Saint Francis of Assisi

St Francis of Assisi inspires me with his prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is despair, hope,

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

This reminds me that being Catholic is a journey defined by dynamic, transformational relationships: our relationship with God and our relations with one another. Through these relations, we are called to worship God by growing in those virtues Jesus exemplifies. As each sin is as a thorn in Jesus's crown, which adds to His suffering, we must not be sinful or cause others to sin. Rather, we should desire, as St Francis desires, to be made the instrument of the Lord's peace, bringing one another ever closer to Christ.

But how are we to do this? The second half of St. Francis' prayer is a sure guide.

O Divine Master, grant that I may seek not so much to be consoled, as to console; To be understood, as to understand; To be loved, as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and in dying that we are born to eternal life.

The example of St Francis' life also reminds me to practice poverty - especially poverty of spirit, in which the greatest richness is found. A wealthy soul is crowded with many thoughts and many desires, which lead to anxiety, fear, and strife, whereas an impoverished soul thinks only, "Deus meum et omnia (My God is All)." In this age of digital information overload and rampant consumerism, it is good to remember that in this impoverishing of one's soul, true happiness abides.