Upon arriving in Assisi we were blessed to be able to celebrate Mass at the Basilica of St. Francis, right near the tomb of the saint. The readings of the day speak of the need for us to remove a “log” from our own eyes before we can see to remove a “splinter” from someone else’s eye. I use this image to illustrate how St. Francis found that the comfort of Assisi and his worldly possessions seemed to block his vision of God. The life Francis was living was not bad, but he famously left his comfortable life in search of something more.
Although he left Assisi, he didn’t go far. In fact, he went right down the hill the town was built on and settled in the swamp below where the Benedictines had given him a little run-down church. Here an amazing thing happened. People saw Francis down in the swamp. Some of course made fun of him, but others started to wonder why he was so happy and they weren’t. People began to go down to the swamp and follow Francis, most famously St. Clare. From this beginning, the Franciscan order has reached the entire world.
Is God maybe calling you to leave comfort behind and follow him in a new way? Whatever fears you might have, it’s time to remove whatever the log might be in your eye so that, like St. Francis, you too can see clearly the joy to which God is calling you.