The Franciscan path to God is an inversion of monastic values. Rather than fleeing the world to find God, God is to be found in the world. The idea that “the world is our cloister” finds its root in Francis of Assisi. Disillusioned as a valiant knight after being wounded in battle, Francis had a profound experience of God in the broken-down church of San Damiano where he wandered in one day. Face to face with the wounded and glorified Christ on the cross, Francis met the God of compassionate love, a God “bent over” in love in the wounds of the crucified Christ. Bonaventure describes this encounter in his Major Legend where he writes, “While he was praying and all of his fervor was totally absorbed in God, Christ Jesus appeared to him as fastened to a cross.”
Bonaventure indicates that “[Francis’] soul melted at the light, and the memory of Christ’s passion was impressed on the innermost recesses of his heart.” This encounter with the other, crucified God, changed Francis in the very core of his being. As Bonaventure states, “From then on he clothed himself with a spirit of poverty, a sense of humility, an eagerness for intimate piety.” The expression of God’s love in the cross impressed Francis in such a way that he changed. This event marked the beginning of Francis’ spiritual journey.
—from the book Franciscan Prayer: Awakening to Oneness with God
by Ilia Delio, OSF
