Perhaps the single most quoted bit of wisdom from St. Francis of Assisi is:
“Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”
In fact, Francis never made this statement, though it is most certainly inspired by his life and words. Most likely it is a simplification of these two sentiments:
“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”
“…As for me, I desire this privilege from the Lord, that never may I have any privilege from man, except to do reverence to all, and to convert the world by obedience to the Holy Rule rather by example than by word.”
When we look at these two statements together, we see that the commonly attributed quote above only partially reflects Francis’ ideal. Francis believed that, at some point, words would be necessary. A charismatic and poetic preacher, Francis was never ashamed to boldy proclaim the Good News. While more commonly expressed in verse and song than any other form, his words nonetheless reflect a vital evangelical zeal.
What Francis was challenging in these statements was not the use of verbal proclamation of the Gospel, but rather when the words of our message fail to find reflected authority by the lives we lead. Francis was raised in a community where the excesses and abuses of the church were the fuel that give birth to the merchant class, undermining the longing reigning feudalism that kept his family and neighbours poor and subservient. Francis endeavoured to live a life that so radically imitated Christ (sometimes to extremes) that his example would be not only a shining beckon of the hope of salvation through Christ, but also a rebuke to a church that had become a white-washed tomb.
It would be highly misleading, however, to suggest that Francis’ extraordinary dedication to Christlikeness was primarily to lend authority to the Gospel he proclaimed. While he was convinced that this was true (as the “walking/preaching” quote proves), his devotion was born out of passionate love for God. Even his life of self-denial, not inspired by the self-mortification so common to monastic orders, was the extravagent gesture of a lover.
Francis teaches of some important lessons here. First, while we need to be appropriate with means and method, we should never be ashamed of the proclamation of the Gospel. Second, if we expect our words to carry authority, we must passionately pursue lives that reflect the radical message of transformation and forgiveness that we preach. Finally, we cannot forget that we do not preach the message nor do we live godly lives for the purpose of convincing others. Rather, we do so for the glory of God born out of love. It is then that our words and our deed truly reflect the Good News.
“Live the answers faithfully;
Listen, be patient for the questions”
-David Ausburger (Dissident Discipleship)
Missional, St. Francis, Evangelism, Preaching
