Today, the Church is enmeshed in scandals, a Church in crisis—of authority, credibility, and division. It is greatly in need of the Franciscan values of peacemaking, conversion, minority, and service. As Francis of Assisi knelt before the crucifix in the Church of San Damiano, he heard Christ speak to him from the cross: “Francis, go and rebuild my Church; as you can see, it is falling into ruin.” Francis looked around at the church, the neglected altar, the broken doors and windows, the debris littered about, and he began to repair a badly damaged building, stone by stone.
Pope Francis has understood the metaphor. May we follow his example and find what is ours to do.
—from Franciscan Spirit’s “Francis of Assisi, Francis of Rome“
by Rosemary Stets, OSF
