When Saint Francis Saved the Church Quotes

“I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.9”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church: How a Converted Medieval Troubadour Created a Spiritual Vision for the Ages

“In 1955, Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, “When faith is completely replaced by creed, worship by discipline, love by habit; when faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain; when religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion—its message becomes meaningless.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church: How a Converted Medieval Troubadour Created a Spiritual Vision for the Ages

“well-meaning Christians almost killed the faith eight hundred years ago”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“In one of the most personal of all the writings of Francis we possess, this one from 1226, Francis writes a note of encouragement to his closest male friend, Leo...

"I am speaking to you, now, as a mother would, because all of the words we passed between us on the road together I am summarizing in this message and bit of advice. If you ever feel the need to for my counsel, I suggest that you turn to this letter.

"My advice is this : In whatever way you feel called to serve the Lord, and to make him happy, to follow his footprint and his poverty, do that, and do that with my blessing and with the blessing of the Lord God.

"If you ever want to come and see me, Leo, for the sake of your soul or for any other reason, come, by all means, come back to me.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“May the Lord give you peace," was Francis's most common remark to people. What a contrast this was to the apocalyptic fear-mongering of most other wandering spiritual groups in those days, and how different it was even from the doctrinaire preaching of the new Dominican Order.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“Francis's expressions of friendship came from his heart in an uncalculated way. We see Francis befriending without judging, noticing and responding to people's needs, and expressing love simply because that person has been created by a God who says that every created thing is good.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“With the help of the Gospel, which he began to listen to carefully, Francis began to break down the barriers to friendship inherent in his old worldview. Every person, he began to see, was at the most basic root the same.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“God's jugglers" would express a personal, emotional faith with joy and song that reminded the people of the troubadours they'd heard in the public square, as well as ancient Italian folk traditions of song, dance, and carnival. The earliest Franciscans were interested in passion, fervor, and ecstasy— an intimate approach to God that was both playful and unpredictable.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“Francis wanted a new kind of spiritual life that was somewhat unpredictable and without guarantees, putting him in less contact with religion and more contact with the living God.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“It is also instructive to pause and consider what Francis did not speak about. Nowhere in his writings does he ever mention his mother, for instance. Only directly does he ever speak of his father.... He was— at least at some level— a disrespectful son; he believed that he couldn't ultimately respect his earthly and heavenly fathers, both.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“One way to express Francis's approach is to say that his life was focused on orthopraxy (right action) over orthodoxy (right belief).... The Gospel was not something to believe as much it was a vocation to a changed life.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“Where Francis self-consciously modeled his actions after the Jesus he met in the Gospels, many later saints read accounts of earlier saints like Francis in order to chart their paths and make their decisions according to what the blessed are supposed to do.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“When people tell me they don't believe in God, I usually ask, "What God don't you believe in?" They invariably go on to describe a God who is judgmental, vengeful, overbearing, unloving, or whimsical. "Oh, I don't believe in that God, either," I say.”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church

“[Francis of Assisi was one of the] signal figures who are catalysts for rapid change”
― Jon M. Sweeney, When Saint Francis Saved the Church