The most famous saint and his quest for perfect joy

St. Francis is perhaps the most famous saint because he lived the Gospel literally, radically and in a compelling way.

His mission was simple: follow Christ’s commands, especially to “deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” G.K. Chesterton said that Christianity has been found difficult and never tried, but St. Francis lived the ideal of Christianity.

He did the unthinkable, kissed a leper out of mercy, connected with animals and denied himself by doing what was most repugnant to him.

St. Francis' life shows us that we can deny ourselves good things in order to make room for better things, namely the joy of Christ.

Watch the full video (about an hour long) to see how St. Francis discovered perfect joy and became the most famous saint:

Questions for Discussion:

• After his conversion, the material world did not satisfy Francis as it had before. Describe a time when you sought out something of this world, but when you obtained it, you were not as satisfied as you expected. How did you grow in spiritual wisdom through that experience?
• Bishop Barron said that the saints have an instinct for the ties that bind us to other creatures in our world. How can St. Francis' example allow us to have care for creation and respect for life?
  
• The Franciscan order grew very rapidly and organically. In the video, this is described as the “mustard seed principle.” What do you have that is small that you can give to Jesus to make bigger?
• In what ways can voluntary poverty make someone free?
• How does our suffering connect us to the pure joy that St. Francis talks about?

Questions for Personal Reflection:

• St. Francis was forever changed when he heard the voice of Jesus. In what ways can we try to hear God's voice through adoration, Mass, devotionals or personal reflection?
• Like our last pivotal player, G.K. Chesterton, St. Francis modeled how we as Christians are called to have fruitful dialogue with those who may not agree with us. Reflect on a situation recently when you've had fruitful dialogue or you missed an opportunity to connect with someone you didn't agree with. 

After watching, PLEASE ADD A COMMENT if you have any questions! The next small group meeting is Monday, Oct. 22. We will then start sending out videos bi-weekly, so the next video will be sent on Halloween (Oct. 31).

Have a great day!