Footsteps

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Footsteps

Saint Francis

Pray     Surrender     Rebuild

Follow The Lord Always

Remember

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Luke 9:57 and 58

As they were accompanying Jesus, a man came up to Jesus and said, "I will follow you no matter where you go."

Jesus said to him, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man does not have a place to rest his head."

Reflection

Once again we see here that Jesus does not do a good job in recruiting new members. He does not make following Him easy and comfortable. You might ask yourself after hearing this reading, "Why would anyone want to follow Jesus?".

Saint Francis of Assisi read this and knew that Jesus was precisely the Person that he wanted to follow. He wanted to be challenged. 

Francis had experienced the comfortable life. He came from wealth and enjoyed partying with his friends. 

He had lived the life of a soldier and a merchant. None of this proved satisfying for him. He was searching for more. He found it as he read the scriptures and realized that he wanted to give his life completely to Jesus.

He inspired a revolution. Others joined him and his new order and his new way of life to bring a transformation to the Catholic Church.

He felt called to rebuild the Church and he did just that. Jesus invited Francis to "Follow Him". Francis did not hesitate when he got the call. He followed Jesus without any hesitation.

Like Jesus in our reading from Luke, Francis literally had no place to lay his head after he left his home with his parents. He lived outside of Assisi and worked on repairing a fallen down church. 

He spent time in prayer and reflection. He communed with creation and developed friendships with animals. 

Francis taught us to always follow the Lord and not to follow the most comfortable path.

Will we remember?

1. Why would anyone want to follow Jesus when it is so demanding?

2. Why does Francis decide to follow Jesus?

3. How do you try to follow Jesus?

4. What do you feel as you reflect on Kathy's photo?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)