Recently I have also been reading Reluctant Saint: The Life of Francis of Assisi by Daniel Spoto, which is a very inspiring and intimate look into the incredibly austere and devoted life of one of the greatest Catholic saints.
I would like to share with you a list of devotions from Francis's writings-more specifically from a early draft of a Rule for the Franciscan Order that he wrote in 1220-1221.
I hope you find these warming to your heart and soul, and that it help you to realize more and more the universality of love of God.
*God is the absolute good and must have priority in our lives.
*Our lives themselves manifest the praise of God.
*We give thanks for the beauty of the world.
*We long to believe fully in the triune God, Who created, redeemed and will finally act in love to save us forever.
*We want to love God because He has first loved us.
*Doing penance means constantly turning to God.
*We are poor because God alone is rich, and everything good belongs to Him. Therefore, we need not be concerned about ourselves, our honor, our earthly goals. We can abandon ourselves and leave ourselves open to Him Who gives us everything. He is not unfeeling or indifferent, but He constantly draws near to us, speaks to us, saves us.
*For all those reasons, we are also concerned for the well-being and salvation of all mankind.
*We prefer the celebration and the living out of faith rather than disputing about it-hence we go among unbelievers and preach to others mostly by example.
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