Doing all with great humility and gentle patience

Letters of Spiritual Direction
Discussion Group

Brian Rebholtz
Tresphord Chisanga
Sung Han Lee

What’s New/What Struck Us?

The letters would be more interesting if we had St. Jane’s letters. St. Jane did the world a huge disfavor by burning her letters to St. Francis!

St. Francis has a very direct, forthright manner of addressing his directees. He also has an integrative spirituality that encompasses almost all aspects of human life in a comprehensive theological vision. This is impressive, but also very counter-cultural for 21st century post-modern North Americans, who tend to isolate and separate the different pieces of our life.

St. Francis’ imaginative spirituality has an Ignatian flavor, and yet his use of imagination is more free and less tied to scriptural imagery. His style of finding popular images to convey the Gospel could definitely transfer to contemporary preaching.

What’s Confirmed?

Sweet ways every day! St. Francis’ letters are full of gentle advice and simple remonstrations of Gospel living. His spirit is always intensely pastoral and practical.

A life of prayer – St. Francis did all things with great humility and patience. He even prayed over the letters he wrote! We all agreed that St. Francis’ prayerfulness is a virtue to be imitated in vocational life.

Submitted by Brian Rebholtz
Photo by Joe Boenzi: Sun Han Lee in class (22 October 2009)