For St Francis, poverty was not about deprivation; it was about freedom.
By owning little, he believed he could receive everything as a gift from God. When he sat on the ground eating simple bread and herbs, he did not see lack. He saw abundance.
- The earth became his table.
- The grass became his tablecloth.
- The sky became his roof.
- The sun and moon became his lamps.
- The food before him became a sacrament of God’s providence.
Francis called creation his brothers and sisters because he saw everything as coming from the same loving Father. This is reflected in his famous Canticle of the Creatures, where he praises “Brother Sun,” “Sister Moon,” and even “Sister Mother Earth.”