This past Wednesday we commemorated the memorial of St. Francis of Assisi. This popular saint is the favorite of many because of his love of animals, his respect for nature, but mostly for the depth of his faith. St. Francis, born to a rich family, rejected the trappings of wealth and lived a simple life that centered on prayer, fasting, and preaching. So pious was he, that he received the marks of Christ’s crucifixion, the stigmata. His piety and faith drew many to follow him and soon he had established the Order of Friars Minor, better known as the Franciscans. Next year during our pilgrimage to Italy we will spend significant time in Assisi getting to know more about the life and faith of this holy man.

The Office for readings for this memorial included a letter written to all the faithful by St Francis. The letter was a challenge for Christians to live what they believe by following the example of Jesus Christ. While the whole of the letter offered wonderful advice for growing our relationship with God there were two pithy sentences that got stuck in my mind. St Francis wrote, “We must not be wise and prudent according to the flesh. Rather we must be simple, humble, and pure.”

In our culture of complexity, influence, and promiscuity, this advice seems so out of place. It seems to be a charming remnant of a long-gone genteel time. For Christians, however, this advice sums up the teaching of Jesus in three words. Seeking simplicity, humility, and purity is responding yes to Jesus’s call to follow him. Moreover, seeking these three treasures amid our current culture will certainly require us to take up our crosses as we navigate the path to holiness and happiness.

The call to simplicity is twofold. It is first a call to be firm in our commitment to following Jesus. Our yes to Jesus is not conditional, it doesn’t wane when things get tough, nor is it replaced when something “better” comes along. Instead, our yes to follow Jesus is simply yes. It is the yes of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the yes of the apostles whose lives were poured out so that you and I would know Jesus. Simplicity also reminds us that there are no possessions, people, or ideas that come before our relationship with God. There is no competition, we simply are beloved children of God before all else.

We need to be humble in accepting that God is God and we are not. We do not know all the answers, we do not know the future. We see a slice of time God sees eternity. Our awareness of what is best for us is based on how we feel and what others can convince us is best. God knows our needs before we do and is never outdone in generosity. The most obvious example of God’s generosity is Jesus Christ. We must humble ourselves in a relationship in which the other is willing to empty themselves so that we can live the fullness of life. Rather than being self-critical, holy humility is knowing where all our gifts come from and is a willingness to ask for the grace to face our challenges.

Finally, the call to purity is much more than a call to chastity. Certainly, followers of Jesus Christ must be chaste in whatever vocation we pursue. Chastity in marriage is faithfulness to one another and respect for the marital relationship. Chastity in single folks is, perhaps, easier to understand, but in our hypersexual culture harder to achieve. Chastity is ultimately the recognition that God has created us as sexual beings for the purpose of populating heaven and earth, and this must be done in a way that recognizes the sacredness of the gift.

Purity also is a call to do all that we can, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to preserve the newness of life that is ours through the waters of Baptism. In the Rite of Baptism we read, “You have become a new creation and have clothed yourself in Christ. May this white garment be a sign of your Christian Dignity. With family and friends to help you by word and example, bring it unstained into eternal life.” Temptation, competition, comfort, and a host of other things seek to stain our dignity. Through reception of the Eucharist, through participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, through following the example of the saints who have gone before us, we are able to prevent the stain of sin from becoming permanent.

While St. Francis has done us the favor of simplifying the teaching of Jesus, there is no easy way for us to follow this teaching. We must be deliberate, generous, patient, and persistent. We must be willing to let our yes be yes, to know that God has our back, and aware that our Christian dignity is under attack. But once again we have nothing to fear; we are not on this journey alone; for the One who calls us is with us every step of the way.