I will give you rest / take up my yoke / you will find rest for your souls
All of these
Show an apparent contradiction
but does contradiction mean they are incompatible with each other?
Francis:
1) Known to have been merciless to himself in disciplining his appetites (for food, sex, etc).
2) Also known to have been full of joy
-bursting into song
-finding humor in everyday life
As he got older he said : “I should have been kinder to brother ass.” (his body)
Someone once asked Francis if everyone, in order to be saved, had to be as strict as he was with regard to poverty and discipline. After he stopped laughing, he said: “Good heavens, no! I f everyone were a Francis, who would bake the bread?”
In other words,
following Jesus’ teaching faithfully doesn’t mean living a grim life.
May Francis’ example and his intercession help us to live both faithfully and with joy.
