant with money. Then he straightened himself, so to speak, and swore before God that he would never all his life refuse to help a poor man. The sweeping simplicity of this undertaking is extremely characteristic. Never was any man so little afraid of his own promises. His life was one riot of rash vows; or rash vows that turned out right. 

Chesterton goes on to talk about the courage of St. Francis, not only in battle (he was a soldier for a while), but in love and service, not being afraid to give to the needy or hug the leper.

I want to be like that.

The Beauty of Unity

This morning I joined the Karagoulis family in Lansing for the service at a Greek Orthodox church. I was able to follow along pretty well for the most part, and I enjoyed testing out how much I remembered Greek. There was a lot of the service that I didn't understand or participate in, but the parts that I did, I really appreciated. Not just for the personal value I received from them or the worship I gave to the Lord, but for the fact that I can go to a church service that is completely foreign to me and acknowledge the same Lord and Father of us all. I was able to recite the Nicene Creed and the Lord's Prayer with my brothers and sisters, and drink in the richness of the Christian tradition that spans thousands of years, hundreds of nations, and a multitude of denominations.

This is something that I always enjoy learning again and again: that I love the Body of Christ. I love the Church which comprises every person who has ever called on the name of Jesus for salvation and sought to live a life of discipleship. I marvel in the Grace of the Lord which is as broad as it is deep. I rejoice in the Lord who accepts and cherishes people of all nations, races, and backgrounds.

And I celebrate the incredible opportunity I have this year of being part of a community that celebrates and practices and works really hard at Christian ecumenism, in order to unite the Body of Christ as one. There is no Protestant, Orthodox, or Catholic. There is no Jew or Greek, no slave or free, no male or female, but we are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). There is one body and one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all (Ephesians 4:4-6). And it is truly a beautiful thing. It's not perfect, and won't be until Jesus returns. But I feel so blessed to be a part of this, where we get to actually practice Christian unity on a regular basis.

With all that divides us, may the bond of unity that binds us be stronger still. May it be the blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins that reconciles us not only to the Lord, but to each other. And this Advent season, as we await the Lord's return, may we pray and look forward (while also working toward!) that day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, and we will be as one in our eternal worship of the King of kings.

Blessing the World - Bonhoeffer

The world lives by the blessing of God

and of the righteous and thus has a future.

Blessing means laying one's hand on something and

     saying: Despite everything, you belong to God.

This is what we do with the world

that inflicts such suffering on us.

We do not abandon it;

we do not repudiate, desire, or condemn it;

instead we call it back to God,

we give it hope,

we lay our hand on it and say:

may God's blessing come upon you,

may God renew you;

be blessed, world created by God,

you belong to your Creator and Redeemer.

- Deitrich Bonhoeffer, Meditation and Prayer, ed. by Peter Frick

Never give up on that which the Lord has redeemed. Instead, do everything you can to remind him/her/it of this glorious redemption.

Cynicism

I think cynicism is one of the most destructive attitudes that a person can have--not only to those around them, but to themselves. I've noticed this in myself a lot in the past year, and I believe that becoming aware of it in yourself is the first step to recovery from it. Because it does actually take a process of recovery to counteract all the damage that is done by cynicism. How much truth have you overlooked because, in your mind, being wrapped up in a cliché makes something invalid?  How much joy have you missed out on because of your intellectual arrogance? How much beauty have you missed out on because you approached a situation with a cynical attitude?

That's what cynicism is when it's really boiled down: intellectual arrogance, and a defense mechanism against the fear of naiveté. It's comes from a sense of superiority for whatever reason, causing the cynical to look down on those who are not as intelligent or aware or right as they are. It's a result of pride, but really it's only a way to deal with our own insecurities.

I found this blog by Donald Miller to be very interesting. I think he's right, that this attitude seems to exists mainly among American white males in their 20s. Cynicism seems to be part of the effort to find an identity. If you are a Christian who suffers from cynicism, know that your identity is found only in Jesus Christ. And learn to appreciate things. Be aware of all the different sources that you can learn from. Practice some humility. You might find yourself a little more joyful, a little more able to love, and growing a lot more in wisdom.

The Wonders of Human Achievement

Watch this:



And then watch this:




Even the little victories count for something, I suppose.

Quick Thought #5

If you claim the name "Christian" for yourself, remember that you are representing Jesus Christ at all times and in all places. Don't try to compartmentalize your spiritual life as something separate from everything else.