William Hugo , Capuchin

Franciscan prayer: the Word made flesh
(Part 5 in a series of 8 by William Hugo, Capuchin)

In the last Update on Franciscan prayer, ( I examined Francis and Clare’s
gaze at the self-emptying life of God visible in the enormous act of creation. We saw
the four steps of prayer outlined by Clare (gaze, consider or meditate, contemplate,
and imitate) as they are visible in the actions and prayers of Francis.

Francis and Clare also gazed a lot at Jesus. A lot! Perhaps the important word to
consider in understanding this focus is Incarnation. This is the theological word we
use to refer to the Word of God (the 2nd person in the Trinity) becoming human.

Many people mistakenly think Incarnation refers specifically to Jesus’ birth, i.e., Christmas.
Incarnation includes Jesus’ birth, but properly refers to Jesus’ entire human and
historical existence, in other words, from conception (Annunciation) to death. No one
moment is more important than another, though some moments are more dramatic
for Francis, powerfully disclosing what God is like. How does this fit into Franciscan
prayer?

The Incarnation as a whole and in each of its moments becomes the event at which
Francis and Clare most commonly gaze. When they move from gazing to considering,
again they experience a selfless God. To be precise, they are overcome by considering
that a God they imagine to be powerful, great, glorious, and able to do everything
and anything in the superlative, actually takes on our human nature that seems so
utterly constrained by littleness and limits.

I am accustomed to describing this insight as God jumping off the tallest
pedestal to live on the floor with his creatures. However, if one stays with the
gazing and considering of Francis and Clare, one sees God in Jesus leaping off time after
time after time, until one realizes that the eternal God is eternally leaping to the floor.

Then, perhaps the best metaphor for God is someone standing on the floor next to the
pedestal that we humans put there, but which God never climbs. He’s too busy
emptying himself on the floor. The baby Jesus and the crucified Christ are but moments on this
continuum of salvation. However, for Franciscans, these two moments most dramatically disclose
God’s selfless vulnerability, littleness, humility, poverty, and minority. This is why we see so many works
of art depicting Francis with the crucified or the baby Jesus.

Remember, Franciscan prayer by Clare’s definition changes our lives. That’s for the next installment.

(William Hugo is the Capuchin Province of St. Joseph postulant director and teaches Franciscan spirituality/history. He authored Studying the Life of Francis
of Assisi: A Beginner’s Workbook, Franciscan Press, 1996.)