The Paradox of Gospel Living

            There is such an abundance of material for reflection in the life of St. Francis.  One of the most intriguing things to absorb is Francis’ joyful discovery of how God kept giving him back everything that he had given up for Christ’s sake – but with a sacred twist. 

            How is it that Francis’ life of harsh deprivation contained such richness, joy, beauty, peace, and love?  He was re-gifted with the fullness of all these things through the very act of putting God ahead of them. As he embraced Jesus’ way of living, as presented in the Gospels, he also embraced poverty, weakness, austerity, insecurity and rejection.  But to his great delight, Francis found that God generously and lovingly graced him with richness in poverty; joy in weakness; beauty in austerity; peace in insecurity; and love in rejection. 

            

            How is this even possible? It seems that when we are able to move beyond searching for happiness in our circumstances, and instead derive our sense of wellbeing from the simple fact that we are God’s beloved children, we start to understand that we have found a well that will never run dry. 

           Incredibly, we undervalue His tenderness and mercy and care for us, thinking instead that we’ll find enduring fulfillment in…exciting travel experiences…a great family life…a beautiful house….the latest gadget…a fit and trim body…a busy social life…a rewarding career…a big bank account…a good reputation…a much-admired talent…and on and on. Thin ice to skate on, but it’s so easy to be fooled into believing that these things will bring us the contentment we yearn for. They are all as temporary as the grass, in God's eternal perspective - while His love for each of us is rock-solid and permanent. As Francis found out from his own experiences, the equation on which so many of us are basing our lives is a faulty one. Maybe it’s time to scrap it and head back to the drawing board. But how? What does that mean, especially for us who live in an affluent western society and are totally addicted to its pleasures?  What does it mean for me, as a baby Franciscan?
             It all seems to come down to one question – do we trust God?