The Feast of St Francis

Every Franciscan has a favorite image or story from the life of Francis. For me, it starts at the beginning, on the day that Francis is dragged before his father in the village square. His father is tired of his son giving away his hard earned money to the scum of the earth. He wants his money back. And Francis, fresh from his traumatic experiences as a prisoner of war, is tired of being the poster child of his father's fashion business. He is disgusted by a culture consumed by greed and violence. He wants out. He wants more.

And so, he strips naked, giving up once and for all the world of fashion. He stands naked before the world and before God. He stands naked to experience the raw power of the world, the deep intensity of relationship without filters, without impediments. He stands naked before the world and before God and he demands that God go naked before him. He wants the fullness of God without interference.

It is an incredible gamble, the gamble of a lifetime, the gamble of a generation.