Midweek Meditation - The Heart of a Reluctantly Famous Man

       Recently I was listening to a discussion about St. Francis of Assisi, and it was brought up how many non-religious people today are seeing him as a great man to follow.  They appreciate that Francis loved nature and animals and has come to be known as a sort of ecologist in our present age.  It was also discussed though that for many he has become merely the saint of the birdbath. But he was a man that was so much more!  And he was the man he became, because of the Son of Man whose life he wanted to follow and to emulate totally.

A few months ago I read a book about St. Francis entitled Reluctant Saint, and a friend recently sent me this link to a 55-minute film based on that densely packed book of his life. When watching it I was struck five minutes into it, how much God wanted Francis's conversion. It was through illness and vulnerability that God took the opportunity to reach into his heart saying in essence, "There is so much more that you can do with your life. You can do something for Me."  Watching that part of the film gave rise to the similar way that God brought about a conversion of heart for me and changed my life too.

So I ask you today to think back over your life - as short or as long as it may be.  Can you see a time when you felt that you were called to something more in life?  Can you remember if you felt a pull toward a sense of calm and peace that would take you away from this world - and maybe even set you apart?  Did you pay attention to that pull?  Did you listen a little, or a lot, to find out what or who was calling out to you?  Or did you brush it away to either come back to it later or to just ignore entirely?  What would happen, if the next time you felt a nudge toward quiet, you then actually stopped to sit within it?  Are you afraid of what you will hear? Does silence frighten you? Are the temptations to keep you going at a hectic pace or doing mind-numbing activities too great?  

If any of this sounds familiar - consider choosing a time and place where you can be comfortably still and silent, slowing your breath, and quieting your mind.  Then ask for that pull toward peace, that longing for something more profound to come back to you. I can say with almost certainty that it will, if you're patient and persistent in your attempts.  Who or what do you think will be in that silence?  Who does your heart tell you is the One calling to you? 

As Donald Spoto, the author of the book, says in the film, "Conversion is the work of a lifetime..." Allow God to love you and have access to your heart and mind so you will find the way to live in peace with yourself, with others, and with your Creator. With peace will come "more"!

So for today, even though we can't all be canonized saints, we are called to try to be one!   Take time to quiet yourself and listen.  Who knows, today may be the day that your heart is lovingly changed forever. 

Blessings of peace for you today and every day.

💙