Francis Study: Simplicity Prelude
Next week Br. Michael takes us to Franciscan Simplicity--the way Jesus lived his life if you will.

I have been blessed this week reading the Nikos Kazantkis book Saint Francis.
Br. Elias was known as the Franciscan Judas, he would take over the order when Francis retreated to the Desert (monks and nuns retreated to the Desert to face the desert and go deeper with God). This is when the stigmata would wash over Francis completely.(the stigmata is the marks of the crucifixion, Francis was the first recorded case in history).
But why did Francis retreat to the Desert with Br. Leo?
Br. Elias rose up to rival Francis for leadership in the order. Where Francis talked about Holy Poverty, and Perfect Love, and completely bareness before the Lord.
Br. Elias talked about fattening poverty up, and splendour.
Where Jesus preached the narrow road to God, Elias said it was the wide road, Francis said the wide road was Satan's Affluence, and his followers, turned from God.
To follow Br. Elias' vision of Franciscans as academics; Franciscans in a palatial cathedral; and Franciscans wearing fine robes and eating the best and richest foods, drinking the best wines--The fattening up of Holy Poverty, and showing Perfect Love through adornments of gold and jewels in crafting churches to the Lord.
It brings to mind what Simplicity is, simplicity is eliminating that which keeps you from the Lord, and it can truly be anything.
I worked this study on simplicity with a colleague once, she was classed as a very "devout" follower in her church. She taught Sunday School, ran the nursery, the youth group and young adult group and adult sunday school. Found services to attend 7 days a week (sometimes twice a day); read everything published in the Christian bookstore, listened exclusively to Christian Music, had not television/radio and if invited to a friend's to watch a movie, it had to be a Christian one. Only art in her place was christian, I am sure you get the picture--on the outside front she was probably holier than the Pope.
The problem was, she had no ability to pray or read the word on her own; she did not understand what it meant to actually serve the Lord or what her calling was. She could not understand why everything was so hard and why she felt so tired in her walk.
She said she lived simply, only let things in that were Christian in her life (including friends) but always felt so tired and that the demands were stacking up.
I asked her simply, everything you do, and everything you have, does it bring you closer to God or have you lost God?
She sat there, realizing that she could no longer pray with passion, and could not remember the last time she opened her Bible just to read it.
As we explored how to simplify her life, she realized she had to give up the exterior show...her simplicity was not in materialism or the world...but rather surrendering the Christian sub-culture to rediscover her faith.
As you prepare this week to explore Franciscan simplicity...contemplate what in your life truly keeps you from God, and take steps to remove it.