The Reason for St. Francis's Reverence for Women
"Once St. Francis was giving a mother and her daughter the comfort of the word of God. All the while he spoke, he never looked at them, and so when they left, his companion said to him, 'Father, that holy woman and her virgin daughter came to you with such devotion; why didn't you look at them?' But the holy father answered, 'Who would not be afraid to look upon a bride of Christ? A whole sermon was preached with my eyes and face when they looked at me, but not I at them.' --Celano, Second Life, 114
Our body language speaks volumes. Years ago my pastor spoke on the topic of hospitality and convicted me so that I stopped wearing a watch. I realized that I had a habit of looking at my watch when listening to people whose conversation did not hold my interest. By maintaining eye contact with people we are conversing with we show them we care about what they are saying--whether or not we are interested. In some cultures it might not be appropriate to maintain eye contact, so we must be sensitive to what our body language is saying. For Francis he showed his respect by keeping his eyes averted.
"Once St. Francis was giving a mother and her daughter the comfort of the word of God. All the while he spoke, he never looked at them, and so when they left, his companion said to him, 'Father, that holy woman and her virgin daughter came to you with such devotion; why didn't you look at them?' But the holy father answered, 'Who would not be afraid to look upon a bride of Christ? A whole sermon was preached with my eyes and face when they looked at me, but not I at them.' --Celano, Second Life, 114
Our body language speaks volumes. Years ago my pastor spoke on the topic of hospitality and convicted me so that I stopped wearing a watch. I realized that I had a habit of looking at my watch when listening to people whose conversation did not hold my interest. By maintaining eye contact with people we are conversing with we show them we care about what they are saying--whether or not we are interested. In some cultures it might not be appropriate to maintain eye contact, so we must be sensitive to what our body language is saying. For Francis he showed his respect by keeping his eyes averted. 
No comments:
Post a Comment