“Rich by reason of its poverty.” That phrase was as difficult to understand in Francis’s day as it is in ours. Celano was not pulling this expression out of thin air. St. Paul had written that Christ became poor for our sake so that he might enrich us by his poverty. Francis could truly be himself among the friars in Greccio. Therefore, the “evils” that disrupted their life also threatened his.
Are you tempted to think that every poor person is poor because of bad choices he or she has made? In fact, the deck is stacked against some people. Jesus did not present the poverty of Lazarus at the rich man’s gate as the result of bad choices or sinfulness on the part of Lazarus. Reflect on how you view the poor, and whether that perspective needs to change.
—from the book Peace and Good: Through the Year with Francis of Assisi
by Pat McCloskey, OFM
