William Hugo , Capuchin
Franciscan prayer: God’s insatiable desire
(Third in a series of eight)
“Many people approach me with the
question, “What should I do to pray?” The
question might suggest that they think
prayer starts with them. Instead, I imagine
Francis and Clare of Assisi starting with
God, and, in particular, with God’s desire.
Since it is obvious that we can desire all
kinds of things that lead us away from God,
it is important to examine our desire. But
when we start by considering God’s desire, I
find that questions about
our desire fall into place.
When Francis and
Clare gaze at God, they
see big desire. First, God
expresses so much desire
that the result is creation.
God wants to share himself
by creating others. But
then, for reasons we might
describe as sin or limitation,
creation becomes
separated from God, and
God absolutely hates that!
Ever since the breach
between God and
creatures, God has desired
to heal it, and every
moment of God’s existence is filled with
God’s work to accomplish this. Now that’s
desire!
Perhaps you are wondering why I refer
to God’s desire rather than God’s will. I’m
fairly convinced that, when most people hear
God’s will, they begin to wonder what
concrete things God wants them to do. This
often seems to be about what’s in God’s head. Francis and Clare seem to focus less
on what God wants done and more on
whom God wants. God wants his creation
back. This spiritual intuition is more
concerned with God’s heart than his head.
It’s full of passion that seems akin to sexual passion. Well, it should, and that is why I
prefer to talk of God’s desire over his will.
The relationship of two people in love is never simply about scant looks back and forth. That is more akin to infatuation. A love relationship begins when people interact on a personal level, and the responses of one grow out of the actions of the other. Our relationship with God is similar. It’s about passion for a person, and it begins with God’s behavior of creating us and then a host of other actions to which we get to respond. Our choices become clearer once we’ve experienced God’s desire.
The next in the series on Franciscan prayer will focus on
how Francis and Clare increasingly
understand God as they experience his
desire. How does God express it? What is
God like? What is he willing to do to be
successful in passionate pursuit of us?
But be prepared. The answers you
discover are likely to change your life!
(William Hugo is a vocation director and teaches Franciscan
spirituality/history. He authored Studying the Life of Francis
of Assisi: A Beginner’s Workbook, Franciscan Press, 1996.)