IS BEGGING AKIN TO GRACE?

St. Francis worked for his father as a young man.  His father was a cloth merchant and as such was a wealthy man.  One day when Francis was delivering cloth he stopped at a ruined cathedral.  There he heard the voice of God telling him to rebuild God’s church.  So Francis sold the cloth, pocketed the money (some might say embezzled) and began rebuilding the church.  His father threw him out of the business for stealing.

Later on God called Francis to give up all worldly goods and become a beggar.

Here’s where I run into a problem.  I understand vows of poverty, to live on only the barest necessities.  Enough to feed, clothe, and shelter yourself and give the rest away.  Begging for those necessities when one is capable of work seems beyond comprehension.  I’m not talking about the disabled, the addicted, or the mentally ill.  Clearly Francis was able to work and did so for his father.

Then I thought about Grace. Grace is a gift from God.  It is freely given to all and totally unmerited.  If we can rely on God’s generous gift of Grace, is there also a time when we should totally rely on the generosity of others to fill our needs?

Buon Cammino