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111 The Christian Journey CHAPTER 5 THE CHRISTIAN JOURNEY We humans are a combination of opposites, a mixture of greatness and wretchedness. Although we are made for the fullness of life and happiness in heaven, we can still descend to “delighting in vices and sins” (Adm 5:3) which lead to our damnation. But out of love for us, God freed us from the slavery of sin by the Blood of His Son; and the Son, living now no more to die, draws us after Him and offers us salvation by giving us Himself. “His yoke is sweet and His burden light …” for those who “taste how sweet the Lord is” (2EpFid 12-16). In his Second Letter to the Faithful, Francis first describes the work of salvation accomplished by Christ (vv. 3-12) and then goes on to propose to every Christian a new way of life, the principal stages of which we have already analyzed briefly above (See FOUNDATION: THE FATHER SENDS THE WORD, p. 41). We shall now re-examine this text and describe in more detail the mode of life by which we can serve the Lord “in the true faith and in penance” (RegNB 23:7). As we have seen, the actions and attitudes demanded by a change of life (“penance,” conversion) are always inspired by our awareness of what God is and what He has done and still does for us (“the true faith”). “WITH OUR HEARTS TURNED TO THE LORD” We shall begin with what our Lord calls “the great and first commandment ” (Mk 12:28-31; Mt 22:38), on which Francis comments as follows: Let us love God, therefore, and adore Him with a pure heart and a pure mind because He who seeks this above all else has said: The true worshippers will adore the Father in spirit and in truth (Jn 4:23). For all those who worship Him are to worship Him in the spirit of truth (cf. Jn 4:24). And let us praise Him and pray to Him day and night (Ps 31:4), saying: Our Father, who are in heaven (Mt 6:9), since we should pray always and never lose heart (Lk 18:1) (2EpFid 19-21). 112 Francis of Assisi–His Writings Francis composed this passage mainly from biblical quotations and addressed it to all Christians, while, for his friars, he wrote a parallel but more detailed description of the Gospel life in his Earlier Rule: Therefore, all my brothers, let us be very much on our guard so that we do not lose or turn away our minds and hearts from the Lord under the guise of achieving some reward or doing some work or providing some help. But in the holy love which is God, I beg all my brothers, both the ministers and the others , as they overcome every obstacle and put aside every care and anxiety, to strive as best they can to serve, love, honor and adore the Lord God with a clean heart and a pure mind, for this is what He desires above all things. And let us make a home and dwelling place (cf. Jn 14:23) for Him who is the Lord God Almighty, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, who says: Watch, therefore, praying constantly that you may be considered worthy to escape all the evils that are to come and to stand secure before the Son of Man. And when you stand to pray, say: Our Father who art in heaven. And let us adore Him with a pure heart because we should pray always and not lose heart, for the Father seeks such worshippers. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (RegNB 22:25-31). Francis sees that our primary and most “visceral” reaching out to God has many facets, the first of which is love (RegNB 23:8; 1EpFid 1:1; 2EpFid 18f.). In his Prayer Inspired by the Our Father, he lists the precise demands of this love: That we may love you with our whole heart by always thinking of you; with our whole soul by always desiring you; with our whole mind by directing all our intentions to you and by seeking your glory in everything; and with all our strength by spending all our energies and affections of soul and body in the service of your love and of nothing else (ExpPat5). However, love is far from...

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