Lessons from a Pair of Medieval Dropouts
St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi embraced the beauty of the natural world as their guiding spiritual practice. Their radical emphasis on simplicity was not for the faint of heart—challenging us to sink deeper into devotion and really question what we can live without. Join us in finding wisdom from some key principles from their legacy.
What if we lived as if all of creation were our brothers and sisters? In our world of screens and megastores, it can feel impossible to really understand what it means to live in simplicity and harmony with the natural world.
St. Francis and St. Clare grew up in privilege but chose to live in a way that rejected material and social success in exchange for greater communion with Nature and the poor. St. Francis’ path to monastic living began when, after a mystical experience, he went to sell his merchant father’s supply of cloth and donate the profits to the poor. Francis’ father objected, and in response, Francis stripped his own clothes off his back, and returned them to father in repayment. He then retreated into the woods and began his monastic life.
Richard Rohr calls St. Francis and St. Claire “medieval dropouts” because of their refusal to go along with convention of the time. They both avoided marriage, the accumulation of wealth and the pursuit of status—even church hierarchy. This radical devotion to a kind of “counterculture” life is captured in the pair’s devotion to the beauty and sacredness of the natural world.
“Francis and Clare’s agenda for justice was the most foundational and undercutting of all others: a very simple lifestyle outside the system of production and consumption (the real meaning of the vow of poverty), plus a conscious identification with the marginalized of society (the communion of saints pushed to its outer edge).”
— Richard Rohr
St. Francis recognized the presence of the Divine in every creature and element of the earth. One of Francis’ most beloved poems is “Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon,” or “The Canticle of Creatures.” In it, he praises all the elements of the earth and creatures offering praise for God through the kind words and appreciation for all we experience each day. He writes:
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
Through whom you brighten up the night.
How beautiful is he, how merry! Full of power and strength.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Earth, our Mother,
Who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces
Various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.
Francis lived a materially simple life, only using what he needed. This, he believed, allowed him to live in total solidarity with those who had few material possessions—including his beloved animal friends. A few years younger than Francis, Clare was deeply touched by his example, and joined him in renouncing her worldly possessions and founding the Poor Clares, an order that forbids the ownership of property at all.
“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.” — St. Claire of Assisi
St. Clare’s teachings explore how cultivating a relationship with God should feel like the relationships we have with our fellow beings. She writes: “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.” The honor and respect we feel for God, Clare offers us, should be mirrored in the respect offer our fellow beings.
Richard Rohr explains: “Francis and Clare’s agenda for justice was the most foundational and undercutting of all others: a very simple lifestyle outside the system of production and consumption (the real meaning of the vow of poverty), plus a conscious identification with the marginalized of society (the communion of saints pushed to its outer edge). In this position you do not ‘do’ acts of peace and justice as much as your life is itself peace and justice.”
We hope that reflecting on St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi’s an alternative way of offers you some sacred wisdom today as we all work to reimagine a different kind of relationship with Nature and each other.
Reflect with Us
What inspires you about St. Francis and St. Clare’s example? What part of their lifestyle can you integrate into your own? Share your reflection with us.
We Conspire is a series from the Center for Action and Contemplation featuring wisdom and stories from the growing Christian contemplative movement. Sign up for the monthly email series and receive a free invitation to practice each month.