Sunday Prayer: Freedom Through Surrender
Father, Francis confronts my comfortable Christianity. I've become expert at explaining why Jesus didn't really mean what he said - why I don't need to sell everything, give to everyone who asks, or stop worrying about tomorrow. My rationalizations might be legitimate, but they might also be self-serving justifications for keeping what I want to keep.
Show me where I'm clinging to possessions, security, or comfort that's hindering my trust in you. I probably don't need to sell everything, but I could simplify significantly. I probably don't need to beg for food, but I could live with less and give away more. I probably don't need to abandon planning, but I could stop treating security as the highest good.
Francis found freedom in absolute poverty because he wasn't weighed down by possessions or paralyzed by fear of losing them. I want that freedom - not necessarily his lifestyle, but his radical trust. Help me surrender whatever's keeping me from depending fully on you. You're caring for sparrows. You'll certainly care for me. I don't need everything I think I need. Teach me that through Lady Poverty's instruction.
