Franciscan prayer is evangelizing. It is an awakening to the Good News of Jesus Christ and to the love of God poured out for us in Christ. Those who seek God along the path of Franciscan prayer are to be transformed by the one they seek, the one they claim to love. Prayer centered on relationship with Christ, the Word of God incarnate, cannot help but change the life of the believer and the way one lives. Those who enter into Franciscan prayer, therefore, must be ready for change; they each must be willing to become “another Christ,” for this is where the path of prayer leads, to a new birth of Christ in the lives of the believers.
—from the book Franciscan Prayer
by Ilia Delio, OSF
1 thought on “Waking to the Gospel”
For those of us who do not belong to a religious order, we look for those that provide the best witness to the Gospel. I ask myself, does that person impress me? If not, then why would I want to be like them? And, so it goes. Each religious order has its own demands in their endeavor to have a community that functions properly as a Christian community. Whatever works, right? Some communities produce saints, and some do not. Who would not want to be a saint? If not, why not? Too many demands? Then, maybe, sainthood is not for you. To you I say, “Just be a decent/good person.” That should suffice.