 |
| Image: thevalemagazine huacachina-peru-desert-oasis-south-america |
The following reflection is taken from “The Lessons of St. Francis: How to bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life” by John Michael Talbot.
Francis (of Assisi) found his inspiration in the life of Jesus, whose love for us led him to become one of us by being born into the human race instead of remaining in heaven, aloof from us and all our problems.
Most Christians celebrate the Incarnation of Christ as human, around Christmas time and ignore it for the rest of the year. But for Francis, the Incarnation served as a minute by minute reminder to be deeply involved in the world, loving people at close range instead of from inside the strong, stony walls of a monastery.
Francis understood that the dichotomy between solitude and service is a false one, because everyone needs both. If we don’t spend time alone with God, we become spiritually weak, and our work in the world carries little of lasting value. On the other hand, if we spend all of our time with God and never venture out into the world, we may become spiritually isolated and self-contained. We may be full of wonderful wisdom and divine power, but if we don’t share it with others, who benefits? Certainly not other people, and often, not even ourselves.
Here’s how saints down through the ages have explained it: Contemplation and prayer are like an oasis in a dry desert. Through prayer we store up a huge reservoir of water. Our service is the conduit for delivering the water. But once our reservoir is depleted, we need to return to our oasis so we don’t wind up stranded in the desert without water. This is a picture of the life-giving balance between prayer and service.
Talbot, John Michael, “The Lessons of St. Francis: How to bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life”, p. 188 – 189, New York, Penguin Group, 1997.
Image credit: https://thevalemagazine.com/2019/04/13/huacachina-peru-desert-oasis-south-america/