The relationship between Poverty, Penance, and the “world” is a common theme in most of the reflections I write.  Whenever I need to define either Poverty or Penance, I invariably do so in reference to the word “world.”  I like to suggest that in the Franciscan charism the core practice of both Poverty and Penance consists in the act of “turning away from the world and toward God.”

Please understand that in this context, the word “world” has an entirely different connotation than it does when it is used in relation to God’s Creation. 

Like Jesus, Franciscans attempt to “value created things attentively and lovingly” (Article 11 of the Rule).  We believe that Creation was sanctified by His Incarnation, and we also believe there are visible vestiges of His Father present in all of God’s creatures.  We remember enthusiastically that in the Canticle of the Creatures (and elsewhere) Francis taught us to refer to those creatures as “brothers and sisters,” and we understand Creation to be one of the primary means God uses to reveal Himself to us.  When we employ leisure to approach Creation peacefully and serenely, we find that glimpses into the nature and mystery of God are available to us. 

Article Eighteen of the Rule expresses our reverence for Creation like this:

Moreover they should respect all creatures, animate and inanimate, which “bear the imprint of the Most High”, and they should strive to move from the temptation of exploiting creation to the Franciscan concept of universal kinship.

When I suggest that Franciscans need to “turn away from the world,” I am referring to a characterization that places worldliness in opposition to heavenliness.  In this context, the word “world” encapsulates all of the negativity that accumulates when man dismisses his dependency on his Creator and becomes obsessed with himself.  This is modern life at its worst, where it seems that distractedness, busyness and cultural expectations are so overwhelming that there is no hope that one can ever be properly connected to God again.

In this “world,” achievement and the accumulation of wealth and goods is paramount.  We think that our significance is determined by the size of our house, the car we drive, and the fineness of our clothes.  This is the “world” of red carpets and advertising campaigns, where materialistic achievement and accumulation equate to power, status and adulation. 

In this “world,” the poor are not seen as “an image of Christ,” but instead as untouchable.  Those who have achieved material success naturally regard themselves as better than those who have not.  Worthiness is measure by the size of bank accounts and investments, not by character or moral attentiveness.  Cheating is acceptable, as long as the gain is big enough, and you do not get caught.

The “world” is a place where God is an afterthought, if not completely absent.  It is the place where the enemy dominates and is even sometimes worshipped.

Article Eleven of the Rule describes it nicely even though the word “world” is not present. 

Trusting in the Father, Christ chose for himself and his mother a poor and humble life, even though he valued created things attentively and lovingly. Let the Secular Franciscans seek a proper spirit of detachment from temporal goods by simplifying their own material needs. Let them be mindful that according to the gospel they are stewards of the goods received for the benefit of God’s children.

Thus, in the spirit of “the Beatitudes”, and as pilgrims and strangers on their way to the home of the Father, they should strive to purify their hearts from every tendency and yearning for possession and power.

The “world” is the place where people are attached to temporal goods and their material needs are ever spiraling.  People are consumers of goods to excess rather than stewards.  Instead of purifying themselves from every tendency and yearning for possession and power, they actively embrace these propensities, making them the center of their lives.

In this context, humanistic domination of the “world,” and humans being dominated by the “world,” become the enemy of a Franciscan.  The “world” is something to be resisted and something that seeks to drag us down.  It is a place where sin is not opposed, but openly embraced and enjoyed.  It is the opposite of a place that a Franciscan would choose to be, which is why the Rule suggests that we think of ourselves as “pilgrims and strangers on our way to the home of the Father.”  Ultimately, as we will see below, we are not meant to be “of this world.”

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In the gospel of John, the word “world” appears fifty-seven times.  This is more than double the appearances it makes in the other three gospels combined.  Not every instance of the word has connotations like those above, but the “world” as opposition is a theme that runs throughout.  Jesus emphasizes it consistently, enough that the theme is often present even when the word “world” is not.

In order to reinforce our understanding of this theme, I am going to present some passages from this gospel for your perusal.  I think the trend will be self-explanatory, so I am not going to present any commentary.  I will let you absorb them and draw your own conclusion.

(John 1:9-11)   The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.   

(John 2:23-25) Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

(John 3:19)  This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

(John 3:31-32, 36) “The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony…….  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”  (John the Baptist is speaking here.)

(John 5:41-44) “I do not accept glory from human beings, but I know you (the Jewish leaders). I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; …….”        

(John 7:6-7) Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you (Jesus’ brothers) any time will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil.” 

(John 8:23) But he continued, “You (the Pharisees) are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.”

(John 9:39-41)  Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”  Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”  Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”

(John 12:25) “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

(John 12:42-43) Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God.

(John 14:27) “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

(John 15:18-25) “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.  Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’”

(John 16:8-11) “When he (the Advocate) comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”

(John 16:20) “Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.”

(John 16:33) “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

(John 17:13-19) “I am coming to you (the Father) now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”

(John 17: 25-26) “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”                   

(John 18:36) Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

I have given eighteen scriptural passages above, which I think is plenty to establish the theme I have put forth.  I whittled this number down from the thirty-eight that jumped out at me on just one reading of the gospel.  I am sure if I took my time and studied the text, I could come up with more.  An entire book could probably be written (maybe it has been?) on just this theme as it appears in the gospel of John. 

In many ways, the entirety of John’s gospel is a running commentary on the enmity between Jesus and the Pharisees.  I would invite you to read this gospel from beginning to end in one session.  It’s not that long.  It might take about two hours.  It could easily be done in one day if you put in the effort. 

If you do so, you get a much different picture than you do reading a couple verses at a time, or even a chapter at a time.  The persistent conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees jumps off the pages.  And you will see that the most prominent subtext of that conflict is the theme we are discussing here.  Jesus’ instruction to be wary of the “world” is evident in every chapter of the book, and it is rooted in Jesus’ assessment of the motives and behavior of the Pharisees.

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How then, does this relate to our conversation about leisure?

Or, I might better ask, how does leisure help one experience one of the passages above and come to an understanding of the teaching that Jesus is offering?

Let’s just take one of the shortest passages.  

(John 12:25) “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

This is one sentence, but it has volumes to teach us.  It contains contradictions and mysteries.  It mentions love and hate.  It speaks of the “world” and eternity.  When I read it, there’s a good chance I will find a different emphasis than you do when you read it.  At different readings, the same person will hear different messages depending on the circumstances of their life at that given moment.  An entire reflection and more could be written about it and the full meaning might not be discerned or explained.

In just this one sentence, we find, to quote from the first reflection, a “locus where the spiritual and divine meet the ordinary and earthly.”  These are the places that I need to seek out as a Franciscan.  I want to place myself in this scene with Jesus and listen to Him speak.  When I do this wholeheartedly, I can understand and believe that Jesus exists out of time.  He is not speaking in the past.  He is truly speaking to me in the present.  He is truly present to me as He is speaking.

When I enter these scenes, I must accept that action is verboten.  These are times for stillness.  These are times for practicing leisure according to my new understanding and its ancient definition.  They are times when listening and receiving according to my intellectus is mandatory. 

When I use prayer and contemplation to enter a scene with Jesus, I must do so with the proper mindset.  The only thing that matters is what Jesus wishes to teach me.  I need to set aside my perspectives and desires and simply revel in being in the presence of the Master.  Anything I might wish or feel is irrelevant unless He brings it into the conversation.  He knows my needs better than I do, and I must trust that He will guide me to whatever I require in the moment.

To quote the first reflection again, the goal is “to partake in the non-discursive power of vision enjoyed by the angels, to whom it has been granted to “take-in” the immaterial as easily as our eyes take in light or our ears hear sound.”

The ratio can only get in the way in this moment.  It can only distract me away from Him.  The moment I begin to actively work at possessing the message is the moment the message becomes unattainable.  Exercising the ratio in this moment will displace me from the scene and plant me firmly back in the “world.”  Any hope I have of glimpsing the mysteries of the heavenly and eternal is then lost.

This is not to say that the ratio has no place in my life.  It simply has no place in these moments.  As a human being, I am incapable of staying in this scene with Jesus indefinitely.  I am not made to dwell in the spiritual ad infinitum.  (At least not yet. Hopefully, I will be translated to that state when I encounter Sister Death.)  I will return to the ratio soon enough without needing to be conscious of it, and it is the ratio that will help me recall and process what was revealed. 

When I am back to the ratio, I am also back in the “world.”  But I still recall that I am a “pilgrim and stranger on the way to the home of the Father” who is not meant to be “of the world.”  To the extent I can be both of these things at the same time, I can then use my ratio to carry and spread the message of Jesus throughout the “world.”  This then becomes the active work of the ratio.  Indeed, these reflections are the work of the ratio, and any ability I have been graced with to organize themes into a compelling flow that will attract others to Jesus is a most fitting work for my ratio.  

But I can only be the messenger of Jesus to the extent that I listen to and receive His message via the art and discipline of leisure exercised in the way that the ancients and Francis understood it.                  

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I want to close by going back to the OFS Rule, specifically Article Four.

The rule and life of the Secular Franciscans is this: to observe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by following the example of Saint Francis of Assisi, who made Christ the inspiration and the center of his life with God and people.

Christ, the gift of the Father’s love, is the way to him, the truth into which the Holy Spirit leads us, and the life which he has come to give abundantly.

Secular Franciscans should devote themselves especially to careful reading of the gospel, going from gospel to life and life to the gospel.

First, I want you to note the word inspiration and recall that I used this word in the first reflection to help define leisure and the intellectus.  “It is the intellectus and the intellectus alone that experiences the inspiration, grace and revelation that are at the core and foundation of human knowing.”  Here is another happy accident where the sources of our Franciscan life help to substantiate a point I have made.  Again we see Francis embracing leisure and its inspiration as indispensable to his spiritual life.

Next, I want to point out that I completely neglected the Holy Spirit in all three of these reflections, and that this was foolish of me.  As the Rule states, the Holy Spirit is instrumental in leading us on the Way to the Truth and Life that can only be found in Jesus.  In the last section, when I was speaking of listening and receiving from Jesus, I was remiss in not bringing the Holy Spirit into the conversation.  The intellectus is dependent on the Holy Spirit, and He should have been invoked in a conversation about the ancient understanding of leisure well before now.

And finally, I want to emphasize the word “observe,” and the phrase “gospel to life and life to gospel.”  I want to especially suggest to you that the authors of the Rule got it right when they put “gospel” first.  The phrase would have a completely different meaning if it were rendered as “life to gospel and gospel to life.”

Perhaps this entire set of reflections can made clear by substituting the words “leisure” and “work” into this sentence of the Rule. 

Secular Franciscans should devote themselves especially to careful reading of the gospel, going from leisure to work and from work to leisure.

As Pieper would have had it, leisure is preeminent.  It comes first.  It inspires the shape that work will take, ensuring its value, excellence, significance and import.  And work, at its conclusion, returns to leisure to seek another round of inspiration.  The pattern continues indefinitely but leisure always has the lead.  Leisure always points work in the right direction.

The same pattern applies to the gospel and life.  Observation and reading of the gospel are preeminent and these tasks cannot be completed without engaging in leisure.  Our longing to know Jesus and to imitate His life has to begin by immersing ourselves in the gospels.  The gospels then shape the direction our lives will take, ensuring that all my decisions and pursuits have value, excellence, significance and import.  Whenever the activity of my life pauses, I take that as an opportunity to return to the gospels in leisure to find further depth in my relationship with Jesus and to take additional direction from Him on what activity I will pursue next.  Jesus is always in the lead.  Jesus always points me in the right direction. 

The tension in my life between leisure and work informs the tension in my life between the earthly and the spiritual and the heavenly and the “worldly.”  This is essentially a tension between what Jesus teaches in the gospels and what “worldly” culture seeks to emphasize.  As Jesus underscored throughout the gospel of John, it is the Father that I should seek first, and it is the Will of the Father that guides me as I move through the “world.”

This then defines the balance I am seeking in my life between the ratio and the intellectus.  The intellectus must lead, but the ratio has a role to play, a role that can even be holy when it is guided by the listening and receiving that characterizes a proper definition of leisure, and by the inspiration, revelation and grace that proceed from repeated true and faithful encounters with Jesus.

All of this requires honesty.  I have to regularly examine my conscious to ensure that I am attaining balance according to this formula.  And I have to be unafraid in presenting my needs to Jesus when I falter, seeking His assistance at all times.       

If I could establish such a pattern in my life, then my hope that one day I might learn to “be still and know that He is God” has a chance to be fulfilled.

And if that were to happen, I would no doubt be moved to “exalt God among the nations, and exalt God in the earth,” just as the Psalm suggests, and just as Francis did so perfectly at the end of his life through the composition of the Canticle of the Creatures.

Back to the Last Reflection in the “On Leisure” Series