What St. Francis Taught Me About Reforming the Church

Photo by Jim Linwood

St. Francis has been an inspiration for me since my conversion 14 years ago. Reading one of his biographies was an instrumental piece of my conversion to Christ. I recently read another biography of him, and his life is once again full inspiration and deep insights for me.

In my recent reading of his life, however, I was able to appreciate more his efforts of reforming the Church. St. Francis, in my opinion, is one of the great reformers of the Church, and those called to the business of reforming the Church should do well in studying his life.

Speak No Evil

Before I start sharing what St. Francis taught me about reforming the Church, I want to share an experience that I had last night while praying with my wife, and how this experience changed radically the direction of this blog post.

My original idea for writing this blog was to pit St. Francis' way of reformation vs. Martin Luther's. I wanted to show how much I preferred St. Francis' way over Luther's, but I do not wish to do that anymore.

As my wife and I were praying, she asked the Holy Spirit to highlight anything to me for tomorrow. Immediately I heard the words Speak no evil. As I heard those words I felt God was telling me not to pit St. Francis against Martin Luther in my blog. I was, at that moment, filled with great compassion for Martin Luther, and I desired no longer to speak evil against the man.

Pitting St, Francis against Martin Luther after all, as I shall explain later, would contradict the spirit of St. Francis.

The Way of St. Francis

St. Francis didn't set out to reform the Catholic Church. When he heard Christ's call to repair His church at San Damiano, Francis undertook this calling quite literally and started repairing the crumbling small chapel.

Photo by Michael 1952.

St. Francis started restoring other crumbling small churches around the area as well. Slowly, other people, moved by his radical simplicity and humility, joined him in his efforts. The little brothers, as they were called, not only joined him in restoring these little churches, but also in imitating the way of St. Francis. They forsook material possessions, they practiced humility and obedience.

St. Francis' call to obedience is an essential part of his way of life. We can romanticize St. Francis as a humble lover of nature and poverty and ignore other characteristics that were integral part of him: his call to obedience to the Church.

He spoke no evil of the Church in a time where evil abounded in the Church. He remained obedient to the Church until his death. In an age where aversion to authority is common, this is indeed a hard pill to swallow.

The Way of Holiness

Ultimately, St. Francis' call to obedience is linked with his call to humility, and ultimately, his call to holiness. His love for the Church restrained him from speaking evil to a Church that probably deserved it, and instead he chose to give his life in service for the Church. St. Francis did not come to condemn the Church, but to give his life for her.

This way of holiness is deeply connected with the way of Christ, who, in like manner, didn't come to condemn the world but to save it. This is not to say that St. Francis (or Jesus, for that matter) didn't speak against evil. The way he did so, however, was from his personal example and his persistent call to penance. It is interesting to note that the word "penance" meant more a call to conversion or metanoia, which is a radical new way of thinking, than simple medieval self-flagellation. 

St. Francis, instead of condemning the Church, became a great example for the Church. He denounced greed in his preaching, while at the same time showing the way by being the way. Criticizing evil is easy. Becoming holy not so much.

St. Francis is Still Reforming the Church

The spirit of St. Francis is still reforming the Church. 

It is amazing to witness the incredible patience of God. When we want change, we want it now. There is nothing wrong with desiring change now. The problem is our propensity to force immediate change with violence, condemnation and divisions.

I believe God desires change now, but the way He chooses to deal with it is not always immediate. Sometimes we cannot make changes and reforms immediately without creating violence, hurt and divisions.

I have no doubts that God chose St. Francis to reform the Church. This reform, however, was not and it is not immediate. It is still happening, and God is still using St. Francis to reform the Church. 

Pope Francis, in choosing St. Francis as his namesake, is calling the Church to reform. You can clearly see how the example of St. Francis is still reforming the church, 800 years later.

And we have a part to play. During this season of Lent, we are called to reform ourselves, and by doing so, reform the Church. What the Church needs more of is not people who are condemning and pointing constantly to the need of reform verbally. Of those we have abundantly. What the Church needs more are examples of holy living and for us to lead the way of Christ, by not coming to the Church to condemn it, but to save it.

What Walking in The Rain Taught Me About Entitlements

This past Wednesday it rained heavily. It didn't rain for most of the day, despite what the weather forecast told us. No, it started raining just as soon as I left the office to head to my evening appointment.

To make matters worse, I hadn't driven my car to work and to get to my appointment, I had to walk 40 minutes between transit stations. Not only that, but the heavy winds made it impossible for me not to get soaking wet, despite my sizable umbrella.

As I walked, I started to get understandably upset. After I got upset, I started to feel sorry for myself. I'm fighting a cold, and now I'm walking in the rain I thought. After feeling sorry for myself, I felt that an injustice was being done to me. I grew bitter, looking for someone to blame.

And then, I remembered to give thanks for the rain.

My Comfort is Important!
We live in a place where most of us are accustomed to certain comforts that we take for granted. Most of us have a place to take shelter from the elements. Most of us can take a hot shower when we need it. Most of us have a warm bed waiting for us at night.

Most us are used to these comforts.

After so many years of living with these comforts, I must confess that I not only take them for granted, but I take them as my rights and entitlements. I have grown accustomed to expect those comforts, and when I'm deprived of them (like the day I found myself walking in the rain) I feel that an injustice has been done to me.

What's irrational about this whole situation is that I felt this way despite the fact that California is going through a drought, and we desperately need the rain! My comfort was more important than California's need for rain.

St. Francis is Wrecking My Life

I've been reading a biography of St. Francis and it has made me question how I'm living my life. When St. Francis started his order, the Little Brothers adhered quite strictly to the rule of poverty. They didn't own anything. They walked barefooted. Many times the brothers slept on the streets during winter, fighting the merciless cold weather.

And yet they were filled with joy and contentment.

Why is it that the Little Brothers, who forsook all comforts and dealt with worse circumstances than I ever have, found themselves with greater joy, while on the other hand I, when I found myself in an uncomfortable situation, was angry, filled with self-pity, and felt as if my rights were taken away?

The answer to that question is because I felt entitled. I have grown so accustomed to my comforts that they almost became an idol, and when they are taken away from me, my joy and peace lose all their bases for being.

We, The Entitled People
We are told that as Americans, we are an entitled nation. Whether this is true or not, it is undeniable that we are blessed with more comforts than many other developed nations in the world. I believe that the overabundance of these comforts breeds and feeds our sense of entitlement.

As Lent is well underway, the Church calls us to times of abstinence, penance, and almsgiving. What a perfect opportunity this is to shave away so many of the things we feel are our rights!

I invite you then, to fully go into this time of Lent and embrace all of its practices, not out of a mere sense of obligation, but out of a sense of love for God and others. Joyfully give up what you discern are entitlements, and give them to others who need it. Abstain not for the sake of abstaining, but as a spiritual practice that will chip non-essentials out of your life.

As you do this, see if you begin to shift your attitude towards those things you are abstaining from. See if you still consider them as entitlements, rights, or worse as deserved, or if instead you begin to see them as gifts of pure Grace from God.

Give abundantly and eagerly. Deny yourself and carry your cross. Give thanks to God in all things. This is our call for Lent.

The Unholy Marriage of Conservative Politics and the Church

Photo by Leland Francisco

"Jesus answered, "My Kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world" - John 18:36 ESV.

"There are two great lies that I've heard: 'The day you eat of the fruit of that tree, you will surely not die,' and that Jesus was a white, middle-class republican, and if you wanna be saved you have to learn to be like him." - A King and a Kingdom by Derek Webb.

The marriage of the political right in the US with Christianity frightens me to no end. This scary and unholy union has brought, in my opinion, a lot of misunderstanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

As we read the history of Christianity, we see how this little movement of Christians started by being at odds with the political system of the world. Jesus suffered persecution from the authorities of His day. The early Christians were heavily persecuted as well, and their faith, in many aspects, was a counter-cultural one.

Jesus Himself, as we see in the Gospel reading above, clearly declares that His kingdom does not originate from this world.

It is important to note how He contrasts the way the world would deal with His particular situation with the way He is choosing to deal with it: "If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews." Of course He doesn't call his disciples to resolve His situation as the world would because His kingdom "is not from the world."

As we see from the Scriptures then, the culture of the kingdom of God is in some ways in contrast to the kingdoms of the world. The way the world resolves issues (fighting, ruling it over others etc.) is not the way the kingdom of God resolves issues.

This contrast between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world must be acknowledged. Although we can and should be trying to conform our worldly political systems to reflect the kingdom of Heaven, whenever a union of these two forces is attempted (as we see countless times in the history of Christianity), we instead see a heavy and unholy distortion of the message of Jesus.

The Marriage Between the Political Right & Christianity
I've spoken extensively of how liberal Christians try to marry cultural liberal values with Christianity, and how it distorts the faith. Now I want to turn my attention to how conservative Christians do the same.

It was an interesting experience to see my twitter feed explode with pro-life articles on the anniversary of Roe vs Wade. No other day exemplifies this unholy union as this day.

Don't get me wrong, I am certainly not pro-choice. I believe all life is sacred, and I agree with Pope Francis when he says in the Joy of the Gospel that "It is not progressive to try to resolve problems by eliminating a human life."

But I have no desire to join the pro-life movement as it currently is. On the anniversary of Roe vs Wade, my twitter feed was crowded with articles about this or that (mostly Republican) politician being pro-life and how they deserve our support.

On this and many other issues (like gay marriage, prayer in schools etc.) the underlying message is this: if you wish to become a faithful Christian, you must be a Republican. While it is true that many Christian will not say this directly (some will!), you still get the sense that to be a Christian is to vote Republican.

Is the Kingdom of God Republican?
When a marriage of a political ideology with the kingdom of God is attempted, many aspects of that particular political ideology, which at its source is not Christian, starts to slowly seep into Christian theology and practice to the point that it is normalized. To be Christian then becomes tantamount to being part of a particular political system.

This confusion of kingdoms gives birth to many blind spots in our culture, to the point that we need an outsider's voice, or a certain distance from our cultural perspective, to really see them.

Lack of Integrity in Pro-Life Politicians
To use the pro-life movement as a case in point: many, if not most, of those Republicans who are pro-life are also pro-guns. Guns are a weapon of violence and death. Guns are a weapon for fighting. Can we claim with integrity that weapons are pro-life?

Many of these Republicans are also against many welfare programs that help the poor in our nation, including the recently born. This creates a sense of social Darwinism (social survival of the fittest) and meritocracy, where the poor are seen as unworthy of that help (it is their fault that they are poor) and that it is not fair to give something to someone who hasn't earned it.

First, isn't it ironic that the most fervent opponents of evolution also push the ideology of social Darwinism?

Secondly, the ideology of meritocracy goes against our concept of Grace. Who is good enough to receive the gifts of God? Who is good enough to earn His grace? It is true that love seeks to improve the character of individuals, but it is also the nature of love to give to those whom we deem as unworthy.

Both are not mutually exclusive. Don't buy into this false dichotomy.

Also, many of these conservative politicians support big spending on the military. We spend over 60% of our national budget on the military. Only 6% of our budget goes to education.

These politicians seem bent on presenting the US as a strong nation that will not be messed with by showing our military might to the world. They are also more likely to present the "other" as the enemy. Ted Cruz, for example, recently mentioned the need to "carpet bomb" ISIS.

If Jesus was president, would He carpet bomb His enemies? Love of one's enemy takes second place (or less) and becomes a romantic and naive idea to our real need for security. Notice how the world solves problems by fighting, and how these politicians push the US to deal with these issues by fighting.

Many of these "pro-life" politicians also refuse to let any Syrian Muslim refugees into this country, for fear that they will turn out to be terrorists. Again, our need for personal security takes priority over our call to love our "enemies."

And don't get me started on immigration. In these and in many issues, Scripture's call to treat the foreigner as our own and to show hospitality to strangers is drowned out by the world's call to protect ourselves and our way of living.

These illegals broke the law, they say, and for that reason alone they are not worthy of our welcome. It is true that many committed a civil offense when they crossed the border illegally, but I am thankful that Jesus doesn't use the same rigid prerequisites to welcome us into the Father's home as the world would! Forgiveness and other forms of retribution to repay this civil offense (outside of deportation to violent and unstable birth countries) seem oddly out of the question for many of these politicians.

The Way of the Kingdom of God: The Cross
You see, the way of the kingdom of God is risky. It is not safe. It makes no sense for politicians to adopt the way of Jesus which ultimately leads to the cross. But thank God! We are called to follow the way of the cross, and not the way of self protection! We are called to leave behind the world's call to security and to follow the call of Jesus to the cross. We are called to lose our lives in order to gain them!

No politician can preach the extremely risky way of the cross and still win votes. And this is why the union between our politics with our faith will always lead to a false Jesus: a Jesus who is of this world.

No political party will ever represent fully the kingdom of Heaven. If it did, then the kingdom of God would be of this world.

Who do you choose to follow? Who do you decide to pledge allegiance to? For me, I will pledge allegiance not to politics, but to a King and a Kingdom.

Arrogance: How our Aversion to Authority Detracts from Humility

I find myself in an interesting position as a Latino immigrant, to observe the differences between American culture and Latino culture. I was born and raised in Managua, Nicaragua. I came to the United States when I was 17 years old. I am now 30.

Latino culture is a high distance power culture, where there is less distribution of power, and economic and social classes are more marked. People in high distance cultures have "a place" where they belong, and different groups of social and economic classes usually don't mix together. In these cultures there is a strong sense of community, and the well being of this community is sought as a priority.

American culture is a low distance power culture, where there is (in theory at least) a more equal distribution of power, and economic and social classes are less marked. People in low distance cultures see themselves as equals, and different groups of social and economic classes can and do mix together. In these cultures there is a strong sense of individualism, and the ideals of the individual and his or her personal freedom is sought as a priority.

At this point in my life, I feel fluent in both cultures, and I can switch between them, though it is not always easy to do so. I see good things in both cultures, and it is not the purpose of this post to argue the validity of one culture over the other.

Aversion to Authority

Another difference between American culture and Latino culture is its relationship with authority. American culture, with its emphasis on individualism, has as a natural consequence an implicit bias against authority.

Authority is frowned upon, and the use of it needs to be constantly justified.

In Latino culture, authority is expected and wanted. We see the need for people with strong leadership skills to be in authority to guide the people with the vision and ideals of the community. If this leader is not using his or her authority to move forward with the community's vision, then the leader runs the risk of being dethroned by a revolution. Revolution is the way that high distance power cultures deal with social change. In low distance power cultures a leader (usually very limited in power by checks and balances) is simply voted out by the people, who are seen as having the power.

The American people, it seems to me, look at persons in position of authority with suspicion and sometimes, disdain.

The Fall & Arrogance

As I ponder the story of the fall in Genesis, I wonder how much the human tendency towards individualism, and our need to decide what's good for ourselves (don't tell me how to live my life!) by eating of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil, has made us more arrogant.

If this is the case then a direct link can be made with extreme individualism, The Fall (where we decide what's good and bad for us without the intervention of an authority), and arrogance.

If this is the case, then a move towards humility is a move away from unrestrained individualism. Not only that, but a move towards humility will also mean a more balanced and healthy view of authority.

It is mentioned many times that American culture is one of arrogance and entitlement, and I have heard in many progressive circles this being readily admitted as they work to counteract these societal evils. What seems odd to me, however, is how ready progressive culture is to question authority at every turn, and to deconstruct every notion and ideal just for the sake of deconstruction. Not only that, but progressive culture seems to encourage self-expression and the "whatever works for you" motto of post-modern individualism, without the slightest recognition of how these attitudes can actually contribute to arrogance and entitlements.

I am not trying to ditch progressive culture. In many ways, I consider myself a progressive. And many people who know me can tell you that I support many progressive causes, but I can't just blindly ignore the many aspects of this culture that my particular bi-cultural lenses allow me to see. I cannot ignore, for example, how prevalent an elitist spirit is in many aspects of progressive culture.

Truth be told, when I think of humility, the last thing that comes to mind is someone absorbed in progressive culture. When I think of intellectualism, wittiness, and snobbery, then the quintessential progressive comes to mind.

As I mentioned in my last post, maybe our culture is fighting against our attempts at humility.

Humility in an Age of Narcissism: Considering Others More Significant & Self-Esteem

Photo by Waiting for the Word

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." Philippians 2:3 ESV

Is the idea of counting others more significant than ourselves offensive? I think it can be to many of us. There are certain times in my life when I found these words offensive and denigrating. After all, isn't considering ourselves not worse than anyone else part of having a healthy self-esteem?

Is God really asking us to have a poor self-esteem?

The Age of Narcissism
Many psychologists believe that narcissism is on the rise. In an age where Self is king, and when self-expression has become an ideal along with our unrestrained individualism, I wonder if these values are contributing factors to our offense at the Apostle Paul's words to the Philippians. Could it be that our culture is fighting against our attempts at humility?

Our culture encourages self-discovery, working hard for our dreams and our goals, and believing that if we put our mind to it, we can set out to do whatever and be whoever we want. "Don't let anybody tell you you can't do it!" seems to be the motto of our age.

On the surface, this seems to be something noble to say and believe. After all, many of us seem to need this kind of message, especially those who feel as if their lives don't really matter.

I do believe, however, that no matter how benevolent and innocent this narrative seems to be, if we are to follow it to its logical end, we will end up more narcissistic, more depressed, and paradoxically, with a lower self esteem.

The "You Can Do It!" Narrative; Narcissism and Depression
Why? There are many reasons for this. This narrative is leading towards more and more narcissism because the focus is on what we can do as individuals, instead of what we can do as a community. If we follow this train of thought then we should not be surprised that whatever accomplishment comes our way, we feel as if we are fully responsible for it.

But no man is an island. We are sitting on the accomplishments of others, and so to feel that we are fully responsible for our 'individual' accomplishment is not congruent with reality. An astounding student, for example, is a result of many factors. A good student needs a competent teacher. He also needs an educational system that is dedicated to his growth. He must have the help of his classmates to grow in his academic goals. Not only that, but that student is dependent on the knowledge accrued by generations of scholars before he was even born.

The student's accomplishments are also the accomplishments of the community.

Sure, the good student's application is needed for his or her accomplishments, but a more honest answer would be to admit that much more than just individual application is needed for the student's success. There is no such thing as a self-made man.

Additionally, when we are so focused on ourselves, on what we can do and become, the needs of others are by necessity secondary. This can manifest in a growing apathy towards others simply because of the mere fact that we are so busy on focusing on our own goals and ambitions.

This narrative also leads towards lower-self esteem and depression because it can set us up with unhealthy expectations. If, for whatever reason, we do not  do the things we set out to do, or don't become whoever we want to be, then we are the only ones to blame. When our dreams don't come true, we are not satisfied. Satisfaction with our lives is then contingent on the fulfillment of our dreams. In a world of broken dreams, is it any surprise that depression is on the rise?

The Joy of Humility: Considering Others as More Significant
St. Francis was a very humble individual. His life was also based on considering others as more significant than himself. But that narrative didn't lead him to low self esteem and despair. Can we truly look at St. Francis and claim that he lived a depressed life? Instead, we are looking at a man full of joy.

Why is this? Doesn't considering others as more significant mean that we are to have low self esteem? Not at all!

Notice how Paul says that we are to consider others as more significant and not simply one other. We are not called to consider a particular individual as more significant than ourselves, but others in plural. This means that we are to acknowledge the needs of the community as more important than our own.

This also means that when we consider others as more significant than ourselves, we are also not getting our self-esteem from others, or even ourselves. When we reach theosis, or union with God, our being is so interconnected with God's being that no other force has any claim to who we are but God. Only in theosis can we experience liberation of our true and unique selves. We find ourselves by finding God.

A life lived out in the service of others, and not based on our own needs, and a life that is found in our union with God, instead of one enslaved to our goals and ambitions, is one that is truly full of joy. This is the abundant life of humility.

Humility is the door that open us up to God's grace. Humility is the conviction that we are never enough; that our accomplishments and our ambitions are never sufficient. Humility is the recognition that we need others, and more importantly, we need the Great Other, to become who we truly are.