Following Francis, Following Christ: Virtues Common to St. Francis and St. Joseph

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From the beginning, Christ was put aside. Every room was full and no one knew him. His family were outcasts, displaced, and it was dark and cold outside. Imagine inside the Inn. Travelers from all over had eaten their fill and were settling down for the night. Others were probably sitting at the table talking about what had happened that day and what they were looking forward to tomorrow. They probably weren't mindful of the child that had just been born in the stable.

There are many things that I have put to the side thinking, "Oh, I'll just do that later, I have plenty of time." My father would always say to me, "Just do it now when it's on your mind, or you'll forget it later." He was right. I feel blessed to have a father who shows the way, the wise and learned man of the world who guides his children along the right path, hoping they won't stumble but being there if they need it. This is the virtue that made Joseph such a kind, gentle, and caring surrogate for the Christ Child who is the light of the nations and the truth that has entered the world.

These virtues, kindness, gentleness, and compassion, become a looking glass into how un learned man named Francis would come to know and love Christ in his own way. Thomas Merton wrote, "We all differ, we all have our own problems and troubles yet we all sing together , ‘Lord hear our prayer.’" Is this not what we are all waiting for? What we are all seeking? Now with God among us, is it not him that is seeking our hearts and our minds as well? In my eyes, Christ is the consolation and help that has come down to be poured out. He is the consolation that David longed for, the Servant of the Lord of Israel. I believe that David was seeking what Isiah wrote, "a bruised reed he will not break, thy chosen one upon whom I have put my spirit.” (Is 42) David was seeking a God of mercy and compassion, one with whom he could walk and bring new life into a world that had grown cold, dark, divisive, and polarized by fear, anger and suffering. Such a world we live in today. For so many, that lowly stable where Christ was born is a refuge, a shelter where the hungry come to be fed, to get out of the cold, to find a place to rest their head. What many are seeking and do not find is a place to 'be loved back to life' as Jesus would later bring Lazarus back from the dead and where they are not put to the side. In my own eyes, I think this is what the shepherds sought as the gazed upon him in all humility and adoration. This is what the wise men sought as they left their gifts at the altar.

I see the new life in Christ in creation as Francis did. As fall turns into winter, the weather turns chilly. It reminds me of home and keeping the wood stove going to keep warm. You have to keep the fire going inside or you'll have to start it again in the morning. When we keep Jesus alive in our hearts, Henri Nouwen writes, "our hearts embrace not only all people but all of creation." Francis was a man filled with hope because he saw Christ incarnated in creation and saw new life springing up from the humility of this lowly birth.

Francis's life was filled with the virtues of the incarnation. Two virtues reflect the righteousness of Joseph as well as Francis. Francis practiced the virtue of waiting and persevering as he sought the poor and humble Christ in the stable of his own heart. I was reminded of how hard it is to wait for something when I was standing out on the porch feeding the birds as Francis loved to do. You have to have patience and a steady hand. Sometimes they won't come when you call, but they'll come when they are hungry again for more seed (bread).

Saint Joseph was also practiced in patience. For "Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my Son.’" (Mt 3:14-15) How difficult this must have been for Joseph! He was out of his comfort zone. He probably was afraid for his family! Probably he frequently felt like going back to his homeland. I have often found myself in similar circumstances wanting to return home, wondering what kind of good could come out of this place.

I love to read the early letters of Mother Teresa. In these letters, she pours out her frustration of wanting to go out into the slums, those dark places, to bring charity, peace and compassion to the suffering Christ. How long she waited until finally being given permission to serve Christ in those who had been put aside. A photograph of one of her homes for the sick has the crucifix with the words "I thirst" underneath. It reflects the mission of the Church that it is Christ in us who thirsts.

Francis understood this all too well. He trusted that the Lord would provide. In a letter which he writes to Clare,. He says, "I, little brother Francis, wish to follow the life and poverty of Jesus Christ and to persevere therein to the end." Murray Bodo writes about Clare's prayer this way, "You prayed for his coming, but you were wise not to let your longing, your loneliness, interfere with living, with what had to be done from moment to moment. You kept giving even when you felt nothing in return, and most of all you learned to trust." Francis's vision of 'God with us' was the 'greatest humility'. To be fed by God was, for Francis, in the service of the 'least,’ the face of Him who cannot be seen.

However, we must not think of the 'least' as 'the other,’ as those that are apart from us. We must think of 'ourselves' as the 'other' as Francis did. It is my heart that needs to be opened. It is my heart that has grown cold and non-reactive. It is my heart that waits for the light in the darkness. We are all one and until we can get over this divide of 'greater' and 'lesser,' we shall continue to live in a world of walls. In my own ministry experience of living in community, I must practice waiting and preserving. Sometimes it is difficult. Sometimes you feel that prayer is showing little fruit or benefit. But as my father told me not to put the important things aside, I try to wait patiently to allow the love of Christ not only to fill the rooms in my heart but also to be that light of His presence for my fellow brothers and sisters as they seek to know Him and to love Him. – Jesse Pellow, CFP Postulant