Franciscan Poverty

The Mystical Way of St. Francis

St. Francis chose to practice a radical life marked by the vow of total evangelical poverty. He forbade private property to his Order, but respected it as lawful for the laity. For him, poverty required only voluntary disciples: the possessors of wealth were not enemies, but benefactors to be thanked.

Poor among the poor

Francis immediately grasped the mystical importance of the renunciation of all earthly things and had no doubts: with a courage that leaves one astonished, he unhesitatingly embraced the renunciation of goods and made himself poor among the poor.

Poverty as a heavenly virtue

"Holy poverty shames greed, avarice, and the cares of this world. Poverty is that heavenly virtue by which all that is earthly and transitory is trampled underfoot; it is that virtue by which obstacles are removed, so that the human spirit can freely unite with the eternal God.

It allows the soul, still a pilgrim on earth, to converse with the angels in heaven and, at the moment of death, freed from every bond, to go to Christ."

Francis's conception of poverty was not only the renunciation of all material things, but also the stripping away of every disordered possession of spiritual property.

Inner stripping

"Whoever wishes to ascend to this height of poverty must renounce not only the prudence of the world, but also, in a certain way, the cleverness of knowledge, in order to enter into the power of the Lord and cast himself naked into the arms of the Crucified. And he never perfectly renounces who keeps the treasure of his own understanding in the secret of his heart."

For Francis, renunciation, that is, the choice of absolute poverty, is indispensable to dismantle the old man and open the way to ascend upwards. It is a means to escape the bonds of place and time, it is the simplification of life, it is the indispensable condition to use things without becoming their slave.

"It is fitting for you, O soul, to be naked, if you wish to be perfect in Christ, and it is fitting for you always to fight against the evil spirits, who day and night tirelessly fight against the creatures who, for the love of Christ, have renounced the things of the world.

Whoever wishes to have total victory over his enemy must cast away earthly goods, so as not to be caught by them and made to fall.

See again, O soul, why it is fitting for you to be naked of all the things of the world to run under the guidance of Christ: yet if you wish to follow Him, lay aside every burden.

You, O soul, have very little time and the journey you must make is from here to heaven, which is vast, almost without end.

O soul, think of understanding well this poverty in Christ, because if for His sake you are poor, He will gladly dwell with you.

Without Jesus you are in poverty, because in Him we can find every joy, consolation, and peace. If therefore you, O soul, have perfect poverty within you, you will have removed the means that prevented you from perfectly uniting and joining with the Supreme Master."

The sisters of poverty

Poverty has as its sisters humility, obedience, patience, and solitude. In setting out to follow Christ, it is evident that the field of values takes precedence; however, they must be put into practice according to the natural law of organic development: the choice to achieve poverty, detachment from earthly goods but also from inner stripping from oneself, with the consequent lifestyle.

The Gospel as the only rule

Thomas of Celano explicitly notes how Francis humbly refused the proposals of ecclesiastical superiors, not because he did not give them due consideration, but because he gave precedence to motives of a higher order. In this case, as in all others, the Gospel alone was the rule and guide.

In the Gospel, Jesus testifies:

"Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

To the rich young man Jesus says:

"If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and follow Me."

To those who intend to be His disciples, He sets this condition:

"So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple."

Even to the disciples He sends to preach in the world, He commands:

"Freely you have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor a bag for the journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer is worthy of his food."

And He exhorts all His followers with the words:

"Sell what you possess and give alms; provide yourselves with money belts which do not grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven."

Pilgrims and strangers in this world

Francis was truly a happy poor man. He had the heart and the attitudes of the poor man and the pilgrim detached from things, and he instilled them in his friars, whom he wanted as pilgrims and strangers in this world, serving the Lord in poverty and humility.