St Francis gave up a life of comfort to embrace one of radical simplicity. Not because comfort is wrong, but because he discovered that possessions — and the anxieties that come with them — can quietly crowd out God.
We are not asking anyone to give away their belongings. But Francis's example still asks each of us a fair question: what, in my life, is taking up space that belongs to something greater?
Sometimes the answer is a busy schedule. Sometimes it is a grudge carried too long. Sometimes it is simply noise. Franciscan simplicity is less about having less, and more about making room.