Today’s evening meditation is available below in audio and script formats. The audio version is also available for free download on the player.

Reading

Where there is injury, let me sow pardon.

—Saint Francis of Assisi

Commentary

Once, in wintertime, it is said that Francis and his disciple Brother Leo were making a hard journey on foot through the snowy countryside of Italy. They had been walking along in silence for a long time when Brother Leo turned to Francis and asked him, “How can we find perfect joy?” Francis stopped and replied, “Even if all our friars were perfect in their holiness and could work all kinds of miracles for others, we still would not have perfect joy.” 

He turned and walked on, and Brother Leo ran after him. “Then what is perfect joy?” Francis stopped again, “Even if we could speak with the birds of the air and the beasts of the field and know all the secrets of nature, we still would not have perfect joy. Even if we could cure all the ills on the face of the earth, we would still not have found perfect joy.” 

Brother Leo was practically shouting: “Then please, Father Francis, what is the secret of perfect joy?” 

“Brother, suppose we go to that monastery across the field and tell the gatekeeper how weary and cold we are, and he calls us tramps and beats us and throws us out into the winter night. Then, Brother, if we can say with love in our hearts, Bless you in the name of Jesus,’ then we shall have found perfect joy.” (WLB)

Quiet

As your day draws to a close, spend a few moments in silence and stillness.

Podcast Feeds

Abbreviations

BC The Belgic Confession

CAC The Center For Action & Contemplation

CD The Canons of Dort

CIB Church In Bethesda Prayers

DZ - Donna Z.

HC The Heidelberg Catechism

MAO - Michael A. O’Sullivan

NT The New Testament

OT The Old Testament

RP - Ryan Phipps

WC The Westminster Confession

WLB Words To Live By

WLC The Westminster Larger Catechism

WSC The Westminster Shorter Catechism

ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A