Quick Summary:

The Francis we’ve come to know—the holy man who embraced poverty, exuded humility, tamed wolves and preached to birds—did not begin life that way.

Before the Lord caught Francis in his snare of GRACE; before he left a life focused on worldly pleasures and treasures, Francis, the son of a wealthy merchant, spent the majority of his youth partying with his friends.

Something happened one night at one of those occasions. Francis leaves the revelry, walks into the back yard, and finds himself looking for a long time up at the stars. And a different sort of revelry overtakes him. IF THESE ARE THE CREATURES, he wonders, WHAT MUST THE CREATOR BE LIKE?

As Francis matured spiritually and came to understand the work to which God was calling him – to rebuild a church that had fallen into ruin – this process by which the outer world becomes an emblem for the inner experience of God, deepened. The blinders came off, the soul opened up.

Much of Medieval theology is about FEAR…fear of God, fear of judgement to pay for one’s sins, fear of hell. But there is a difference between being DRIVEN toward something and being DRAWN to it. Christ’s invitation in our gospel reading is all about being DRAWN