Kingdom of Childlike Greatness

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, the Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin, present contrast between childlike lifestyle and “adult” understanding of “greatness”.

Care for Our Sheep

The Reading from the Prophet Ezekiel reveals a terrible truth that has a sweet taste.

* [3:3] As sweet as honey: though the prophet must foretell terrible things, the word of God is sweet to the one who receives it. (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 119 praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by

* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. (Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents The Greatest in the Kingdom and The Parable of the Lost Sheep.

* [18:1] The initiative is taken not by Jesus as in the Marcan parallel (Mk 9:33–34) but by the disciples. Kingdom of heaven: this may mean the kingdom in its fullness, i.e., after the parousia and the final judgment. But what follows about causes of sin, church discipline, and forgiveness, all dealing with the present age, suggests that the question has to do with rank also in the church, where the kingdom is manifested here and now, although only partially and by anticipation; see notes on Mt 3:2; 4:17.

* [18:3] Become like children: the child is held up as a model for the disciples not because of any supposed innocence of children but because of their complete dependence on, and trust in, their parents. So must the disciples be, in respect to God.

* [18:10–14] The first and last verses are peculiar to Matthew. The parable itself comes from Q; see Lk 15:3–7. In Luke it serves as justification for Jesus’ table-companionship with sinners; here, it is an exhortation for the disciples to seek out fellow disciples who have gone astray. Not only must no one cause a fellow disciple to sin, but those who have strayed must be sought out and, if possible, brought back to the community. The joy of the shepherd on finding the sheep, though not absent in Mt 18:13 is more emphasized in Luke. By his addition of Mt 18:10, 14 Matthew has drawn out explicitly the application of the parable to the care of the little ones.

* [18:10] Their angels in heaven…my heavenly Father: for the Jewish belief in angels as guardians of nations and individuals, see Dn 10:13, 20–21; Tb 5:4–7; 1QH 5:20–22; as intercessors who present the prayers of human beings to God, see Tb 13, 12:15, . The high worth of the little ones is indicated by their being represented before God by these heavenly beings. (Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB, n.d.)

Vivian Amu comments that greatness is not about taking up the most space or being the most recognized, or doing the most; it is about making room for child-like wonder, humility, and having the kind of heart that still knows how to receive. The best leaders know this. The best and holiest people around us know this. Saint Clare knew this.

Saint Clare did not chase greatness, yet greatness found her in her courage, clarity, and quiet authority. She came from privilege, and she could have used her life to secure comfort, admiration, and influence. Instead, she chose a different kind of life—a life stripped down for the sake of love. She wanted Christ without the clutter, and the freedom of belonging completely to God. She invites us to become the kind of people who do not need to dominate a room in order to change it.

Maybe the invitation today is to be more discerning about the strange things the world keeps offering us to consume—status, comparison, a desire to be preferred, fear, noise—and to become a little more like children—open, unpretentious, humble, interested, curious, willing to reach, willing to believe in ideas that fall by the wayside as we get older, willing to be lifted up, willing to be found, ready to be amazed, ready to receive, and maybe like Saint Clare, with a desire to help others see more clearly, and a willingness to let go of what is not essential. The heart becomes, little by little, what it consumes. Many of us are just trying to matter. Many of us are tired of comparing, proving, and managing how we appear. Jesus keeps drawing us away from all that strain. He does not ask us to be impressive. We do not have to be the greatest. We do not have to have everything figured out. (Amu, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “What it means to become a child a God,” by Epiphanius the Latin (late 5th century)

"Here the Lord not only repressed the apostles' thoughts but also checked the ambition of believers throughout the whole world, so that he might be great who wanted to be least. For with this purpose Jesus used the example of the child, that what he had been through his nature, we through our holy living might become - innocent, like children innocent of every sin. For a child does not know how to hold resentment or to grow angry. He does not know how to repay evil for evil. He does not think base thoughts. He does not commit adultery or arson or murder. He is utterly ignorant of theft or brawling or all the things that will draw him to sin. He does not know how to disparage, how to blaspheme, how to hurt, how to lie. He believes what he hears. What he is ordered he does not analyze. He loves his parents with full affection. Therefore what children are in their simplicity, let us become through a holy way of life, as children innocent of sin. And quite rightly, one who has become a child innocent of sin in this way is greater in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives such a person will receive Christ." (excerpt from INTERPRETATION OF THE GOSPELS 27) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Ezekiel has a vision of being given a scroll and he eats it. It is possible Ezekiel has a mental illness but, in his time, this may have been considered as being touched by God. The taste of the Word becomes sour. The Word is often proclaimed with sweetness but we find the response to be unacceptable to us. In the Gospel we are called by using the example of children, to become humble, trusting, simple, and without motivations that are not fitting for followers of Christ. Traditionally “their little one” was pointing to the guardian angel to guide us and call us to conversion. The habit of giving the Guardian Angel a name raises a concern about a helper like a pet but we realize God protects us even through spiritual beings. Friar Jude observes that 99 argues about the focus to the broken one who needs the most attention. We all, at one time, need the personal attention of Jesus to bring us back again.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Ezekiel 2:8–3:4 comments that if we can see that a loved one is on the brink of making a bad decision. Do you say something? If so, what and how?

The key to knowing how to respond is in consuming God’s word on a daily basis. As we “eat” his word, it begins to form us. Our minds and hearts are changed, and we start to see things the way the Lord does. The Scriptures can help us begin to grasp God’s thoughts and share in his love for his people. Instead of considering it a harsh message, we can find the sweetness in communicating with love a message that will be for the good of our hearers.

So spend time reading God’s word. Let it change you. Listen for his direction in situations when you’re not sure which way to go. Let his love guide your words when you don’t know how to stand up for what is right—even if it means being direct. You can find the sweetness that Ezekiel tasted as he proclaimed the Lord’s word. And that sweetness can sustain you, just as it did for him!

“Lord, help me to welcome your word so that I can find sweetness in speaking the truth in love.” (Meditation on Ezekiel 2:8–3:4, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Sister Margaret Carney who tells of the radical trajectory of Clare of Assisi’s life, who left behind wealth and social standing under cover of night in exchange for a simple life devoted to God. In one of Clare’s letters, we sense the depth of her contemplative life.

Place your mind before the mirror of eternity! Place your soul in the brilliance of glory! Place your heart in the figure of the divine substance, and through contemplation, allow your entire being to be transformed into the image of the Godhead itself, so that you may feel what friends feel, and taste the hidden sweetness that God has reserved for His lovers. [2]

This profound quote, that could only emerge as a fruit of contemplation, along with her very frequent use of the mirror metaphor in her writings, communicates to me that Clare experientially understood prayer as an actual transformation of the self, a reflected glory, even daring to speak of “allowing your entire being to be transformed into the image of the Godhead itself.” This was surely not common Catholic language in the Western Church at that time and would have seemed presumptuous or even heretical to many (as it may even seem today).

Clare directly expresses what the Eastern Church held onto under the name of divinization (theosis). Theosis was understood as a true, objective sharing and growing in our divine nature, which was then reflected and received in humans as in a mirror. All we can really do is polish our own mirror to reflect the gift of this Godself more perfectly. Thus the objectively given “image” at our conception becomes subjective “likeness” over time, building on the foundational metaphors that we were created in both the image and the likeness of God. [3] (Rohr, n.d.)

We call upon the Holy Spirit to guide our practice of “greatness” as children anointed with Baptismal vocations as priest, prophet, and leader in our communities to be examples of fullness of life in Christ.

References

Amu, V. (2026, August 11). Daily Reflection August 11, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-11-2026 

Ezekiel, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/3 

Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/18? 

Meditation on Ezekiel 2:8–3:4. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/11/1643649/ 

Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?14 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Saint Clare of Assisi: Reflecting the Image of God. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/saint-clare-of-assisi-reflecting-the-image-of-god/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Who Is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/

Fruit Of Faithfulness

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to examine our faithfulness and ponder the fruit that results from the seeds we plant in life.

Bread for Life

In the Reading from the Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul exhorts them to be grounded in God’s own pattern of behavior.

* [9:8–10] The behavior to which he exhorts them is grounded in God’s own pattern of behavior. God is capable of overwhelming generosity, as scripture itself attests (2 Cor 9:9), so that they need not fear being short. He will provide in abundance, both supplying their natural needs and increasing their righteousness. Paul challenges them to godlike generosity and reminds them of the fundamental motive for encouragement: God himself cannot be outdone. (2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 112 details the blessings received by those who remain close to God

* [Psalm 112] An acrostic poem detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by obedience to the commandments. Among their blessings are children (Ps 112:2), wealth that enables them to be magnanimous (Ps 112:3, 5, 9), and virtue by which they encourage others (Ps 112:4). The just person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled (Ps 112:10). The logic resembles Ps 1; 111. (Psalms, PSALM 112 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John proclaims The Coming of Jesus’ Hour.

* [12:24] This verse implies that through his death Jesus will be accessible to all. It remains just a grain of wheat: this saying is found in the synoptic triple and double traditions (Mk 8:35; Mt 16:25; Lk 9:24; Mt 10:39; Lk 17:33). John adds the phrases (Jn 12:25) in this world and for eternal life.

* [12:25] His life: the Greek word psychē refers to a person’s natural life. It does not mean “soul,” for Hebrew anthropology did not postulate body/soul dualism in the way that is familiar to us. (John, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Larry Gillick, SJ, reflects upon the phrase, “hate his life” or “Loves his life”, what can that mean! Try this on for further thoughtfulness and prayer.

Now imagine a person who loves his/her life so isolatedly that she/he holds the self apart from giving life, but only taking it in. This is not exactly “love”, but absorption. Yes, self-creation is not creation, but destruction. The seed has a built-in longing for its being more than a seed, but for fruit and life. The seed in one sense, “hates” itself for not being able to be fruitful merely by its “seedishness”. It needs the earth, the sun and the rains, quite dependent on that little seed.

We, as with the martyrs, have our interior battles between loving the self enough to hate radical self-preoccupation, self-establishness, and hiding. Like the seed, we love what God’s faithful love will bring to the lives of others by bringing life to, and so, through each of us. The great life to come is not a reward, but the final produce of a productive and creative life through our dying to our self-centered un-creational existence. Rather it will be a continuation of God’s creative love within, around and with us. God’s love, like the nourishing soil, sun and rains, serves us and so we serve God, in Christ, by serving God’s people. After all, serving others is a graceful way of loving the goodness of ourselves, good enough to live and give away. We cannot do it alone! (Gillick, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The seed must die before being resurrected,” by Irenaeus, 135-202 A.D.

"A cutting from the vine planted in the ground bears fruit in its season, or a kernel of wheat falling into the earth and becoming decomposed rises and is multiplied by the Spirit of God, who contains all things. And then, through the wisdom of God, it serves for our use when, after receiving the Word of God, it becomes the Eucharist, which is the body and blood of Christ. In the same way our bodies, being nourished by it, and deposited in the earth and suffering decomposition there, shall rise at their appointed time. The Word of God grants them resurrection to the glory of God, even the Father who freely gives to this mortal immortality, and to this corruptible incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:53). This is so because the strength of God is made perfect in weakness (1 Corinthians 15:43; 2 Corinthians 13:4) in order that we may never become puffed up, as if we had life from ourselves, or become exalted against God with ungrateful minds."(excerpt from AGAINST HERESIES 5.2.3) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments in this letter to the Corinthians, Paul makes an appeal to help the poor in Palestine. The Gentiles will remember the poorer Palestinians than they in Greece and Turkey. God loves a cheerful giver who is generous without grudge or resentment. Some scholars have expressed that which is in excess is robbed from poor. The Gospel of John reminds us that the grain of wheat has to die. The Israelites had a ceremony for the death of the seed and our willingness to be generous. By generosity we are already living in eternal life. Friar Jude reminds us it is a measure of how caring and loving we are.

The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Corinthians 9:6-10 comments that, like all martyrs, St. Lawrence received seeds of hope from the Lord, which grew into a harvest of heroism and a witness that has inspired millions.

Don’t think you have to keep scrounging in a dwindling interior silo. Instead, develop the habit of returning to your Creator. He takes joy in giving you all you need for a rich harvest of love and generosity.

“Father, give me all I need so that I am able to give to others!” (Meditation on 2 Corinthians 9:6-10, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, explores how Franciscan mysticism invites us to encounter divine presence in our concrete, specific lives. People all over the world are rejecting the ideological (top-down) form of religion—and they should, because this is not the path of Christ himself.

By taking the mystery of the Incarnation absolutely seriously and gradually extending it to its logical conclusions, the seeming limitations of space and time are once and for all overcome in Francis. The Christ Mystery refuses to be vague or abstract and is always concrete and specific. When we stay with these daily apparitions, we see that everything is a revelation of the divine—from rocks to rocket ships. There are henceforth no blind spots in the divine disclosure, in our own eyes, or in our rearview mirrors. The only hindrance to our seeing is our own lack of fascination, humility, curiosity, awe, and willingness to be allured forward.

Franciscan spirituality emphasizes a real equivalence and mutuality between the one who sees and what can be seen. There is a symbiosis between the mind and heart of the seer—and to what they will then pay attention. Francis had a unique ability to call others—animals, planets, and elements —“brother” and “sister” because he himself was a little brother. He granted other beings and things mutuality, subjectivity, “personhood,” and dignity because he first honored his own dignity as a son of God. The world was a transparent two-way mirror for him, which some of us would call a fully “sacramental” universe.” (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the insight of the Spirit as we ponder the truth that full life requires a death to our focus on ourselves and our surrender to the Plan of God that we are seeds that will nurture our environment in our death to self.

References

Gillick, L. (n.d.). Daily Reflection August 10, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-10-2026 

John, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/12? 

Meditation on 2 Corinthians 9:6-10. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/10/1643161/ 

Psalms, PSALM 112 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/112?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Infinite in the Finite. Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-infinite-in-the-finite/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). If It Dies, It Bears Much Fruit. Daily Scripture Readings. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2026&date=aug10a 

2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/9?6 

Faith Flight and Fear

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our desire to run away from the situations in our life where our faith invites us to go and receive transformative grace to combat our fear.

Faith and Skyline

The Reading from the First Book of Kings presents Elijah’s Flight to Horeb.

* [19:11–13] To “stand before the Lord” is a literal translation of a Hebrew idiom meaning “to serve the Lord”; Elijah has used this idiom twice before to describe himself as the Lord’s servant (17:1; 18:15). The Lord’s command, then, means that Elijah is to take up once again the prophetic service to which he has been appointed. The Lord’s question, “Why are you here?” (v. 9, repeated in v. 13), could imply an accusation that he is abandoning his prophetic office. In v. 15, the Lord tells him to go back. (1 Kings, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 85 proclaims the people who wait humbly with open hearts.

* [Psalm 85] A national lament reminding God of past favors and forgiveness (Ps 85:2–4) and begging for forgiveness and grace now (Ps 85:5–8). A speaker represents the people who wait humbly with open hearts (Ps 85:9–10): God will be active on their behalf (Ps 85:11–13). The situation suggests the conditions of Judea during the early postexilic period, the fifth century B.C.; the thoughts are similar to those of postexilic prophets (Hg 1:5–11; 2:6–9). (Psalms, PSALM 85 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Letter to the Romans declares Paul’s Love for Israel.

* [9:1–5] The apostle speaks in strong terms of the depth of his grief over the unbelief of his own people. He would willingly undergo a curse himself for the sake of their coming to the knowledge of Christ (Rom 9:3; cf. Lv 27:28–29). His love for them derives from God’s continuing choice of them and from the spiritual benefits that God bestows on them and through them on all of humanity (Rom 9:4–5).

* [9:5] Some editors punctuate this verse differently and prefer the translation, “Of whom is Christ according to the flesh, who is God over all.” However, Paul’s point is that God who is over all aimed to use Israel, which had been entrusted with every privilege, in outreach to the entire world through the Messiah. (Romans, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus, while Walking on the Water, assists Peter.

* [14:22–33] The disciples, laboring against the turbulent sea, are saved by Jesus. For his power over the waters, see note on Mt 8:26. Here that power is expressed also by his walking on the sea (Mt 14:25; cf. Ps 77:20; Jb 9:8). Matthew has inserted into the Marcan story (Mk 6:45–52) material that belongs to his special traditions on Peter (Mt 14:28–31).

* [14:25] The fourth watch of the night: between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. The Romans divided the twelve hours between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. into four equal parts called “watches.”

* [14:27] It is I: see note on Mk 6:50.

* [14:31] You of little faith: see note on Mt 6:30. Why did you doubt?: the verb is peculiar to Matthew and occurs elsewhere only in Mt 28:17.

* [14:33] This confession is in striking contrast to the Marcan parallel (Mk 6:51) where the disciples are “completely astounded.” (Matthew, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Rashmi Fernando, SJ, comments that we begin with confidence, but somewhere along the journey, we become preoccupied with the “winds” around us—the uncertainties, disappointments, criticism, financial burdens, fragile health, or fears about the future. Slowly, we begin to sink under the weight of what once seemed manageable.

Yet today’s Gospel is not ultimately about Peter’s failure. It is about Jesus’ immediacy. The most comforting word in the passage may be “immediately.” Peter cries, “Lord, save me!” and immediately Jesus stretches out his hand. There is no lecture before the rescue. No delay. No test to determine whether Peter deserves help. Grace always precedes correction. Jesus first saves him; only then does he gently ask, “Why did you doubt?” Perhaps, for this reason, the greatest miracle in today’s gospel is not that Jesus walked on water or that Peter briefly did the same. The greater miracle is that God’s hand is always closer than our fear. Even when our faith falters, his faithfulness never does. (Fernando, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “Welcoming the Lord Jesus with expectant faith and humility,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"While human praise does not tempt the Lord, people are often ruffled and nearly entranced by human praise and honors in the church. Peter was afraid on the sea, terrified by the great force of the storm. Indeed, who does not fear that voice: 'Those who say you are happy place you in error and disturb the path of your feet' (Isaiah 3:12 Vulgate translation)? And since the soul struggles against the desire for human praise, it is good for it to turn to prayer and petition amid such danger, lest one who is charmed by praise be overcome by criticism and reproach. Let Peter, about to sink in the waves, cry out and say, 'Lord, save me!' The Lord reached out his hand. He chided Peter, saying, 'O man of little faith, why did you doubt?' - that is, why did you not, gazing straight at the Lord as you approached, pride yourself only in him? Nevertheless he snatched Peter from the waves and did not allow him who was declaring his weakness and asking the Lord for help to perish." (excerpt from SERMON 75:10) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in 1 Kings we hear of the experience of God by Elijah on Mt Horeb, also known as  Mt Sinai, where the Law was received by the Jewish people. God is not  found in the traditional way. Most often we meet God in the simple events of our life where we  see the signs of God's goodness. The profound passage in Romans declares that if Paul going to hell would save Jews, he would accept hell. In this way he gets the right idea about heaven. We think of our gain but to surrender heaven so others might attain it is truly heaven. The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus walking on the waters. In Matthew, Peter’s role is emphasized. He becomes the central character. He sinks because of shaken faith. We learn a bit about impetuous Peter who acts before thinking. Our character faults teach us about faith and our faults. Friar Jude notes that Jesus accepts Peter where he is and loves Him as much as he can. In the Hebrew Testament, the title “Son of God” is an honorific, then. in Matthew, it  becomes the proclamation of Jesus as truly the Son of God.

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13 comments that God was not in the strong wind, in the earthquake, or in the fire, however. He was in “a tiny whispering sound” (19:12). In today’s Gospel, the disciples were in a boat that was being tossed by the wind and the waves when they saw Jesus coming “toward them walking on the sea” (Matthew 14:25). Of course they were terrified!

You might be afraid or you might have “little faith” (Matthew 14:31). Because it might feel as if the Lord is absent, as if he doesn’t care, or as if you’re beyond his help.

But God wants to reassure you. He is passing by! He’s inviting you to the “mountain”—a quiet place where you can pray and pour out your heart—to spend time with him. He wants you to remember that he comes to you, he stretches out his hand, and he holds you and keeps you steady. Then he says: “Take courage . . . ; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27).

“Lord, I know you come to my aid. Help me to trust in you.” (Meditation on 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, describes how grace and connectivity are foundational to Franciscan mysticism. A mystic reveals that which is hidden to most of us, yet it is also invariably what we also hope and imagine to be true! True mystics seldom if ever bring bad news. It seems Reality, at its hidden and deepest levels, is always very good—better than most of us can imagine!

Franciscan mysticism is a subset of mysticism. Though it overlaps with aspects of non-Christian mysticism—such as nature mysticism, Islamic Sufi mysticism (ecstasy and joy), Hindu mysticism (unitive consciousness itself and asceticism), and Buddhism (nonviolence and simplicity)—Franciscan mysticism has a unique place in the world through its Christocentric lens.

It was the unique person of Jesus that Francis of Assisi (1182–1226) fell in love with, precisely in his incarnate and humble state, identifying with the excluded and little ones, whom Jesus calls “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40). The bias toward the edge and the bottom has always been at the heart of Franciscan mysticism, explaining its perennial identification with poverty and suffering.

The cosmic vision, personalized in Jesus, was an intuition that Francis and many of his followers lived and experienced, but most of them did not formulate it in theological words or academic concepts as much as in lifestyles. Usually they picked it up by osmosis, through the gospel and the Franciscan lineage. Followers of Francis bore “fruit that remained” and invariably believed in original blessing much more than original sin. (Rohr, n.d.)

We are grateful to the Spirit that inspires the great transforming events of our lives and supports our journey to be support and blessing to those we accompany in “troubled waters”.

References

Fernando, R. (2026, August 9). Daily Reflection August 9, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-9-2026 

Matthew, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/14?22 

Meditation on 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/09/1642346/ 

1 Kings, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1kings/19? 

Psalms, PSALM 85 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Grace and Connectivity. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/85?9 

Romans, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/9? 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). It Is I - Have No Fear. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/