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We can all imagine the young Francis kneeling in the dilapidated San Damiano, praying before the crucifix, “enlighten the darkness of my mind...” We know the struggles he went through as God revealed to him: He wanted me to be a new fool in the world. God did not wish to lead us by any way other than this knowledge… ^{Assisi Compilation, 18}

At first glance, these verses may seem like a simple invitation for all creatures to praise and glorify God, but they are so much more. The verse that introduces this section is key to our reflection (Verse 60, John 17:24): “I wish, Father, that where I am, they may be with me... because you loved me before the creation of the world.”

Francis of Assisi is moved by the evangelical urgency for proclaiming the Father’s Word and the words of the Holy Spirit “which are spirit and life.” Not a spirituality out of the reality, but a Spirit that is life, who becomes flesh and is true life-giver in fullness.

Today Francis directs our gaze to the obedience of the greater, who as lesser, as servant, is to be a servant of all. Obedience begins with love for one's own soul. It keeps God present in us. Our deepest impulses to love live in it, and there we ponder God's Word and the inspirations of His Spirit. Out of the soul our life is formed.

God called St. Francis and inspired him to pass the Gospel message to the people of his time, just as He does to us in the present moment. Where evil, vices and sin were and are the order of the day, God is calling us to leave sin behind and work for a world of innocence of heart, seeking good in all, where peace and love are a sign of God’s love.

Francis speaks from his experience when he writes about prayer; he heard the words of Jesus as if he were sitting next to the Samaritan woman, listening attentively… In the clefts of the rock he would build his nest and in the hollow of the wall ^{Song of Songs 2:14} his dwelling.