Authentic

St. Francis of Assisi

“St. Francis of Assisi” by Michael D. O’Brien
 

THE world is inundated with “Christian words.” But what it thirsts for is “authentic” Christian witness.

Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses. —POPE PAUL VI, Evangelization in the Modern World

What should the modern Christian look like?

The world calls for and expects from us simplicity of life, the spirit of prayer, charity towards all especially towards the lowly and the poor, obedience and humility, detachment and self-sacrifice. Without this mark of holiness, our word will have difficulty in touching the heart of modern man. It risks being vain and sterile. —Ibid.

Paul VI also mentions “poverty and detachment”. It is this word poverty which speaks to me this morning…