As I mentioned in the last post, my fraternity used a chapter from the book In the Footsteps of Francis And Clare
I’d like to touch on another theme from the chapter before moving on.
The author, who entered the seminary as a stutterer, starts the chapter by discussing his creatureliness and the hardships that stem from it. He quotes 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 as inspiration for accepting helplessness as a useful poverty in his life:
“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Later in the chapter, he quotes from Chapter 83 of The Assisi Compilation to give the context within which the Canticle was created.
“Blessed Francis lay there for more than fifty days, and was unable to bear the light of the sun during day or the light of a fire at night……..In addition, day and night he had great pains in his eyes so that at night he could scarcely rest or sleep……Sometimes he did want to rest and sleep, but there were many mice in the house and in the little cell made of mats where he was lying…..They were running around him, and even over him, and would not let him sleep.”
There’s more, but you get the idea of the hardship that Francis was enduring.
Amazingly, The Canticle is Francis’ response to this hardship and pain.
“The next morning on rising, he said to his companions…..I want to write a new Praise of the Lord for His creatures…….The Praises of the Lord that he composed…..he called The Canticle to Brother Sun.”
I have previously written about the importance of willingly bearing crosses as part of faithful discipleship.
I just note here the example of Francis, and the potential graces that come from accepting crosses with the understanding that they have silver linings if one is willing to seek them.
