During his lifetime, St. Francis of Assisi often spoke of poverty as a lady—one with whom he envisioned a loving and chivalrous relationship. In his book Francis: The Journey and the Dream, Murray Bodo writes about Francis's dream of Lady Poverty as one of the animating principles of his life. Even before he was joined by his brothers the friars, he had a vision of his lady to cherish:
"From his sojourn in the cave, he now knew that this lady was symbolic of the poor Christ, of chastity, of valor and courage, of chivalry and virtue and everything spiritual and fine. But most of all she was Lady Poverty. To serve her was all his desire. Lady Poverty! To serve her was to be rich beyond imagining. Lady Poverty was the symbol of the paradoxes of the gospel: richness in poverty, life in death, strength in weakness, beauty in the sordid and shabby, peace in conflict and temptation, fullness in emptiness and, above all, love in detachment and deprivation. She made everything hard soft, and everything difficult easy."
If you'd like to see the world the way St. Francis did, pick up Francis: The Journey and the Dream! The 50th anniversary edition of this bestselling classic is now available in print, audio, and ebook editions wherever books are sold, including in our online bookstore (the most direct way for your purchase to support our mission).
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