St. Francis Is Promised the Kingdom
"One night when the many and severe pains of his sickness had exhausted him more than usual, Francis began to feel sorry for himself in the very depths of his heart. But he refused to yield to self-pity for even an hour and therefore kept praying to Christ to keep the shield of his patience unshattered. And as he continued to pray in agony, the Lord gave him the promise of eternal life in this comparison: 'If the whole substance of the earth and the whole universe were priceless and precious gold, and it were given to you in exchange for these severe sufferings you are enduring, would you not be happy and willingly bear what you are suffering now?'
'Yes, I would be happy,' St. Francis said. 'I would rejoice beyond all measure.'
'Rejoice, therefore,' the Lord said to him, 'your sickness is an assurance of my kingdom. Wait for it as your inheritance. Be steadfast and assured of this reward for your patience.' --Celano, Second Life, 213
To use the analogy, "If the whole substance of the earth and the whole universe were priceless and precious gold" as a comparison to eternal life seems strange to me since St. Francis did not value such things as gold. But the fact that he was willing to suffer if it meant that he would receive eternal life is not strange. Being with Christ eternally is all that mattered to Francis. Christ suffered for us so that we could be with Him eternally. We each "suffer" in our own ways because of what we may have to bear in this fallen world, if we are faithful to Him and do not give in to the world's ways.
"One night when the many and severe pains of his sickness had exhausted him more than usual, Francis began to feel sorry for himself in the very depths of his heart. But he refused to yield to self-pity for even an hour and therefore kept praying to Christ to keep the shield of his patience unshattered. And as he continued to pray in agony, the Lord gave him the promise of eternal life in this comparison: 'If the whole substance of the earth and the whole universe were priceless and precious gold, and it were given to you in exchange for these severe sufferings you are enduring, would you not be happy and willingly bear what you are suffering now?'
'Yes, I would be happy,' St. Francis said. 'I would rejoice beyond all measure.'
'Rejoice, therefore,' the Lord said to him, 'your sickness is an assurance of my kingdom. Wait for it as your inheritance. Be steadfast and assured of this reward for your patience.' --Celano, Second Life, 213
To use the analogy, "If the whole substance of the earth and the whole universe were priceless and precious gold" as a comparison to eternal life seems strange to me since St. Francis did not value such things as gold. But the fact that he was willing to suffer if it meant that he would receive eternal life is not strange. Being with Christ eternally is all that mattered to Francis. Christ suffered for us so that we could be with Him eternally. We each "suffer" in our own ways because of what we may have to bear in this fallen world, if we are faithful to Him and do not give in to the world's ways.
No comments:
Post a Comment